Suspect ID’d in Stabbing Death of Cal Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi

Authorities have identified a suspect in the murder of Rebecca Marodi, a beloved fire captain in Ramona, Calif.

According to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect is 53-year-old Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak. She has brown hair, is 5 feet 2 inches and weighs approximately 166 lbs. According to the police statement, the suspect’s “current location is unknown.”

Citing family, Lt. Mike Krugh of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE that Yolanda and Rebecca had been married for about two years.

Yolanda also previously served time for manslaughter for “killing who we believe was her husband at the time,” Krugh said.

While additional motives and circumstances of the case are still being determined, in its statement the S.D. Sheriff’s Office said it was working “diligently to gather more information and establish a comprehensive understanding of the case.” 

Marodi, 49, a captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), was found at her Ramona residence with multiple stab wounds on the night of Feb. 17, after deputies responded to a call for an assault with a deadly weapon, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

Marodi was pronounced dead at the scene despite attempts by first responders to save her life.

The sheriff’s office said in the statement that the case is being treated as a “potential domestic violence incident,” and they believed Marodi knew her attacker.

Marodi was a captain with Cal Fire and had served over 30 years with the department, primarily in Riverside County, the agency said in a statement.

Marodi began her career as a volunteer firefighter in 1993, according to a release from the Riverside County Fire Department and Cal Fire. After rising up the ranks, she was promoted to Captain in 2022.

Marodi always prioritized “the well-being of her colleagues,” the statement says. “Her legacy of mentorship, service and dedication will be felt for years to come.”

Monika Evans, a neighbor of Marodi’s, told KTLA she’d never noticed anything amiss when it came to Marodi or her home life. “They’d be mowing, they’d be doing wood, gardening … you know the usual stuff. Never saw any problems.” (It’s unclear who Marodi lived with.)

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Monika Evans also told WTOC that Marodi had been “very outgoing and very nice.”

“She was very sweet and very kind and everything else,” said Evans. “Had a sense of humor, too.”

On Tuesday morning, Cal Fire crews honored her with a procession from Marodi’s home to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office.

Police are trying to track down Olejniczak and urge anyone who sees her to contact them immediately at (858) 285-6330 or after hours at (858) 868-3200. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.