Woman suspected of fatally stabbing Cal Fire captain arrested in Mexico, authorities say

 SAN DIEGO — A woman suspected of fatally stabbing her wife, a Cal Fire captain, at their Southern California home has been taken into custody by authorities in Mexico, officials said Saturday.

Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, was arrested on Saturday at a hotel in the Mexican state of Baja California, the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat (SSCBC) said in a statement on social media. She was then transferred to the U.S.-Mexico border with the help of Mexico’s National Institute of Migration.

"Mexican authorities notified U.S. Marshals that Yolanda Marodi had been located in Mexico and taken into custody," the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release Saturday. "Yolanda was later released to U.S. Marshals and taken into custody at a U.S. Port of Entry. Yolanda is being processed and will be booked into custody for murder."

U.S. investigators believe Yolanda Marodi, 53, stabbed her wife of two years, Rebecca Marodi, 49, a captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, at their home in San Diego County on Feb. 17. Authorities suspected that Yolanda Marodi fled the country after the killing.

Yolanda Marodi was seen crossing into Mexico in her vehicle through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in the hours after the Feb. 17 killing, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

Her whereabouts were unknown for more than a month until she was captured on Saturday, the sheriff's department said.

The investigation remains ongoing and the sheriff's department said its homicide investigators are working to "gather more information to determine the circumstances and motivation" behind Rebecca Marodi's death.

What happened to Rebecca Marodi?

Deputies from the San Diego Sheriff's Office responded to a radio call about an assault with a deadly weapon at a residence in Ramona at around 9 p.m. local time on Feb. 17, the sheriff's office said in a news release. Ramona is a community located in northeast San Diego County.

After arriving at the scene, deputies discovered Rebecca Marodi inside her home with multiple stab wounds and administered medical aid until Cal Fire paramedics arrived.

"Despite their efforts, (Rebecca Marodi) succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene," the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office later revealed that Rebecca Marodi was found deceased by her mother who lived with the couple. She had several injuries to her neck, chest, and back that were consistent with a stabbing, the sheriff's office said.

Surveillance footage at the residence showed Yolanda Marodi arguing with her wife and physically assaulting her, according to the sheriff's office. Yolanda Marodi was then seen leaving the scene before Rebecca Marodi's arrived at the residence.

Rebecca Marodi was a 32-year fire service veteran. She started as a volunteer in Moreno Valley in 1993 and then a firefighter in the San Bernardino and Riverside units, Cal Fire said. In 2007, she became a fire apparatus engineer and was promoted by Cal Fire to captain in 2022.