A suspect in the homicide of a Cal Fire captain in Ramona was identified Thursday as the victim’s wife by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators are seeking 53-year-old Yolanda Marodi, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, in connection with the killing of Rebecca Marodi, 49, the sheriff’s office said in a release.
“According to the family, they were married for a little over two years,” Lt. Michael Krugh said.
On Monday, deputies responded to a home on Rancho Villa Road regarding a reported assault with a deadly weapon and found Rebecca Marodi suffering from multiple stab wounds.
Marodi was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Wednesday, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death to be a homicide.
The suspect’s location is currently unknown, the sheriff’s office said Thursday.
Yolanda Marodi was described as being 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 166 pounds with brown hair.
“The motivation and circumstances surrounding this homicide remain under investigation as detectives work diligently to gather more information and establish a comprehensive understanding of the case,” the sheriff’s office said.
Krugh said Tuesday that the incident was being investigated “as a potential domestic violence case.”
The sheriff’s office confirmed that the suspect had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter and other charges in 2000 in San Bernardino County under the name Yolanda Olejniczak.
She was sentenced to over 13 years in prison and was released on parole in 2013, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She was discharged from parole in 2015.
Rebecca Marodi was a three-decade Cal Fire veteran assigned to a station in French Valley in Riverside County.
For the record: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated where Yolanda Marodi was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. She was convicted in San Bernardino County. A previous version also incorrectly stated how many years Rebecca Marodi had served with Cal Fire. She had served for over 30 years.
