Yolanda Marodi: Arrested in Mexico after 33 days on run, charged with wife's murder
Police allege Yolanda stabbed Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi to death upon discovering the marriage was ending
After a month on the run following the murder of her wife, U.S. Marshals announced that 53-year-old Yolanda Marodi has been arrested in Mexico.
A photo released shows Marshals surrounding a woman in a pink plaid shirt and placing handcuffs on her wrists. She had been handed over to them at a U.S. Port of Entry by Mexican authorities after they located and arrested her, according to CBS.
A statement from the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat (SSCBC) said that Yolanda was arrested near a hotel on Fresnillo Avenue in Mexicali by Mexican law enforcement, who were cooperating with authorities in San Diego.
Officials confirmed her identity before they took her into custody and transferred her to the border.
Yolanda had been on the run for 33 days following the Feb. 17 murder of her wife, 49-year-old Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi, in their home.
According to an affidavit obtained by NBC, Rebecca Marodi’s mother called 911 at about 8:58 p.m. on Feb. 17, 2025 to report that her daughter had been stabbed in her Rancho Villa Road home. When police responded to the scene, they discovered Marodi with “several lacerations and apparent stab wounds on her body, including her neck area, her chest, and abdomen.”
While trying to provide life-saving aid, one of the paramedics recognized Rebecca as a Cal-Fire Captain who worked for the Riverside County Cal-Fire Statio. She died at the scene.
The affidavit notes that Rebecca’s mother, Lorena, was on the scene and told police that a week before, Rebecca had informed her wife, Yolanda Marodi, that she was leaving her and the marriage was over.
Police say that Lorena handed over home surveillance footage, which caught a portion of the crime on tape showing Rebecca pleading for her life moments before Yolanda left the home and disappeared. A background check confirmed that Yolanda had crossed the border into Mexico about an hour later.
Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department released a statement following the arrest:
“CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department is aware that Yolanda Marodi was apprehended. We thank our law enforcement partners in San Diego and Mexico for their hard work. Becky was a beloved member of our community and Department, and we miss her greatly.”
