The ex lover of a murdered California fire captain says the victim’s wife is a ‘volatile person’ as she dropped bombshell new claims about their relationship.
Rebecca Marodi, 49, was found dead from multiple stab wounds inside her Ramona home on Monday. Police announced on Thursday they are investigating Marodi’s wife, Yolanda Olenjniczak, 53, as the prime suspect in her murder.
The slain firefighter, who had spent more than 30 years with Cal Fire, was killed just weeks after battling the Eaton Fire with thousands of her fellow crew.
The horrific blaze killed at least 17 people, destroyed more than 9,400 structures and torched 14,000 acres of land just north of Los Angeles proper.
In the wake of the devastating news of Marodi’s death, her ex-wife Lilia Phleger Phillips, 58, told DailyMail.com she had concerns about Olenjniczak.
‘From what I’ve heard her wife was a volatile person,’ Phillips said. ‘She served time for voluntary manslaughter. The crime happened in 2000. That’s public knowledge.’
It was reported that Olenjniczak had pleaded guilty to the killing a man in 2003 and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Phillips was married to Marodi for seven years before they got divorced in 2015.
California Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi, 49, (pictured) was found dead in her home on Monday
San Diego police have suspect Marodi’s current wife, Yolanda Olenjniczak (right), in the gruesome stabbing murder
She says vicious rumors about Marodi’s death and people trying to politicize the tragedy have caused her distress.
‘What’s most upset me is on social media everybody is trying to attach this horrendous domestic violence crime to the whole DEI uproar and connect it to DEI hires and the fires in Los Angeles,’ she said.
‘That is utter rubbish and completely wrong and takes away from the importance of understanding when people are in toxic relationships and the necessity to educate about domestic violence and how things can go wrong so quickly.’
Marodi has been hailed as a hero since her passing, with her firefighter colleagues carrying her out of her home in a casket draped with the American flag.
‘She was very hard working. Very dedicated to her family. Very dedicated to her parents and a real friend to people,’ Phillips said.
‘Just because our marriage did not work out doesn’t mean that she was not a good person. This is absolutely horrific news.’
Among her frustrations, she says some online have claimed that lesbian couples are more violent than straight couples.
Phillips said she was gutted by this ‘noise,’ adding that Marodi’s family felt the same way.
Pictured: Marodi’s firefighter colleagues carry her out of her home in a casket draped with the American flag
Marodi, who served for 30 years with Cal Fire, was one of the thousands of firefighters who battled the deadly Eaton Fire (pictured) in January
‘People are so willing to get up in arms about something that is completely unrelated,’ Phillips said.
She said the important thing right now is ‘catch the perpetrator, to heal and to focus on what the issue was and that is domestic violence.’
‘She would probably want people to understand that there are resources for people who are trapped in toxic relationships and domestic violence,’ Phillips added.
Phillips said Marodi lived in the house she was killed in with her mother and Olenjniczak, who has so far eluded police capture.
Marodi’s death has ignited people on X to speculate she was a DEI hire, while others spread bizarre and untrue conspiracy theories about her being to blame for the Los Angeles wildfires.
One went as far to claim Donald Trump had instigated his supporters against the LGBT firefighter.
‘Trump riled up his MAGA cult against California fire captain calling her “DEI hire” — now she’s been viciously murdered in her own home,’ read one post on X that received over 4.4 million views.
Another person said that ‘MAGA and POTUS need to be investigated’ for what happened to Marodi.
Once it became clear that police suspected Olenjniczak,, conservatives began to hit back.
‘So DEI hire Rebecca Marodi is the victim of domestic violence and it somehow becomes the responsibility of “The MAGA Cult” and President Trump? Anything else you want to blame on him and his followers before the sun goes down?’ one person wrote.
Police are now searching for Yolanda Olenjniczak (pictured) in connection with Marodi’s murder. Her whereabouts remain unknown
The two appear to have been together since at least 2022 when Olenjniczak shared an Instagram photo announcing her engagement to Marodi.
‘No words can express the joy and profound happiness and gratitude that I experience every day that I spend by her side, and soon I’ll get to call her my wife,’ Yolanda said at the time.
The San Diego Sheriff’s Office circulated a description of the wanted woman, saying she is 5’2″, weighs 166 pounds and has brown hair. Olenjniczak’s whereabouts are unknown.
Marodi served more than 30 years with Cal Fire and was planning to retire this year, according to KABC.
‘Her passing is a profound loss to her family, friends and all who had the privilege of working alongside her,’ Cal Fire said.
‘Beyond her operational assignments, Captain Marodi was deeply involved in Peer Support and Hazmat, always prioritizing the well-being of her colleagues.
‘Her legacy of mentorship, service and dedication will be felt for years to come.’
‘Becky was highly regarded professionally. She was cared for greatly by her friends and her family. Her friends and family meant a lot to her,’ Phillips said of her former wife.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Selegue said Marodi was someone everyone could aspire to be like.
‘She was never afraid to get involved with a person who needed help and she was always willing to extend herself to assist them,’ he said.
