California woman accused of murdering fire captain wife captured in Mexico after 33 days on the run



A California woman suspected of murdering her fire captain wife finally has been captured in Mexico after being on the run for 33 days.

Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi was taken into custody after being located at a hotel roughly two miles south of the U.S. border in the city of Mexicali — approximately 175 miles southeast of where her wife was found stabbed to death at her house in Ramona, California.

'We had a big fight, and I hurt her.'

The Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat said in a statement that once Mexican law enforcement agents confirmed her identity, she was taken into custody and transferred to the border "allowing U.S. authorities to proceed with legal action."

Marodi was turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service after being returned to America at a U.S. port of entry, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement, adding that "Yolanda is being processed and will be booked into custody for murder."

U.S. officials reportedly had asked Mexican authorities to assist them in locating Marodi.

The search for Marodi included assets from Mexican law enforcement, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service San Diego Fugitive Task Force.

U.S. officials said in an arrest warrant for Marodi that they had a video showing the suspect crossing the southern border into Mexico in her vehicle via the San Ysidro port of entry just hours after 49-year-old Cal Fire Captain Rebecca “Becky” Marodi was found stabbed to death Feb. 17.

As Blaze News previously reported, Rebecca Marodi was found dead inside her home with multiple stab wounds on her neck, chest, and abdomen.

Law enforcement previously said the incident was being treated as a "potential domestic violence incident."

Police immediately considered Yolanda a prime suspect after she fled the residence following Rebecca's murder.

Security camera video from the home reportedly provided investigators with the chilling last moments of Rebecca Marodi's life.

According to the arrest warrant, the home surveillance video shows a female — suspected to be Yolanda — "chasing after" a female, who appears to be Rebecca.

A voice believed to be Rebecca's reportedly is heard screaming in the video, "Yolanda! Please ... I don’t want to die!"

A voice believed to be Yolanda allegedly replied, "You should have thought about that before."

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office pointed out that Rebecca reappeared in the video and seemed to have blood on her back.

"Yolanda can be seen at one point standing in front of Rebecca with what appeared to be a knife in her right hand," the report noted.

Yolanda allegedly had blood on her arms in the video.

The home’s security camera reportedly captured Yolanda wearing different clothes, placing belongings, luggage, and a dog into her silver Chevrolet Equinox SUV and driving away.

Citing Department of Homeland Security records, the affidavit states that on the same night as Rebecca's murder, Yolanda's SUV crossed into Mexico — approximately 45 miles south of Ramona.

Citing the affidavit, NBC News reported that an unnamed witness received a dubious text message from Yolanda a day after Rebecca was killed.

“Becky came home and told me she was leaving, she met someone else, all the messages were lies. We had a big fight, and I hurt her ... I’m sorry,” the text message from Yolanda read, according to the affidavit.

Yolanda and Rebecca reportedly had been married for about two years.

Rebecca had served Cal Fire for more than 30 years. She helped battle the Eaton fire in January near Los Angeles as seen in an Instagram video shared by the Cal Fire’s battalion in Temecula.

The Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department thanked authorities after Yolanda's capture.

“We thank our law enforcement partners in San Diego and Mexico for their hard work,” spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa said in a statement. “Becky was a beloved member of our community and Department, and we miss her greatly.”

Last month, Cal Fire San Diego launched a benevolent fund to assist Rebecca's 77-year-old mother with financial challenges.

"She [Marodi] was the sole caregiver for her mother, who is now falling on some hard times due to no longer having a caregiver, so we're there to help support her in any way she needs," said John Clark, battalion chief and chief operating officer for the benevolent fund.

Yolanda is an ex-convict who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of her husband — James Olejniczak — and she was in prison from February 2004 to November 2013 for that killing.

In an eerie similarity, Yolanda allegedly attempted to flee from law enforcement with her two young children before turning herself in to police in connection with her husband's killing.

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Bodies of missing American, Australian surfers believed to have been found in Mexico, 3 suspects in custody



An American and two Australian surfers have gone missing in Mexico and investigators believe they were killed. Four bodies have been discovered in a well, according to authorities in Mexico. Three suspects are in custody in relation to the disappearance of the surfers.

The Baja California Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Friday that four bodies were found in a well near a surfing spot known as La Bocana, about 130 miles south of San Diego, California. It took rescuers 20 hours to pull the bodies out of the well that was said to be 50 feet deep.

Citing a source within the attorney general's office, KUSI-TV reported that three of the bodies were the missing surfers. The news outlet reported that the fourth body was a ranch owner who was reported missing two weeks ago. The rancher purportedly owned the property where the bodies were located.

Zeta Tijuana reported that police officers located the surfers' camping area, where there were "blood and dental parts."

Authorities believe the surfers were killed in a robbery.

“When they tried to get the vehicle, the victims opposed the robbery, the robbers were armed with a firearm and apparently shot the victims,” Baja California State Attorney-General Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez told 7News.

Shell casings were reportedly found at the campsite where the trio was last seen.

The missing surfers who are presumably dead are a San Diego man named 30-year-old Jack Carter Rhoad and Australian brothers 30-year-old Jake Robinson and 33-year-old Callum Robinson, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The U.S. and Australian citizens went missing earlier this week during a surfing trip south of Ensenada, Mexico.

Family members last heard from men last Saturday. However, they did not notify authorities until a few days later when the surfers didn't show up at an Airbnb near K38 – a popular Baja surfing spot.

On Wednesday, a white Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck belonging to the San Diego man was located and had been set on fire.

Three suspects were arrested on Wednesday in two different police operations.

The New York Post reported that police arrested Jesús Gerardo Garica Cota, alias El Kekas, and his partner Ari Gisel García Cota. Also taken into custody was Cristian Alejandro García – the brother of Kekas.

Cota – a 23-year-old Mexican woman – allegedly had a surfer's cell phone in her possession at the time of the arrest.

All three of the suspects were in possession of an assortment of methamphetamines and other illegal drugs at the time of their arrest, according to Baja California's chief public prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez.

The Baja California Attorney's Office said Mexican authorities were in close communication with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Consulate, and the Australian Consulate.

Baja California is known as one of Mexico's most violent, cartel-controlled states.

Callum Robinson shared photos from the trio's surfing vacation on his Instagram account.

Robinson was an accomplished lacrosse player known as "The Big Koala."

Stevenson University paid tribute to the former student-athlete and alumni.

"Our prayers and thoughts are now for Callum's parents, Martin and Debra Robinson, who lost their two sons; the family of their friend Jack Carter Rhoad; and the many loved ones and friends all of these young men had," the university said in a statement on Saturday morning.

"He was a stellar student, a stellar athlete, and an even better friend. We will look forward to a time when we can all join together as a community to honor and celebrate his life," said Brett Adams – director of athletics.

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FBI offers $40,000 reward for info on another US citizen kidnapped in Mexico; eye-opening report shows over 550 Americans are missing in Mexico



The FBI has offered a $40,000 reward for information leading to the discovery of an American woman who was reportedly kidnapped in Mexico. The woman is the latest U.S. citizen who has gone missing in Mexico.

Monica de Leon Barba, 29, was last seen on Nov. 29, 2022, walking her dog home from work in Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Mexico.

CBS News reported, "De Leon was headed to a gym between 5-6 p.m. called Fit 4 Life in the Guadalupe Fraction when she was forced into a van 'leaving the poor puppy alone in the street,' her family and friends said on a community Facebook page dedicated to finding the missing woman."

U.S. officials believe that de Leon Barba was kidnapped.

An FBI San Francisco spokesperson told NBC News, "We believe that Monica is alive, but we don’t know where she is. After Monica was kidnapped, her family found her dog on the street and safely recovered the dog."

The FBI is offering $40,000 for information leading to the recovery of De Leon Barba. She is a native of San Mateo County in California and stands at 5' 7" and weighs 240 pounds, according to the FBI.

The FBI San Francisco field office wrote on Twitter, "You can submit a tip online at http://tips.fbi.gov, or call the FBI's Toll-Free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)."

\u201c#BREAKING: The #FBI is offering a reward of up to $40K for information leading to the recovery of Monica de Leon Barba, a U.S. citizen who was kidnapped in Tepatitl\u00e1n, Jalisco, Mexico, while walking her dog on November 29, 2022. \nhttps://t.co/grAeejsUPv\u201d
— FBI SanFrancisco (@FBI SanFrancisco) 1680192937

The missing woman's brother, Gustavo de Leon, said, "I can't help but think of the absolute fear and agony she has faced for the last 121 days."

U.S. officials have not said if they have any suspects in the purported kidnapping.

Former Western District of Texas U.S. Marshal Robert Almonte noted that kidnappings are the "bread and butter" of Mexican drug cartels and part of their "culture."

Almonte added, "It's getting worse because the Mexican government can not get control of the cartels. The U.S. is going to get the brunt of that."

This is the third time in the past month that the FBI has offered a reward for information on Americans who went missing in Mexico.

Last month, four U.S. citizens were violently kidnapped at gunpoint in Matamoros, Mexico. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for the information on the kidnapped Americans. Two of the U.S. citizens were killed.

In mid-March, the FBI offered $20,000 for information about the disappearance of a 63-year-old American woman. Maria del Carmen Lopez was kidnapped from her home in Pueblo Nuevo, a municipality in the southwestern Mexican state of Colima.

In March, the Washington Post reported, "More than 550 Americans are reported as missing in Mexico, a little-known facet of a broader tragedy that has honeycombed this country with mass graves."

The outlet added, "Soaring violence and government dysfunction have fueled a crisis that’s left at least 112,150 people missing, according to government records here."

The U.S. State Department has warned Americans not to travel to the Mexican states of Colima, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas due to the increased risk of crime and kidnapping.

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Argentine model found dead in Mexico. Authorities rule tragic death a suicide, but woman's family says she was murdered, and they know who killed her.



An Argentine model was found dead in her apartment in Mexico. Authorities ruled the tragic death a suicide. However, the woman's family believes she was murdered, and they say they know who killed her.

Agostina Jalabert, 31, was found dead around 7 a.m. on Feb. 18 in her apartment in the tourist hotspot of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Agostina's 21-year-old sister, Candela Jalabert, found the model dead in the bathroom.

Before entering the apartment, security reportedly informed Candela that police recently visited her sister's home after neighbors informed authorities that they heard screaming on two occasions.

Candela attempted to enter the apartment by using a security code, but it didn't work that day. The sister began frantically banging on the front door. Agostina's boyfriend, Juan Reverter, answered the door and said that Jalabert was sleeping.

MEAWW reported that Jalabert's father, Edgardo Jalabert, told Argentine news network TN, "Candela was about to leave the apartment but Agostina’s dog caught her attention and guided her to the bathroom where she found her sister sitting in the bathtub with a towel wrapped around her hands. This character said he was sleeping when Candela arrived and asked for his sister."

"The dog, Bruna, led her to the bathroom, and there they found Agostina hanging from the towel rack, sitting or semi-sitting, (a few feet) from the floor," the father said, adding that she had "injuries of all kinds."

Agostina's uncle, Germán Jalabert, told the news website Pagina 12 that his niece wasn't suicidal, and it seemed improbable that she could kill herself in the position that she was found.

"The towel rack was about (four feet) from the floor. It's hard to think that a person can hang from a height lower than their height," Germán explained.

He said that Candela attempted to revive her unresponsive sister, but it was too late because she was already dead.

The uncle criticized Mexican authorities for their investigation into the sudden death of Agostina Jalabert.

"None of the basic protocols were applied to investigate and find out the real causes of his death," Germán said. "The boyfriend was not arrested, his phone was not seized, nor were toxicological tests carried out, nor was it verified if he had any injuries."

The family suspects that the boyfriend murdered Agostina.

Edgardo said, "The autopsy, according to the lawyer, reveals that this is a femicide due to the injuries my daughter has."

Betina Teuly, the family's lawyer, proclaimed that "there is sufficient evidence" to prove that Jalabert was murdered by Reverter.

However, Mexican authorities have not prosecuted Reverter.

Teuly has urged Argentina's Foreign Ministry to convince Mexican authorities to reclassify the case from a suicide to a femicide. The Mexican prosecutor's office is reportedly still investigating the unexpected death.

Reverter has reportedly not been seen since Jalabert's death.

According to El Pais, Edgardo said, "Now he's gone and we don't know his whereabouts. He never contacted us to give an explanation, since he was the person with whom he [Agostina] lived for the last two months."

Teuly said Reverter "ran like a coward."

The family believes Reverter may have fled to Asia, San Francisco, or Canada — where he once lived.

Edgardo Jalabert said Agostina broke up with Reverter in June 2021, but the couple reunited in December 2022, and he moved in with her around Christmas.

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