A California fire captain was found stabbed to death at her home on Monday night, and police are now searching for answers — and a suspect.
Rebecca Marodi, 49, a captain with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), was found at her Ramona residence with multiple stab wounds on the night of Feb. 17, after deputies responded to a call for an assault with a deadly weapon, according to a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office... Continue reading here ▶
Marodi was pronounced dead at the scene despite attempts by first responders to save her life.
The sheriff’s office said in the statement that the case is being treated as a “potential domestic violence incident,” and believe Marodi knew the attacker.
Marodi was a captain with Cal Fire and had served over 30 years with the department, primarily in Riverside County, the agency said in a statement.
Marodi began her career as volunteer firefighter in 1993, according to a release from the Riverside County Fire Department and Cal Fire. After rising up the ranks since then, she was promoted to Captain in 2022.
Marodi always prioritized “the well-being of her colleagues,” the statement notes. “Her legacy of mentorship, service and dedication will be felt for years to come.”
Monika Evans, a neighbor of Marodi’s, told KTLA she’d never noticed anything amiss when it came to Marodi or her home life. “They’d be mowing, they’d be doing wood, gardening … you know the usual stuff. Never saw any problems.” (It’s unclear who Marodi lived with.)
Monika Evans also told WTOC that Marodi had been “very outgoing and very nice.”
“She was very sweet and very kind and everything else,” said Evans. “Had a sense of humor, too.”
On Tuesday morning, Cal Fire crews honored her with a procession from Marodi’s home to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office.
Anyone with information about Marodi’s death is urged to call the San Diego County Sheriff’s Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330 or after hours at (858) 868-3200. Anonymous tips can be sent through Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
