A Cal Fire captain with connections to the Coachella Valley died on Monday after being stabbed multiple times in her San Diego county home. Authorities are investigating it as a possible domestic violence incident.
Deputies from the San Diego Sheriff’s Office responded to a radio call about an assault with a deadly weapon in the 20200 block of Rancho Villa Road in Ramona around 9 p.m., the sheriff’s office said in a press release. They found Rebecca Marodi, 49, with multiple stab wounds and administered medical aid until paramedics arrived. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rebecca Marodi, a fire captain for Cal Fire, died on Feb.17, 2025 after being stabbed multiple times in her Ramona home. She was 49.
Marodi spent around 32 years in fire service. She started as a volunteer firefighter in Moreno Valley in 1993 and then a firefighter in the San Bernardino and Riverside units, Cal Fire said. She was a fire apparatus engineer starting in 2007 and the fire agency promoted her to captain in 2022.
Cal Fire said she held assignments at the Emergency Command Center in Perris, Home Gardens Fire Station 13, Indian Wells Fire Station 55, Menifee Fire Station 68, North Rancho Mirage Fire Station 69, Temecula Battalion 15 relief and French Valley Fire Station 83.
“Her passing is a profound loss to her family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working alongside her,” Cal Fire said. “We extend our deepest condolences to Captain Marodi’s loved ones and stand together in remembrance of her extraordinary life and service.”
The sheriff’s office said the motivation and circumstances behind Marodi’s death are unclear but investigators suspect Marodi knew the assailant and are treating it as a possible domestic violence incident. It asked anyone with information about her homicide to contact the homicide unit at 858-285-6330, after hours at 858-868-3200 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cal Fire captain with Coachella Valley ties dies in San Diego County
