Northern California man held for arson after aunt’s body burned near Yuba quarry

A Northern California man was charged with arson Tuesday as investigators continued probing the suspicious death of his aunt, whose body firefighters found burned last week in rural Yuba County.

Vincent Dorell Ciulei, 50, of Yuba City appeared in Sutter Superior Court to face the arson charge with several sentencing enhancements, according to court records. He did not enter a plea and the hearing was continued to Jan. 12.

He was not charged in connection to the death of Constance Laurel, 82, of Yuba City, who was charred remains were found Thursday near a quarry on the banks of the Yuba River about 15 miles east of Marysville.

Firefighters from Smartsville and the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office responded to the blaze at a structure on Parks Bar Road just after 6 a.m. where they found the body, according to previous Bee reporting.

Investigators later identified the victim as Laurel, Ciulei’s aunt, and described her death as suspicious. The investigation remained ongoing Tuesday, the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Ciulei was taken into custody on Friday and remains held at Sutter County jail.

The investigation involved multiple agencies, including Yuba City police in Sutter County, Cal Fire and the Yuba and Sutter County district attorney’s offices.

Yuba City police ask anyone with information about the case to contact Yuba City police at 530-822-4661.

This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 5:34 PM.