A La Jolla woman who previously pleaded guilty to trying to pay an undercover detective $2 million to kill her husband was found dead last week, authorities said.
Tatyana Natasha Remley, 44, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on Dec. 18, according to the San Diego medical examiner’s office. She died at Piazza della Famigia, a public square in the heart of Little Italy, on 523 W. Date St. in San Diego.
Remley’s body was found outside a bar, according to witnesses. Soon after the incident last week, police responded to the scene and covered her body with a yellow tarp.
David Ohara, an eyewitness to the incident, later described what he saw on X.
“I just witnessed a suicide,” Ohara wrote. “The young lady shot one time in the air and then turned the gun on herself.”
Court records show that Remley had two run-ins with the law, one dating back to 2023 and another in September of this year.
On July 11, 2023, Remley filed for divorce from her estranged husband, Mark Remley, who was 57 years old at the time. The couple, who married in 2011, produced an equine-human acrobatics show called Valitar.
The show, set to premiere at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, was canceled “due to poor ticket sales and artistic differences with some of the performers,” according to an article from the Coast News Group in 2012.
Some employees told the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2012 that the Remleys rushed the production and failed to pay performers for about a month.
But court records revealed that the couple was well off, owning six homes at one point. According to the Union-Tribune, Mark Remley bought his then-wife a $218,000 engagement ring.
However, signs of trouble emerged even before the divorce was filed. On July 2, 2023, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a fire at the couple’s $5-million home in the 4600 block of Rancho Reposo.
Remley, who was home at the time authorities arrived, had three guns and ammunition in her possession, according to deputies. She was arrested that day on suspicion of firearm-related offenses.
The cause of the fire was unknown at the time, but in September of this year, Remley was charged with felony arson. She was accused of setting fire to a structure and forest land. She pleaded not guilty to the charge, and was set to appear in court on March 3, 2026.
The following day, deputies received a tip that she was looking to hire a hitman to kill her husband, according to a previous Times report.
Remley met up with an undercover sheriff’s detective to hash out the plan on Aug. 2.
“She provided detailed information on how she wanted her husband killed and his body disposed,” the department said in a news release in 2023. “Remley brought three additional firearms and U.S. currency as a down payment for the murder.”
Remley allegedly offered $2 million in exchange for the slaying, authorities said.
In December 2023, she pleaded guilty to solicitation of murder and was sentenced to three years and eight months in state prison. She only served one year of her sentence, according to ABC 10 News San Diego.
In a final post to her Instagram account in October, Remley spoke about overcoming obstacles.
“I want to talk about how beautiful life is,” Remley said in the video. “Love yourself no matter what someone does to you. No matter how hurt you get.”
Remley celebrated her 44th birthday 10 days before her death.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional or call 988. The nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Or text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
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