Maya Millete, a young wife and mother of three disappeared from her Southern California home in January 2021. Let it be known that this case is truly upsetting, full of twists and turns, andlots of red flags that plagued the couples toxic relationship. It is also sooooo very unfortunate that the police took sooooo much time to build a case against Maya’s husband Larry, almost a year, who right from the get-go showed absolutely no care or concern for his missing wife and mother of their 3 children, 5, 10 and 11 years of age.

From almost the beginning, Maya’s family and friends grew suspicious of her husband Larry. Investigators say the couple had been having marital troubles and shortly before Maya’s disappearance, Larry had been contacting spellcasters to have a hex put on his wife so that she would stay in the marriage. Where is Maya Millete?

Larry and Maya Millete / Credit: Maricris Drouaillet

Maya’s sister, Maricris, and her husband Richard Drouaillet have fought hard so Maya’s disappearance doesn’t become a cold case.

Richard Drouaillet: It’s been a really, really tough year for the whole family … we still don’t have answers yet.

Maya was 13 years old when she immigrated to the United States from the Philippines with her parents and five siblings in 1995. Maricris says her sister thrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the family settled to build a new life.

Maricris Drouaillet: She’s always been, you know, the smart one. And — she’s very active at school. … education — it’s very important to the family. … I’ve always been so proud of her.

Maya met her future husband Larry Millete when they were both working at a fast-food restaurant in Honolulu. Larry’s family had also immigrated from the Philippines. When Larry turned 18 and joined the Navy, the couple decided to get married.

Maya Millete, a Filipino American, was a civilian employee of the United States Navy; she last worked as a contract specialist for the Naval Information Warfare Center. Millete was born in the Philippines but raised in Honolulu. She graduated from Admiral Arthur W. Radford High School, later attending and graduating from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Maya met Larry Millete in high school, after he had moved to Hawaii from San Diego with his family following a juvenile gang related assault arrest in 1997. They later married and he served in the United States Navy for five years. They moved to San Diego, and had three children.

Maya and Larry moved to Southern California and built their careers working for the Navy. Larry was an optician at the Naval Medical Center, and Maya worked as a supervisor contract specialist at Naval Base San Diego.

Claudia Julao: She was my mentor from day one.

Allison Alexander: She was like this little, tiny person but she was a big personality.

Claudia Julao and Allison Alexander worked with Maya at the base and became friends.

Claudia Julao: We actually negotiate contracts for the U.S. Navy. … And she was very good at it. … I used to you know joke around with her because she had a photographic memory.

Allison Alexander: I had a lot of respect for her. … She was a very strong and confident leader. A lot of the women in the office really looked up to her.

Claudia Julao: There was no glass ceiling. We could get wherever we wanted, didn’t matter where we came from.

Maya and Larry decided to wait 10 years before starting a family. The couple eventually welcomed two daughters and a son.

Maricris Drouaillet: It’s joy to see them, you know that they have their own family, too. … We’re always out camping … We’re always outdoors.

Richard Drouaillet: Larry was a good dad … always attentive to the kids, great parents.

Jonathan Vigliotti: What kinda mother was she?

Maricris Drouaillet: Very caring, loving mother. She, hands on. … She’s always teaching them somethin’, especially, you know, music. … she has some videos with her son … singing with her.

Richard Drouaillet: Word by word. Word by word. Brings us to tears every time we watch it.

Claudia Julao: Her kids were everything. … She enjoyed her kids.

In early January 2021, Maya was focused on planning a ski trip to Big Bear for her daughter’s birthday. But her family grew concerned when she suddenly stopped communicating on January 7.

Maricris Drouaillet: For her not to tell us … what’s gonna happen for her daughter’s birthday, you know, that was a big deal.

Maricris says when their brother J.R. drove over to check on Maya the next day, her husband Larry told him Maya had been in the bedroom for several hours. J.R. knocked on the door but got no response.

Maricris Drouaillet: He kinda just thinks, “OK, maybe she’s just, maybe she’s sleeping” … Larry did say that they had an argument. … He left it at that.

Maricris Drouaillet: We believed Larry … they had an argument and she just, she just wanna be left alone.

The following day, when there was still no news from Maya, Maricris and Richard drove over to the Millete house.

Richard Drouaillet: When we walked in, the house was a mess which I’ve never seen their house messy … and it was cold. … It was January … and he had the AC running, which was really odd.

This time, Larry told them Maya was out.

Jonathan Vigliotti: So, Larry says Maya’s been where?

Richard Drouaillet: Hiking. She went hiking.

Suspicious that something wasn’t right, Maricris reported her sister missing to the Chula Vista Police Department that night.

Jonathan Vigliotti: How did the police react?

Maricris Drouaillet: They sent — three officers … went through the house. … They questioned us …

Maricris and Richard were upset with what they say was a lack of concern from the police.

Richard Drouaillet: It seemed like there was no urgency from the police department to investigate it properly.

By January 10, Maya had now been missing for three days. Her family gathered at her home to celebrate her daughter’s birthday, hoping against hope.

Maricris Drouaillet (sobbing): We’re all, like, looking at the door, hoping she’ll walk in on her daughter’s birthday. She never did. I felt so bad … After that she said, “Mommy didn’t show up for my birthday.” I didn’t know how to comfort her.

As Maya’s family tried to keep some normalcy for the sake of the children, Richard was watching Larry during the party.

Richard Drouaillet: Just laid back, wearing his Navy sweats on a Sunday, no shoes.

Richard Drouaillet: Larry had no concern whatsoever on his face for his missing wife. … Not even for his daughter’s birthday.

That night, Claudia got the distressing news that Maya was missing and drove over to the Millete house. By now the birthday party had turned into a search party.

Claudia Julao: So, they were outside with babies and blankets, trying to look for their sister, their daughter. … Her parents are elderly … The brothers and the brother-in-law were out knocking on doors, giving out flyers.

Claudia Julao: He had no interest in helping.

As word spread that Maya was nowhere to be found, more friends stepped in trying to help.

Billy Little: My wife… Lou was working at the 32nd Street Naval Base. … said that a friend of hers went missing. … the family is concerned … would you help them? …, somebody asks for help, you just do it, right?

Billy Little: So, if she was still alive, I needed to get to her quickly. … that’s why I went straight to the last place she was seen, which was that house … I had no idea that it would turn into what it was.

On January 11, 2021, four days after Maya Millete was last heard from, attorney Billy Little – a former criminal defense investigator for the U.S. Navy – decided to step into the missing person’s case.

Billy Little: I knew what had to be done, and I did it.

Billy Little: I went straight to where the last place she was seen, which was that house.

Little wanted to talk to Larry Millete. Amongst other things, he had found it odd that Maya’s husband wasn’t the one who initially called the Chula Vista Police Department.

Billy Little: In fact, when the family wanted to call 911, he discouraged it.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Were there police around also investigating at this point? No?

Billy Little: No. According to the family, the police had come. He had given them I guess the same story.

In late 2020 their relationship deteriorated and Larry allegedly became increasingly controlling and paranoid as he discovered Maya was having an affair. By December 2020, Maya had resolved to divorce Larry and was taking steps to formalize the separation. A friend of Maya’s alleged that Larry had physically abused her and that she feared for the safety of their children. Another friend had offered a condo safe house to her because of fears for her safety.

On January 7, 2021, Millete was last seen at the family’s house around 5 in the evening; she had called a divorce attorney earlier that day. The following day, Larry Millete was observed on video backing their black Lexus GX 460 into a position where the rear of the vehicle could not be seen on camera. Larry claimed that he drove the Lexus to Solana Beach with one of their children that day; the vehicle was later impounded by the Chula Vista Police Department. Maya’s relatives came to check on her on January 8 but were told by Larry that she had remained locked in a room by herself since the previous day. When they returned the following morning and insisted Larry open the door, they found the room empty with no sign of her. Millete’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, then filed a missing persons report with the Chula Vista Police Department. On January 9, Larry spoke to a neighbor saying that he took the Lexus to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and asked the neighbor to detail the vehicle. Millete is presumed to be dead.

The search parties are made up of dozens of friends, family members, colleagues of Maya’s and also strangers. They began looking for her in vast desert areas east of Chula Vista, near the Arizona border. / Credit: Help Find Maya/Instagram

Larry most recently worked as an optician at Naval Medical Training Center San Diego.

Maya Millete’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, right, during a search in the Anza-Borrego Desert on October 23, 2021. / Credit: CBS News/Cindy Cesare

Investigators say they learned the couple had been having marital issues dating back at least a year, including a report that Larry had once allegedly “choked May until she passed out” and that Larry discovered Maya had an affair. In the days prior to her disappearance, police allege Maya was taking steps to divorce Larry and that he had “an overwhelming motive” to prevent that from happening.

Reviews of Larry’s internet history in the months leading up to his wife vanishing shows he sent “hundreds” of emails to so-called spellcasters requesting they make Maya fall back in love with him or for them to incapacitate her so she would have to “depend” on him, the affidavit shows.

He did not direct any further “hexes” toward Maya or ask for help remedying their marriage after Jan. 9, police allege.

A photo of Larry Millete’s witchcraft altar. Billy Little says he found evidence that Larry Millete purchased spells online. According to Little, Larry first tried spells to get Maya to fall back in love with him. But as the couple’s marital problems worsened, police say, Larry eventually wanted to harm her. / Credit: Billy Little

Little says Larry contacted numerous spellcasters and even wrote a review for one.

Jan. 7, 2021: The date Maya, who was 39, last was seen near her home in the 2400 block of Paseo Los Gatos in Chula Vista. Family said at the time it was possible she may have gone hiking in the canyon behind the property. Her car remained in the driveway and her phone was reported as being off.

Larry later told FOX 5 he initially thought she left to have some alone time, but that as time passed, “It’s very unlikely that that’s it, because she wouldn’t be gone this long.”

A police review of Maya’s communications revealed that Maya had told a friend Jan. 6 that she’d informed Larry of her intention to file for divorce “whether he likes it or not.”

“I’m done trying to make it amicable for the sake of the kids,” she wrote in the message.

Chula Vista resident Larry Millete. (Photo courtesy of Maricris Drouaillet)

Detectives learned Maya and Larry had an argument on the evening of Jan. 7, according to the affidavit. Maya’s last known communication came at 8:15 p.m. when she shared an ad for a toy hauler with family through Facebook Messenger. Her phone activity stopped about 1:25 a.m. the following day, the affidavit shows.

Jan. 8: This date marked the third consecutive day Larry was reported as being “unexpectedly absent” from work.” Messages from Larry’s father and boss reviewed by police show that they were reaching out to him concerned because they hadn’t heard from him.

Detectives reported that on this day, surveillance footage captured Maya parking her Jeep Rubicon on the street in front of her home at 4:42 p.m. No footage was ever found of her leaving the residence, police say.

They’re unable to confirm Larry’s whereabouts on the day. Records obtained by police show Larry’s phone was off until 6:34 p.m., a gap in time they’ve said is “historically uncharacteristic.” Contents of the vehicle’s infotainment system also detailed a navigation event at 3:29 p.m. for Larry’s home address.

Maya’s brother went to the family’s East Chula Vista home at 6:30 p.m. to check on her, according to police. There, he met with his 9-year-old niece, who told him that Maya had been up in her room for the past 11 hours and that the children had not been fed, the affidavit shows. According to police, Maya’s brother went inside the home and knocked on her door, but never heard an answer from her.

Her brother told police that he’d spoken to Larry that night and that Larry said he’d been working all day and could not account for Maya’s whereabouts, according to the affidavit.

On January 13, 2021, volunteers searched Mount San Miguel Park for Millete. On January 23, 2021, investigators conducted a search warrant at Millete’s home, searching for clues or any evidence that would point to the cause of her disappearance or possible whereabouts. In January, Maya’s relatives hired a private investigator to assist in finding her. On February 5, 2021, the Chula Vista Police Department and Millete’s family held a briefing to encourage the public to look for her. Skeletal remains were found in Orange County that were thought to be Millete’s remains, but this was proven false, and the remains were then said to be that of a male. Later on the remains were proven to be animal bones.

Additional searches for Maya Millete were conducted by volunteers in February at the Glamis sand dunes, March near Lower Otay Lake, and May in National City and at an abandoned golf course in Chula Vista. In late July, at an event celebrating Filipino-American Friendship Day, an effort was made to increase awareness of the continued search for Maya. In late October, searches were conducted near the Salton Sea, Fish Creek, and Glamis. Up until his arrest in late October, Larry Millete had not participated in any of the searches. In early November, searchers returned to Glamis sand dunes; the area of Imperial Gables was also searched in November. Searches for Maya continue to occur weekly through December. On 8 January 2022, a prayer vigil was held commemorating a year of Maya Millete being missing, and searches continued in January including the use of ground penetrating drones. Searches for Maya continued into 2022, with searches occurring at least in August, and September.

Jan. 9: On this date, Maya Millete was reported missing by her sister Maricris Drouaillet at 11:50 p.m.

The call came after Maya’s family was growing concerned because they hadn’t heard from her since Jan. 7. They had had plans to celebrate Larry and Maya’s daughter’s 11^th birthday on Jan. 10 in Big Bear and they found it “uncharacteristic of May not to be in contact with her family,” the affidavit reads.

Jan. 13: Dozens of friends, family members and volunteers search for Millete at Mount San Miguel Park, a short distance from the Millete family home. Larry, who stayed home with their children, said in a phone interview that he was trying to “keep everything as normal as I can for the kids.”

“I know to them it seems like everything is fine, but I know it’s impacting them a little bit,” he said.

Jan. 21: Friends and family hold a virtual night of prayer for Millete. Larry was not in attendance, but police say he was being cooperative with the investigation.

“For the people who are printing out the flyers, helping us pass them out, going on those searches: thank you for giving us the strength and sending all those people to help us,” Millete’s niece Mikah Tabalanza said.

Jan. 23: Police served a search warrant at the family’s home in an effort “to obtain any evidence and clues to her current whereabouts.” It remains unclear if investigators found anything helpful during the search.

Feb. 3: Chula Vista police announce that Larry had retained an attorney and no longer was answering police questions. He was cooperating with the investigation up until that date, police say.

Feb. 5: In an emotional news conference held outside the Chula Vista Police Department, Millete’s family and city officials asked for the public’s help in the search. Police Chief Roxana Kennedy said investigators had interviewed dozens of Millete’s friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers, but released no additional information citing the ongoing investigation.

“Someone out there knows something,” Kennedy said, soliciting tips from anyone, either directly or anonymously.

Maricris Drouaillet thanked reporters and the community for its support. Fighting through tears, she asked the public for more help in finding Millete.

“Her kids — they need their mom,” Drouaillet said. “Please, help us find my sister. Anyone out there, if you have any information at all, please help me, help us find my sister.”

Feb. 14-15: The search for Millete extended out of the South Bay to the Glamis sand dunes in Imperial County near the state’s border with Arizona. The dunes are one of the last known spots where Millete was seen alive on New Year’s Eve and it was one of her favorite places to visit, according to family.

A billboard went up Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021 on Main Street between Hilltop Drive and 3rd Avenue in Chula Vista, Calif. in an effort to generate any new leads.

Feb. 23: A new billboard on Millete’s disappearance goes up on Main Street between Hilltop Drive and 3^rd Avenue in Chula Vista. The sign features two photos of Millete, the contact number for Chula Vista police as well as a Facebook page and email address to reach out with tips.

It was donated by the advertising company Lamar after they were approached by Amber Patterson, a member of a Facebook group dedicated to finding Millete.

“Maybe somebody will see it and will know where she is,” Patterson said. “Having her face up there and having everybody see it brings light to the story and what’s happening.”

Feb. 26: Private investigator Bill Garcia joins the search for Maya, working for five days at no cost to the family. Garcia, a California-licensed private investigator who lives in Tahoe, said he started getting involved “when people started asking me why I wasn’t involved.”

“Families who have a loved one disappear, they’re devastated,” he said. “They get destroyed over time and I didn’t want that to happen.”

March 14: About 150 volunteers scour Lower Otay Lakes by foot and with the assistance of drones and boats. Search organizer Liliana Burke told FOX 5 that, “Nothing is being left unturned.”

March 28: Maricris Drouaillet, Maya’s sister, tells FOX 5 that Millete set up an appointment with a lawyer to start the divorce process on the same day she went missing and had asked her for $10,000 that same week. She was scheduled to meet the lawyer Jan. 12, but never arrived.

“According to the divorce lawyer, she wanted to have the birthday celebration first, her daughter’s birthday celebration was on Sunday, so she wanted to wait,” Drouaillet said.

Larry declined a reporter’s request for comment about Drouaillet’s statement.

April 6: A story on Maya Millete’s disappearance is featured on “Good Morning America.” Maricris Drouaillet tells reporter Matt Gutman that Maya and Larry were having marital issues. While Larry was attempting to work through the issues, Maya was “done” with the marriage,” Drouaillet said.

Maya’s advocates argue that Maya was a devoted mother who was dedicated to her job and family and would never leave her children. / Credit: Maricris Drouaillet

Larry did not appear in the story, but thanked Gutman for spreading awareness of the case.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10132639/Missing-Maya-Milletes-family-beg-husband-Larry-reveal-remains-are.html

April 7: Chula Vista police released the first of a new bi-weekly series of updates on the Millete case. In it, the department vowed to “continue to actively and continuously investigate” Millete’s disappearance, and reported:

Forty-seven family members, friends, neighbors and witnesses were interviewed;
Twelve search warrants were written, including for residences, vehicles, cell phones and electronic devices, call detail records, financial records, social media and cloud data; and
More than 40 tips were reviewed on Millete’s location and reason for her disappearance.

April 11: A new audio recording shared with FOX 5 raises questions after several loud bangs, which sound similar to gunshots, can be heard near at around 10 p.m. on Jan. 7 near the Millete property. It was recorded by a neighbor, who requested anonymity.

They found the recording as they were combing through footage after their camera picked up the sounds of children playing outside about a half hour after the bangs were heard.

April 12: Richard and Maricris Drouaillet appear on “Dr. Phil” to discuss details of the case. Maricris said they hadn’t communicated with Larry for “quite some time,” and that he’d stopped their three children from speaking to other members of the family.

“For him to turn his back on family overnight and not want to talk to us, it’s very suspicious,” Richard Drouaillet said on the show.

April 21: In their bi-weekly update, Chula Vista police say they are aware of the recording with several loud bangs near the Millete residence. According to police, the recording was being analyzed to determine if the sounds were gunshots, while also noting the department did not receive any reports from that night about gunshots in the area.

The department also reported:

The creation of a multi-agency working group which includes the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the FBI;
Eight more interviews conducted by the department (55 total); and
Four additional search warrants written (16 total).

May 1: Family and friends celebrate Maya’s 40th birthday at Fiesta Island Park. Larry and their three children did not attend the event.

May 4: The latest update from Chula Vista police notes the department has begun work with Josephine Wentzel and the Cold Case Foundation “to provide advocacy to May’s family in conjunction with our investigation.” They also reported:

One more interview had been conducted (56 total);
Seven additional search warrants were written (23 total); and
More than 55 tips now had been reviewed, including recent ones that said Millete possibly had been spotted in New Mexico and Wisconsin.

Sisters Maricris Drouaillet, left, and Maya Millete.

The update came the same day about 100 people gathered on the steps of Chula Vista City Hall to push city leaders to get behind the search for Millete.

“It’s been four months. May didn’t just get up and walk away, away from her kids, away from her family,” Richard Drouaillet said. “Somebody did this to her.”

May 7: Investigators served another search warrant at the Millete family home in Chula Vista. They spent nearly seven hours at the property as friends, neighbors and members of the news media gathered outside. The couple’s three children were home when police arrived.

Police have not shared anything publicly about the search, but investigators were observed hauling boxes out of the house and placing them into a white evidence van before leaving.

Arriving after the search had begun, Maricris and Richard Drouaillet said they were searching for “closure” in the case. While careful not to accuse Larry in Maya’s disappearance, Maricris noted that it speaks volumes to the family that he hasn’t told them that he’s not involved.

“I wish he could just come forward and tell us he has nothing to do with my sister’s disappearance,” Maricris said. “I’m still praying. I’m hoping he doesn’t have anything to do with her disappearance.”

A weekly search for Maya was conducted the following day in National City.

May 10: FOX 5 obtained a petition for a gun violence restraining order against Larry. The petition was filed May 5 by law enforcement with a detective requesting the order “to protect the public and prevent harm to the respondent or others.”

The petition shows that Larry had eight firearms registered in his name. At the time of filing, it was believed he was in possession or control of another 14 guns with unknown serial numbers, including AR-15s, shotguns and handguns.

Two weeks after Maya’s disappearance, the Chula Vista Police Department searched the Millete house. Investigators had found this image of Larry’s guns on his phone. They seized some of Larry’s firearms. / Credit: San Diego Superior Court

“After a search warrant was executed at respondent’s residence, respondent told the officers that he knew they were coming for his firearms and he gave multiple firearms to his friends,” the document said. “Respondent refused to disclose the names of the people possessing respondent’s firearms.”

Investigators also included details about photos featuring the weapons and ammunition as well as one dated Jan. 9, 2020 that featured Millete’s approximately 4-year-old son “standing on the table surrounded by the same cache or legal and illegal firearms and ammunition,” according to the petition.

May 18: Millete’s family met privately with detectives in a meeting that her sister said gave loved ones renewed confidence in the direction of the investigation.

“My heart kind of lifted, a little bit, that we do have hope,” Maricris Drouaillet told FOX 5. “They have a lot of progress that they have done. They laid out on the table what they plan to do.”

While Drouaillet said there were details of the meeting that she could not share publicly, she described a general sense of relief at some of the information they got to review.

The next day, officials shared the latest statistics on their investigation, and disclosed a new location of interest: an abandoned golf course in Chula Vista, which they’d searched in recent days.

June 2: Chula Vista police released its latest update on the search to find Millete. In it, police reported:

Five new interviews (61 total);
19 new search warrants were written (42 total);
More than 85 tips now have been reviewed on Maya’s possible location and reason for disappearance. “Most recent tips have included possible sightings of May in different areas of California,” police said.

June 11: Richard and Maricris Drouaillet tell FOX 5 they’re growing frustrated after investigators reached out to team up to find Maya.

Maricris Drouaillet, Maya “May Millete’s sister, wipes away tears while speaking during a joint news conference held Oct. 19, 2021 outside of the Chula Vista Police Department headquarters.

“It does feel frustrating to the family that they are just now starting to do that after five or six months of her missing,” Maricris said. “They could have done that at the beginning. Now they want to go search these areas that we told them to go search back in January, that those are important areas to search.”

June 16: In a nearly 80-page court filing, Larry argued that his treatment by police, portrayal in local media and threats from the public have created a “toxic environment” for him and his children during the nearly six months of her disappearance.

His comments were in response to the gun violence restraining orders filed against him in May.

In the document, Larry requests to have a number of the weapons returned to him. He also claims that on the day of the most recent search warrant that Chula Vista police pulled him over outside of their jurisdiction on Interstate 5 and held him for six hours.

“They refused to allow me to go home to be with my children and parents during the search and told me that they will arrest me if I will go home that very moment,” he wrote in the filings. “They also refused to allow me to speak to my lawyer. So, I was detained for six hours and was not allowed to go home until midnight. The peace officers searched my house, broke and destroyed bedroom door and walls, and left our house in chaotic and disturbing state that horrified my children, parents and me.”

He also was critical of his wife’s family and their attorney “appearing on television uttering statements implying and highly suggesting to the public and the media that I am to be blamed for her six-month long disappearance.”

“I am not responsible for her disappearance and I have fully cooperated with the police investigation,” he said.

The department also provided the latest update in the search for Maya. In it, police reported:

Three new interviews (64 total);
Two new search warrants written (44 total);
Reviewed more than 93 tips on Millete’s possible location and reason for disappearance.

July 1: A third search warrant was served at the Millete family home in Chula Vista to “obtain additional evidence and clues to her current whereabouts,” police said in a news release. It is unclear what the department found during the search.

It comes a day after police updated the public on the status of the investigation. Investigators reported:

Eight new interviews conducted (68 total);
Eight new search warrants were written (50 total); and
Nearly 100 tips have been reviewed for Millete’s possible location. Recent tips included possible sightings of Millete in different areas of California, police said.

July 21: During a court proceeding, Larry Millete was named a person of interest in Maya’s disappearance.

“The Chula Vista Police Department is confirming that Larry Millete is a person of interest regarding the disappearance of May ‘Maya’ Millete,” the agency wrote in a statement the next day. “Due to the sensitivity of the case and to protect the integrity of the investigation, we will not be providing additional information at this time.”

The announcement came more than six months into the investigation of Millete’s disappearance.

July 26: Documents were unsealed which shed new light into the investigation into Maya Millete’s disappearance. A gun violence restraining order shows pictures of 16 guns, including two illegal assault weapons, three pump shotguns, a rifle with a scope and five handguns laid out on a table at the home of Larry.

They also reveal a blacked-out space on top of the table which investigators describe in the report as Larry’s 4-year-old son who was standing next to the guns.

Millete responded to the day’s news in two lengthy text messages to FOX 5. In them, he says:

I pose no threat. I am a law abiding American citizen who believe(s) in our 2nd amendment rights. My rights have been violated numerous times. The photo was from 2020 when I was taking inventory as most people do. The photos were taken from my laptop not my phone during the first search, illegally seized when they did not have a warrant for my electronic devices. My children are always safe, happy and healthy despite the situation. I am finding out how questionable the justice system can be and how it can easily be manipulated by authorities in order to violate your rights. GVRO created as a witch-hunt towards gun owners to disarm anyone even by hearsay by anyone who may not like you. Warrant less warrants created to violate our 4th amendment rights which enable authorities to invade your privacy and ransack our homes. Absolutely disappointing that this happens in our country. Despite all I have endured I still believe we live in the best country on earth. Very respectfully, Larry Millete.

Also none of my firearms are unregistered or illegal. All registered and serialized. I recently found out that they are able to hold vehicles indefinitely. They have taken all our electronics affecting my children’s education. They have taken my firearms, thousand of rounds of ammunition and gun parts without providing me with a detailed inventory on all the searches. The lists were all hand written and vague. They basically want me disarmed with no way of defending myself or my family. Again a basic American right. LARRY MILLETE, TEXTS TO FOX 5 ON JULY 26, 2021

Oct. 19: After several months of light bi-weekly updates from police, investigators announced that Larry was arrested on suspicion of murder in the disappearance of his wife, Maya. He was arrested by a Chula Vista police SWAT team at 11:42 a.m. as he was alone at the family’s home. Stephan said she filed a criminal case against Larry the previous day based on evidence developed during the investigation.

In total, detectives wrote more than 67 search warrants, conducted 87 interviews and explored more than 130 tips over the course of the nine-month investigation, Kennedy said.

Although Maya’s body remains missing, Stephan said in a joint news conference that the law is “very clear” about filing murder charges in the absence of a body.

“In fact, there is case law that we will be using in this case that makes it even more clear that a missing body is circumstantial evidence that there was foul play and that it’s a murder, because somebody who takes their own life cannot hide their own body,” Stephan said.

It was an emotionally charged news conference featuring Stephan, Kennedy and Maricris and Richard Drouaillet. Fighting back tears, Maricris said that the family aspect of Larry’s arrest was “really hard” for her to grasp.

“It’s hard to go against family,” she said. “He’s been with us for 20 years. My sister did love him. She gave him three kids.”

She also promised Maya’s 11-year-old that “we would bring her mom home.”

“This is still not the end,” she said. “We still have a long way to go. I just want to see my sister. I still want her to come home to us. Please, if you know anything at all, please help us.”

Maya’s family revealed that her three children, ages 5, 10 and 11, are currently in the care of their parental grandparents, and they are safe and in good hands.

‘We’re praying he’ll do it for his kids, that he’ll let them know where mommy is,’ Maya Millete’s older sister, Maricris Drouaillet, said. ‘We believe he’s not that evil and hopefully he’ll have a change of heart.’

Larry was arrested last Tuesday during a raid on his home, and on Thursday he pleaded not guilty to counts of first-degree murder and possession of an assault weapon.

‘It’s been hard for me because he’s been a family for 20 years and he is a part of my nieces and nephews, so it’s really, really heartbreaking for me and the whole family,’ Drouaillet said on Fox News after Larry’s arraignment.

It was recently alleged that prior to her death, Larry choked his wife until she lost consciousness as their marriage unraveled.

‘Maya was scared of Larry for a long time,’ said Richard Drouaillet, Maricris’ husband. He had recently choked her to the point of unconsciousness, and their relationship had become very toxic. ‘I think last year was the breaking point for their relationship. There were a lot of red flags and we never imagined something like this would happen.

A California mother of three who’s been missing since early January reportedly delivered an ominous warning to family members days before her disappearance — blaming the husband she was about to divorce if anything happened to her.

“If anything happened to me, it would be Larry,” Maya Millete told relatives during an early January camping trip, referring to her husband, Larry Millete, a family member told Fox News.

Maya Millete vanished days later on Jan. 7 in Chula Vista after scheduling an appointment with a divorce lawyer.

“She filled out the form. She was going to meet with a divorce attorney,” Billy Little, an attorney at the Cold Case Foundation, which has been working with Maya’s family, told Fox News.

Friends, relatives and volunteers gathered at Anzo-Borrega Desert State Park to look for Maya’s remains

Larry Millete — accused of murdering his wife Maya — sits at his first court appearance on Oct. 21, 2021 in Chula Vista.

Oct. 21: Larry appears in court for the first time and formally denied murdering his wife. Wearing a blue jumpsuit and mask, Larry was mostly silent as his lawyer, Bonita Martinez, addressed a judge at the San Diego Superior Court building in Chula Vista.

Oct. 27: Back in court, Judge Maryann D’Addedzio restricted Larry’s phone privileges after saying he’d amassed hours of calls despite being ordered not to do so. A prosecutor alleged Larry had made 129 calls since being arrested, including at least nine hours of calls to his children.

Martinez argued that her client hadn’t understood the court order not to contact them.

“At the last hearing, out of deference to your attorney who didn’t want your children’s names read in court, the court specifically asked … whether you were aware that the orders that I was going to read applied to the protective parties listed on the document — who were your three children,” D’Addedzio said. “I don’t for a minute believe you didn’t understand who I was talking about.”

D’Addedzio ultimately ruled that Larry now only would be allowed to contact his attorney by phone.

Nov. 4: Larry Millete’s request for release on bail was denied by D’Addedzio.

The judge said there’s “clear and convincing evidence that he’s threatened to commit grave bodily injury.”

“And there’s a substantial likelihood he would carry out that threat if released,” D’Addedzio said. “Additionally, there’s clear and convincing evidence that he’s a danger to the community.”

The ruling came despite Martinez arguing that her client posed no flight risk or risk of harming others. She emphasized Larry’s military service and his job as an optician at the Naval Medical Training Center. Larry also was willing to wear a tracking bracelet and travel only to and from work, Martinez said.

Jan. 9, 2022: Family members and other loved ones marked one year since Maya was reported missing.

Family members and other loved ones gather at a prayer vigil on Jan. 8, 2022, marking one year since the missing Chula Vista mother …

At a prayer vigil held the evening before this significant date, an old recording was played of the missing Chula Vista mother singing, candles were lit and balloons in her favorite color were released as gatherers sang along, holding one another.

“Just pray for an answer,” Maya’s sister Maricris Drouaillet said. “We still need help finding my sister and I think that’s what we still want to bring awareness to the community that we still need the public’s help.”

Feb. 28: Larry Millete appeared in court for a short readiness hearing along with Martinez. He is slated to return to court May 12 for a readiness hearing after Martinez requested more time to prepare.

May: The parents of Larry Millete sued Chula Vista police and the City of Chula Vista over what they say was “inappropriate” treatment towards them.

Sep. 27: A psychiatrist found Larry Millete mentally competent to stand trial, allowing the criminal case against him to move forward.

Jan. 7, 2023: Two years to the day after Maya was last seen, dozens of family members, friends, community leaders and even people who didn’t know Maya gathered to hike in her honor. Maya’s sister led the group on her favorite hike through Mount San Miguel Park.

Jan. 11: Larry Millete’s preliminary hearing began in a downtown San Diego courtroom.

Jan. 25: On the 10th day of the preliminary hearing, a judge ruled that Larry Millete will stand trial.

Prosecution of Larry Millete

In an interview in January 2021, Larry admitted to having arguments with Maya in 2020. Beginning on February 3, 2021, Larry hired an attorney and stopped being cooperative with police. In April 2021, it was reported that Larry wanted to hire someone to kill the man he suspected Maya had an affair with.^[53] In May 2021, Larry’s remaining firearms were seized by the police based on a gun violence restraining order (GVRO) due to the unsafe environment they posed to his children; his children reportedly knew the passcode to his gun safe and a photo was presented showing his 4-year-old son standing on a table, surrounded by firearms.

In late July 2021, Larry was named a person of interest by the Chula Vista Police Department. In September 2021, with visitation of the children still in dispute, Larry made accusations against members of Maya’s side of the family, in an attempt to justify the lack of visitation. On Tuesday October 19, 2021, Larry Millete was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife Maya. During a press conference announcing the arrest San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan stated that the body of Maya Millete had not yet been found as of the time of the arrest. The arrest came after 67 search warrants had been executed, and 87 interviews had been conducted.After Larry’s arrest, he remained in custody and was held without bond. On Thursday October 21, 2021, Larry pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at San Diego County Superior Court‘s South County Court in Chula Vista. On Thursday November 4, Larry was denied bail and release, with the judge citing his past threat of harm upon an individual he believes was having an affair with Maya.

Following a petition in June 2022 by Larry’s defense attorney that he was not competent to stand trial, Larry was examined by a psychiatrist. San Diego County Superior Court Judge Cindy Davis subsequently ruled in September 2022 that Larry was mentally competent to stand trial. Preliminary trial hearings occurred in January 2023, leading to Judge Dwayne Morning ordering Larry to stand trial for the murder of Maya; Larry will be on trial for murder, as well as a firearm possession charge.

Larry Millete gets new defense attorneys, murder trial delayed until Aug. 2024

Judge allows Maya Millete’s husband to change lawyers just months before he was set to go on trial for her presumed murder.

The murder trial for Larry Millete, the Chula Vista man accused of killing his wife Maya Millete, will be delayed until next August. Tuesday, San Diego County Superior Court Judge Enrique Camarena Jr. relieved Bonita Martinez as Larry’s attorney, at the request of Martinez. The decision came less than four months before his murder trial was scheduled to begin.

Maya Millete vanished more than two years ago, leaving behind her three young children and a husband of more than 20 years. Police arrested Larry nine months after she disappeared and prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Martinez told NBC 7 Investigates she no longer wanted to represent Larry due to his lack of finances.

During our exclusive jailhouse interview, Larry told NBC 7 Investigates he already paid Martinez more than $200,000. But weeks after that interview, Martinez told NBC 7 that Larry’s case will average $500,000 – which she says he cannot afford.

Larry will now be represented by Liann Sabatini and Colby Ryan with Virtus Law Group, LLP. The judge said that he already met with the new defense attorneys and told them they were expected to complete the case whether they get paid or not, and that he wouldn’t allow the case to be delayed again due to finances.

Sabatini and Ryan did not want to comment on the case to reporters after the hearing. Some of Maya’s family members were at the hearing and also declined to comment.

Millete children custody

In May 2021, Maya’s parents requested visitations with the children; Larry refused and did not respond to any further communications with her parents. By July, Maya’s parents had filed a formal petition for visitation rights and a hearing was set for December 2021. On October 19, 2021, the couple’s children were passed to their paternal grandparents’ custody. During Larry’s arraignment, he was prohibited from contacting his children to prevent further emotional trauma.

On Wednesday October 27, Superior Court Judge Maryann D’Addezio ruled that Larry violated the restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his children by speaking with them during phone calls he made to his parents from jail. In total, he made over a hundred phone calls and spoke with his children for more than nine hours during which he asked them to read him newspaper articles about his upcoming trial. As a result, Larry was limited to only calling his attorney. That same day, Maya’s sister submitted a motion to gain custody of the children and move them to Moreno Valley, California. On Wednesday 10 November, Judge Julia Craig Kelety granted Maya’s sister visitation rights, but allowed the paternal grandparents to retain custody so the children can continue to attend their current schools in Chula Vista. The children also received a court appointed guardian.

By early December 2021, both Maya’s sister and the paternal grandparents had both filed for guardianship of the children. In mid January 2022, maternal family visitation rights were modified, to allow for the children to travel up to Riverside County every other weekend, while extending paternal grandparent custody until at least April 2022. In October 2022, Larry was granted permission to communicate with his children by writing, but was still forbidden from communicating with his children through in-person visitation and telephone. In June 2023, the paternal grandparents continued guardianship of the children of Maya and Larry, with the youngest attending therapy, with maternal family visitation rights being modified to allow them to spend more time with the maternal family during the summer. In August 2023, a conservator was appointed by the court over Maya Millete’s estate, to include the Chula Vista home.

National media attention

On April 6, 2021, Maya’s disappearance was aired on Good Morning America. The attorney for Millete’s family, her sister, and her brother-in-law appeared on Dr. Phil on April 12, 2021. In an article by Dateline NBC, the case of Maya’s disappearance was included among 169 other missing individuals. On February 19, 2022, more than a year since Millete’s disappearance, CBS network’s true-crime series 48 Hours aired an hour-long report on her case, hoping the national exposure would lead to some answers.