The missing case of Maya Millete in January 2021 sparked a major investigation into Larry Millete’s suspicious activity in the disappearance of his wife. The prosecutor said that Maya’s missing case relied entirely on circumstantial evidence. Investigators pressed their arguments forward until the trial’s closing stage, even without her body.
Maya worked as a contract specialist at the Naval Information Warfare Center in Point Loma. She was last seen on surveillance footage entering her home in California. Her husband was the final person known to have seen her. When Maya’s family asked about her, Larry gave them different locations where she might have gone.
After two days without communication, Maya’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, filed a missing person report with the Chula Vista Police Department. In response, relatives and friends produced flyers and distributed them through the area to inform the public about her disappearance.
Continue reading more about the full timeline of Larry Millete’s wife’s missing case and his trial.
The full timeline of Larry Millete’s murder charges and his wife’s missing case is given below:
Late 2020
During this time, Maya and Larry Millete broke their 20-year marriage and decided to move forward with a formal divorce. On December 27, 2020, Larry sat down at his computer in Chula Vista and sent thousands of emails to a stranger he had been paying for four months to cast magic spells either to force his wife to stay or to make her weak.
Subsequently, Maya disappeared after eleven days. Larry spent $1,154.05 on online spellcasters between September 2020 and the day Maya disappeared, allegedly targeting his wife. He ordered at first some love spells and asked them to bind his wife to him forever so that she can’t hurt his family.
By October, his requests turned darker when he told the casters to give Maya the worst nightmares. In late December, he asked for spells to make her very sick, almost close to death, so that only he and the children would be with her. He further crossed his limits and wished for her wife’s accident or a broken bone on the last day of 2021.
January 7, 2021: The Disappearance of Maya
On the afternoon of January 7, Maya contacted a divorce lawyer. The news was given by Maya’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, to the local outlet KSWB-TV on the very day she vanished. Maricris told KSWB that her sister had asked for $10,000 that week.
The divorce lawyer said Maya wanted to celebrate her daughter’s birthday on Sunday. That same day, she disappeared and stopped responding to messages while preparing for her daughter’s 11th birthday party.
Maya was captured on CCTV entering her home around 4:45 p.m. However, no recording ever shows her leaving the house. This is strange for the investigators. The police traced her last communication through a text message sent to her sister at 8:15 p.m.
January 8, 2021: The 12-hour gap
Maya’s phone stopped working on January 8 and never reconnected. By 6:45 a.m., Larry Millete’s phone also went offline. He drove away from the house and disappeared for the next 12 hours. Witnesses reported that they had seen a large freezer moving out of the home during that 12-hour gap.
On the same day, the investigators reported that Maya’s ID, credit card, and phone went missing. Her credit card was unused since she disappeared, and each incoming call went directly to voicemail. Maricris and her husband Richard said that they were worried because they felt the police were not doing enough.
They told KSWB that the situation didn’t make any sense because the authorities already collected video footage from nearby homes. The couple further explained that investigators even failed to conduct a thorough investigation despite 100 hours of video.
January 9, 2021: Missing report
On this date, Maya’s family filed an official missing-person report with the Chula Vista Police Department after she didn’t join the planned family trip to Big Bear.
January 10, 2021: The family became worried
Maricris and Richard kept hoping she was safe, yet they realized something was truly wrong when she failed to come to her daughter’s birthday.
January 11, 2021: Billy came for help
The former U.S. Navy criminal defense investigator, Attorney Billy Little, learned about Maya’s missing case and decided to assist the family. On this day, he visited Millete’s home to search for possible clues. Later, he explained that Larry Millete appeared indifferent toward his missing wife and that the house seemed to be opened up as if it was being aired out.
January 23, 2021: Issue of search warrant
The police carried out a search warrant at Maya’s home to collect evidence that could help them locate Maya. During the search, officers took several firearms that belonged to Larry Millete.
March 7, 2021: Firearms surrendered
On this day, the authorities ordered Larry Millete to hand over his firearms from his home.
October 19, 2021: Arrest of Larry Millete
Nine months after Maya’s disappearance, police arrested Lary and charged him with the murder of his wife. He had entered a plea of not guilty and continuously told the court that Maya left on her own and abandoned the family.
2022-2024: Legal delays
Maya’s missing case runs into a serious standstill because Larry Millete underwent a mental competency evaluation, which paused the case until he was deemed fit for trial in September 2022.
Later, his defense lawyer steps away from the case in late 2023 because of financial troubles. Finally, in August 2024, the court grants permanent custody of the couple’s three children to Maricris and Richard.
May 2026: The murder trail begins
After five years of Maya’s disappearance, Larry Millete’s trial opened two months ago in San Diego Superior Court. The state presented extensive circumstantial evidence about Maya’s secret affair, a hidden Instagram account, and Larry Millete’s desperate digital paper trail.
July 1, 2026: Both sides rest their cases
After 5 weeks of testimony from police officers, close friends, and digital evidence specialists, the prosecution had finished presenting its case.
The defense closed its case in a single day and presented only three witnesses. Larry Millete chose not to take the stand and used his right to remain silent.
July 7, 2026: The final verdict
The closing statements will be set, and the circumstantial murder case will be officially handed over to the jury for the final verdict.
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Edited by Subho Mukhopadhyay