'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Larry Millete, the husband of missing woman Maya Millete (May), was arrested on October 19, 2021, with charges of murdering his wife. The Chula Vista Police Department confirmed the arrest in an official statement as part of a significant development in the case:
"Today, the Chula Vista Police Department is announcing the arrest of Larry Millete for the murder of his wife, May."
According to NBC San Diego, Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy and San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan provided further details about the arrest to the crowd gathered outside the department.
It was mentioned that Larry was taken into custody around 11:41 am on Tuesday after a SWAT team entered his residence. The FBI arranged a mobile command outside his house, and police prompted instructions on loudspeakers.
Chief Kennedy mentioned that Maya Millete’s missing case involved thousands of hours of investigation, including 67 search warrants, 87 interviews, and nearly 130 tips:
“These efforts ultimately generated a variety of pieces of evidence that have become clear and overwhelming. Larry Millete, May’s husband, is responsible for May’s murder and disappearance.”
However, it was also mentioned that the investigation did not come to an end with Larry’s arrest as officials are still looking for Maya Milette’s remains.
Everything about Maya Millete’s husband, Larry Millete
Larry Millete is a convicted felon from California who was recently arrested for the murder and disappearance of his wife, Maya Millete. He is a father to three minor children who he shares with Maya.
The man has been charged with one count of violating Penal Code 187 for murdering his wife. He has also been charged with illegal possession of an assault weapon. Larry initially claimed no connection with his wife’s disappearance and refused to cooperate with the investigation since February.
Maya Millete’s sister Maricris Drouaillet said that her sister experienced “marital problems” with Larry for the past year. She told NBC 7 that the couple also wanted to make the relationship work but failed in their efforts:
“They tried to work it out. They did have, you know, marriage counseling, and we did try to kind of help them out to work out their relationship. But it’s been on and off, on and off.”
According to San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan, Larry and Maya had a toxic relationship, and the latter wanted a divorce from her husband. She also mentioned that the mother-of-three met with a divorce attorney on the day of her disappearance, triggering Larry’s criminal action:
“In homicide cases, there is often a triggering event. In this case, on Jan. 7, 2021, May was no longer talking about divorce. She took that step, and the last call recorded that May made was to a divorce attorney. She did not make any further calls.”
It was also revealed that Larry Milette served a temporary restraining order related to gun violence on May 5. He was then declared a “person of interest” in Maya Millete’s disappearance.
Officials also discovered that Larry was in contact with spellcasters to use alleged magical powers to keep Maya in the relationship. Summer Stephan shared in her statement:
“He was asking for May to become incapacitated, for May to be in an accident, to have broken bones so that she could stay at home, thus displaying his homicidal ideations to harm May.”
Authorities also discovered a chilling text from Larry’s phone sent on the day of Maya Milette’s disappearance:
"He said, 'I think she wants me to snap,' and 'I’m shaking inside, ready to snap.'"
Larry Millete is being held without the option of bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on October 21 at South Bay Courthouse.
A detailed look into Maya Millete’s missing timeline
On January 7, 2021, Maya Millete went missing after she was last seen returning home from an appointment with a divorce lawyer. Around 9.15 PM, the sounds of nine loud bangs were recorded on a nearby security camera. However, it was not confirmed if the sound was from gunshots.
The following day, Maya’s husband was seen adjusting the position of his black Lexus car near the family garage around 5.58 AM. He then left home at 6.45 AM and reportedly remained outside for 11 hours and 21 minutes.
During the investigation, Larry mentioned he was at Solana beach with his four-year-old son the whole day on January 8. He suspiciously left his phone at home, eliminating the chance of GPS tracking.
Maya Millete’s family officially filed a missing complaint on January 9 after they failed to contact her for two days. This prompted the police to launch a massive search operation. On January 15, Larry Millete said he was left concerned about his wife when she missed their elder daughter’s eleventh birthday.
On January 23, authorities searched Maya Millete’s residence for the first time and seized the family’s black Lexus SUV. In another subsequent search investigation, police seized guns and other additional evidence from the house of Larry’s uncle and aunt.
The missing case gained national interest on April 2021 when Maya’s sister appeared on the Dr. Phil show to speak about the situation. A month later, police searched Maya’s house for the second time.
On June 15, Larry slammed the Chula Vista Police Department for holding him in custody for several hours while searching his home. He also claimed that all the guns previously seized were legal. However, police searched his house for the third time on July 1 for additional information.
Maya Millete’s husband was declared a person of interest in the case on July 22 after Judge Katherine Bacal released court documents related to a gun-violence restraining order.
On September 8, Larry filed a fresh set of court documents claiming that his wife was alive and left the house voluntarily. As per court papers obtained by CBS, Larry wrote:
“I considered her still alive because she had voluntarily left our house at least twice in 2020 without saying goodbye to me or to our three children… We have been praying for her safety and well-being.”
That same month, a temporary gun violence restraining order against Larry was extended for three months. On October 19, 2021, the California man was finally arrested for the murder of Maya Millete based on “circumstantial evidence”.
However, Maya Millete’s body continued to remain missing, and officials said an investigation to find her remains is already underway. Meanwhile, Larry is set to appear in court on October 22, 2021.
