It has been greater than 4 years since Maya Millete was final seen alive and her heartbroken household remains to be no nearer to the reality.
The mom-of-three vanished throughout the afternoon of January 7, 2021, after arriving house from work in Chula Vista, California.
Her final identified actions had been captured on a neighbor’s surveillance digicam, displaying the 39-year-old pulling her truck into the driveway. There isn’t a footage displaying Maya leaving the house once more after this.
Solely her husband, Larry Millete, is believed to know what occurred subsequent.
Maya had consulted with two divorce attorneys within the days earlier than she vanished, and eerily warned her sister, Maricris Drouaillet, that the cut up was going to be ‘messy’. She even added that if something occurred to her ‘it’s going to be Larry’.
Investigators found Larry had been buying voodoo spells on-line within the months previous to his spouse’s disappearance, asking ‘spellcasters’ to avoid wasting his marriage in addition to ‘punish’ and ‘incapacitate’ her so she would by no means be capable of go away him.
Prosecutors alleged that Larry killed Maya in a violent rage and disposed of her stays the next day in a nonetheless undetermined location.
Larry was arrested in October 2021 for first-degree homicide, however his trial has been repeatedly delayed, which Drouaillet instructed the Every day Mail has been extremely ‘robust to take’.
In the meantime, Larry continues to disclaim any involvement in his spouse’s dying and has pleaded not responsible.
Maya Millete (proper) went lacking in January 2021 after investigators say her husband Larry (left) had despatched a whole bunch of emails to ‘spellcasters’ to ‘hex’ his spouse previous to her disappearance
A shrine made by Larry days earlier than his spouse Maya’s disappearance. Larry contends that his spouse left him to start out a brand new life
Including to the household’s anguish, the trial – which was most just lately slated for July – was delayed for a seventh time on the request of the protection, pushing it again to January 2026.
Drouaillet known as the choice ‘heartbreaking’ and mentioned she simply desires to know the place her sister is.
‘By the point the trial comes, if it’s not delayed once more, it’s going to have been 5 years, and we nonetheless don’t have any solutions or any closure for my sister, which is upsetting and irritating.
‘My final objective has been to seek out my sister and produce her house. I’m hoping Larry will inform us the place she is and we’ll lastly know what occurred to her.’
Via tears, Drouaillet added: ‘He’s already in jail [awaiting trial], and I do know justice will prevail, however we want that closure.
‘That’s the last word objective for everybody, for me, my sister’s kids, the remainder of the household and the folks in the area people who’ve been supporting us because the starting.
‘We’ll solely get closure as soon as we’ve introduced my sister house.’
Extended heartache
The latest trial postponement is in response to a mid-April request to delay till subsequent spring by Larry’s legal professional, Liann Sabatini, who cited unspecified well being circumstances.
San Diego Superior Court docket Choose Enrique Camarena known as the request ‘extreme,’ granting a six month delay as an alternative.
Camarena instructed the courtroom it appeared like ‘there’s little or no urgency to maneuver ahead’.
‘There does come some extent the place delay now not serves justice, however begins to erode it.’
Contemplating the ‘protection counsel’s well being circumstances’ and the quantity of proof Larry’s group has needed to evaluation, he set the trial for January 21.
Drouaillet mentioned she hopes that is the final time her household has to cope with the frustration of one other delay.
Maya’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, claimed she eerily warned her: ‘If something occurs to me, it was Larry,’ days earlier than she was seen for the final time
The couple’s three kids at the moment are within the custody of Maya’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet
Drouaillet was the one who known as the police on the night of Jan. 8, after her sister didn’t return her calls
Larry’s trial isn’t the one authorized battle that has been consuming Drouaillet’s time since Maya’s tragic disappearance.
In August, Drouaillet was awarded custody of her sister’s three kids – now 8, 13 and 15 years outdated – by a decide, following a prolonged custody battle with Larry’s dad and mom.
The three youngsters had been residing with their paternal grandparents earlier than the custody ruling.
Drouaillet mentioned the adjustment has been tough for all concerned, although she mentioned a silver lining of the trial being delayed once more is that it offers her extra time to bond along with her nieces and nephew, and permits them to arrange as a collective for the inevitable emotional storm awaiting them within the courtroom.
‘It’s been actually robust, significantly at the start,’ admitted Drouaillet.
‘They’d been instructed a variety of damaging stuff about our aspect of the household, so it was actually exhausting and really heartbreaking to see them so distant and distant with us of their feelings; they didn’t need to mingle or communicate with us.
‘However we’ve overcome that now. They’ve been with us for eight months, and we now have made a variety of progress. They’re mingling with the household, they’re telling us tales, and we’ve discovered secure footing.’
Since his arrest, Larry has had solely restricted contact with the kids.
Whereas the custody battle between Drouaillet and his dad and mom was being settled, Larry was permitted to trade letters with the youngsters, however provided that these letters had first been reviewed by a court-appointed particular person.
After Drouaillet received custody final summer season, Larry’s proper to trade letters was revoked.
Nevertheless, it was found in March that Larry’s aunt had despatched him a letter with secret messages from his kids.
Maya was seen returning house on a neighbor’s surveillance digicam simply earlier than 5pm. No footage exists of her ever leaving the house alive
Police and FBI brokers are seen outdoors the Millete household house in Chula Vista
The couple’s house went up on the market in December 2024, almost 4 years after Maya vanished, and later offered for $1.2 million
Larry and his aunt had been then reprimanded in a March courtroom listening to, and the decide modified the legal protecting order in place: Larry was now not allowed to speak together with his kids in any capability, however can be allowed to talk with different members of the family by way of telephone and video name.
Violating the phrases of his modified protecting order would end in additional punishment in opposition to him and any prepared accomplices, the decide mentioned.
With Larry now not capable of entry the kids, Drouaillet mentioned she will deal with making a household atmosphere that resembles some semblance of normalcy.
She added that they haven’t spent a lot time discussing the forthcoming trial, nor the heinous crimes their father is accused of.
‘They’re slowly bringing their partitions down,’ mentioned Drouaillet. ‘However I actually don’t discuss to them in regards to the trial, as a result of I really feel I’m not the suitable particular person for that. They’ve a therapist who retains them updated on that.
‘When the time comes, and the time feels proper, I’ll provoke that dialog, however I need to be sure that I’m totally emotionally ready, so I may be robust for them too.’
A tragic thriller
Drouaillet mentioned it’s ‘very heavy’ to comprehend her sister has been gone for greater than 4 years with no trial, and that they nonetheless haven’t been capable of lay Maya to relaxation.
It was Drouaillet who first reported her sister lacking to police on January 9, 2017, after Maya failed to point out up at her daughter’s celebration.
Maya’s automotive was nonetheless parked within the driveway of her five-bedroom Chula Vista house, however all calls to her telephone rang via to voicemail and all texts went unanswered.
In the meantime, Drouaillet claimed, a relaxed Larry assured members of the family she can be house quickly and provided myriad theories as to the place she is likely to be.
Drouaillet didn’t share her brother-in-law’s optimism that day.
She started organizing neighborhood searches within the Chula Vista neighborhood, however there was no hint of Maya.
Drouaillet’s concern was heightened by a dialog she had shared with Maya throughout a New Yr’s Eve tenting journey, every week earlier than she disappeared.
She instructed the Every day Mail Maya had mentioned her relationship with Larry, whom she’d been courting since highschool, had reached a breaking level, and she or he couldn’t bear to be with him any longer.
She additionally mentioned Maya instructed her she was having an affair with one in every of her coworkers.
Maya allegedly warned Drouaillet her divorce was going to be contentious, including: ‘If one thing occurs to me, it’s going to be Larry.’
Police raided the Millete house on January 23 and seized an arsenal of weapons belonging to Larry, together with two illegally-owned AR-15 rifles.
Throughout their preliminary search, detectives discovered no proof that Maya had left the house alive after getting back from work on January 7.
Larry and Maya had been collectively since highschool. Her sister mentioned Maya had beforehand thought-about divorcing Larry however stayed with him for his or her kids
Maya was romantically concerned with a coworker on the time of her disappearance
A picture is seen contained in the Millete house, the place prosecutors imagine Maya was killed
The final exercise from her cellphone got here round 8.15pm., when Maya’s Fb account contacted somebody on Market.
Surveillance footage captured by a neighboring house confirmed her kids taking part in within the yard at round 10pm.
Detectives mentioned it appeared uncommon for the kids to be taking part in outdoors at the moment because it was late and chilly.
Then, at 5.59am the following day, Larry was seen on surveillance footage strolling out of the house and backing his automotive into the storage.
He left the house 45 minutes later together with his youngest youngster, then simply 4 years outdated. He allegedly switched his cellphone off.
Larry didn’t return house till after 6 p.m.
He later instructed police he’d backed his automotive into the storage to load ice chests he’d ready for a seashore journey into the trunk.
Larry admitted he and Maya fought on the night of Jan. 7, however denied harming her.
He additionally claimed his spouse had gone ‘loopy’ and he had been attempting to deal with her. Larry mentioned he believed Maya had merely run off and deserted her household, in line with courtroom data.
The speculation by no means sat proper with Drouaillet, who mentioned her sister was a devoted and doting mom who did all the things for her kids, together with staying with Larry longer than she’d wished to.
‘It was an entire lie,’ Drouaillet mentioned throughout a earlier interview. ‘Her household means the world to her, and her youngsters had been her No. 1 precedence.
‘She had tried to separate from Larry approach earlier than, however she determined to stick with him due to the kids.’
Larry Millete was arrested in October 2021 and charged with first diploma homicide and unlawful possession of an assault weapon
Authorities launched this picture of Larry’s stash of weapons and 4 passports. They reported the haul included two illegally-owned AR-15 rifles
Voodoo spells and plot holes
Larry was arrested on Oct. 19, 2021, greater than 9 months after Maya’s disappearance.
Investigators reported discovering indicators of foul play and imagine she was murdered.
Throughout pre-trial hearings in 2023, Larry denied understanding that Maya was planning to divorce him. However textual content messages from his telephone together with recorded requests from spellcasters paint a distinct image.
Prosecutors alleged that Larry had been buying spells on-line in the summertime of 2020 whereas the couple was experiencing marital points.
In a single such transaction that September, Larry wrote to a ‘spellcaster’ on-line, asking for them to ‘Please assist me. I would like her to fall head over heels in love with me once more.’
However because the fractures of their marriage allegedly deepened, Larry’s spell requests grew extra sinister in nature, courtroom paperwork state.
‘How a lot would it not value for a spell to get my spouse to vary her thoughts from divorcing me?’ he wrote to 1 spellcaster the night time earlier than she vanished.
The next morning, he wrote to a different, saying, ‘The divorce goes to occur whether or not I would like it or not.’
He then requested a spell, wishing hurt on Maya: ‘Please punish Maya and incapacitate her sufficient so she will’t go away the home. It is time to take the gloves off.’
In a single trade with a spellcaster, Larry texted a picture of a shrine that includes a photograph of him and Maya surrounded by candles and seemingly coated in blood. The texted picture was reviewed by authorities.
The seek for Maya’s stays continues. Larry is satisfied his spouse remains to be alive
One of many spells requested by Larry Millete is seen above, asking for a hex that will dominate her
In a message to his boss on Jan. 5, 2021, Larry wrote, ‘She’s asking for divorce once more.’
Two days later, on the day Maya is believed to have been killed, he wrote, ‘I’m about to lose it.’
Information present that Maya spoke with two divorce attorneys on the day of her disappearance.
In a 2023 jailhouse interview with NBC7, Larry admitted to turning to witchcraft to avoid wasting his marriage, however he denied harming Maya.
‘Initially, it was, um, I used to be going via the web, attempting to go in any path to attempt to save my marriage, and, you recognize, I purchased books. Love languages. Uh, even went to remedy, went to the pastor,’ he mentioned.
‘Then, sooner or later I used to be on the pc and mentioned, “Hey, you recognize, there is a spell for love, love spells,” so, you recognize, I attempted it out.
‘I believed in it… [I thought] “Perhaps I am going to strive it out,”‘ However, he mentioned, ‘it was extra a few coping mechanism.’
Larry instructed NBC7 he believed his spouse was nonetheless alive, however declined to specify the place he thought she was.
Drouaillet, in the meantime, has accepted that one thing terrible has occurred to her sister, although she hasn’t given up hope of discovering her.
She and members of the Discover Maya Fb web page nonetheless maintain digital prayers for her return and conduct frequent searches, hoping the reality will quickly be revealed.
Not a day goes by that she doesn’t consider her sister, Drouaillet mentioned.
‘Day by day, that’s our prayer: that she will probably be discovered and that we are able to convey her house.
‘I simply hope somebody, someplace, by some means stumbles upon her, or that Larry lastly tells us the place she is.
‘I hope we don’t have to attend till January to seek out her, however I’m hopeful we’ll.’
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