It’s been over four years since Maya Millete, a vibrant mother of three, disappeared without a trace.
While the world has moved on, her family in California is still stuck in the same painful cycle—waiting, wondering, and hoping.
They’re no closer to closure than they were the day Maya went missing in January 2021, and every delay in the case feels like salt poured into a wound that never quite heals.
A Normal Afternoon Turned into a Lifetime of Questions
On January 7, 2021, Maya came home from work to her family’s house in Chula Vista, California.
Surveillance footage shows her pulling into the driveway.
And then… nothing.
There’s no video of her leaving, no calls made, no messages sent. Just silence.
Her husband, Larry Millete, was the only other person known to be home at the time.
Days earlier, Maya had told her sister Maricris Drouaillet that she was planning to get a divorce—and that it wouldn’t be a clean break.
In fact, she chillingly warned, “If something happens to me, it’s going to be Larry.”
A Troubling Trail of Spells and Suspicions
After Maya vanished, investigators found something deeply disturbing—Larry had been paying online “spellcasters” to try to save his crumbling marriage.
The messages weren’t just desperate; they were dark.
He asked for spells to hurt Maya, even requesting that she be incapacitated so she couldn’t leave him.
Eventually, prosecutors charged Larry with first-degree murder in October 2021.
Their theory?
Larry killed Maya in a fit of rage and hid her body in an unknown location.
He’s pleaded not guilty and has insisted he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Trial Delays Add to the Family’s Heartbreak
Despite being arrested nearly four years ago, Larry has yet to stand trial.
Hearings have been postponed again and again—most recently pushed back to January 2026 after the defense asked for more time due to the attorney’s health.
The judge, while reluctantly agreeing to the delay, warned that justice delayed too long becomes justice denied.
For Maya’s sister Maricris, the constant postponements are “heartbreaking.”
“We just want to know where she is,” she said through tears.
“It’s been almost five years, and still no answers.”
Raising Maya’s Kids and Rebuilding Trust
While navigating the legal mess, Maricris also fought a separate battle—for custody of Maya’s children.
After a long legal process, she won custody of the kids, now ages 8, 13, and 15, who had been living with Larry’s parents.
Maricris admitted that the beginning was rough.
The kids were distant, confused, and emotionally guarded. B
ut slowly, with time, love, and support, they started to open up and rebuild trust with their mother’s side of the family.
“They’ve been with us for eight months now,” she shared.
“We’re finally connecting. They’re telling stories, laughing, and starting to feel like family again.”
Courtroom Drama and a Breach of Boundaries
While in jail, Larry’s contact with the children was restricted.
He could only send letters if they were pre-approved.
But earlier this year, the court found that his aunt had sent him a letter containing hidden messages from the kids.
As a result, Larry’s rights to communicate with them were fully revoked.
The judge was clear—any further violations would come with additional punishment.
Maricris now focuses on giving the kids a stable life and hasn’t discussed the upcoming trial with them much, leaving that responsibility to their therapist.
The Day Everything Changed
Maricris was the first to report Maya missing on January 9, two days after she was last seen.
Maya missed her daughter’s birthday party—a red flag for a mom who lived for her kids.
Her car was still in the driveway, but no one could reach her.
Meanwhile, Larry acted unusually calm and offered strange theories about where Maya might have gone.
But Maricris didn’t buy it.
She immediately started organizing search efforts in the Chula Vista area.
Looking back, she recalls Maya confiding in her during a camping trip just a week before she vanished.
Maya said she was done with the marriage and even mentioned having an affair.
The marriage, she said, had turned toxic.
What the Investigators Found
Police eventually searched the Millete home and seized a cache of weapons—some of them illegal.
They found no proof that Maya ever left the house alive.
Strangely, at around 10 p.m. on the night she vanished, security cameras showed the kids playing outside despite the cold.
By early the next morning, Larry was caught backing his car into the garage and later leaving the house with his youngest child.
His phone was switched off for the entire day, and he didn’t return until late in the evening.
When asked about it, Larry claimed he was prepping for a beach trip and insisted Maya had simply left the family.
But Maya’s sister said that was impossible—she was a devoted mother who had stayed in an unhappy marriage for the kids.
Darker Details Emerge
More pieces of the puzzle came out during pre-trial hearings. Larry’s bizarre behavior included reaching out to spellcasters with increasingly disturbing requests.
As his marriage deteriorated, so did the tone of his messages.
He sent images of shrines, made unsettling demands, and even told one spellcaster to “punish Maya” so she’d be unable to leave him.
Just two days before she disappeared, he texted someone: “She’s asking for divorce again.”
Then, the day she vanished, he wrote, “I’m about to lose it.”
Though he later admitted to using “witchcraft” as a coping mechanism, Larry denied harming Maya and claimed he still believed she was alive—without offering any clues about where she might be.
Still Searching, Still Hoping
Even after four painful years, Maricris hasn’t stopped searching for answers.
She continues to organize prayer circles and community searches, supported by thousands who follow Maya’s story on social media.
“We just want to bring her home,” she said.
“Every day we pray that someone finds her or that Larry tells the truth.”
She’s hoping they don’t have to wait until January for answers—but if that’s what it takes, they’ll be ready.
Closure, she says, is all they want.
Not just for the family—but especially for Maya’s children.
What’s Next?
The trial is now scheduled for January 21, 2026, almost five years after Maya’s disappearance.
While Maricris and the rest of Maya’s loved ones wait, they continue to hold on to faith, love, and the hope that the truth will finally come out.