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SEARCHING FOR MAYA
Who is Maya Millete from California and when did she go missing?
For months, the missing contractor's disappearance remained a mystery until an arrest was made
POLICE launched a missing persons investigation when 39-year-old Maya Millete suddenly vanished from her home.
Months after the mother of three disappeared, her husband, Larry Millete. was arrested for first-degree murder.
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Who is Maya Millete?
Born on May 1, 1981, Maya Tabalanza-Millete is a Filipino-American contract specialist for the US Navy.
Maya was born in The Philippines and raised in Honolulu, Hawai'i.
A graduate of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, she and her husband, Larry Millete, relocated to San Diego, California.
Maya and Larry met while they were classmates at Radford High School.
After moving to Chula Vista, San Diego, the pair welcomed three children.
Maya is described by her sister, Maricris Drouaillet, as "the smart one."
While discussing Maya's case with , Maricris said: "I've always been so proud of her.
"She's a very caring, loving mother. She's hands-on, she's always teaching them something."
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When did Maya go missing?
On January 7, 2021, 39-year-old Maya was last seen at her family's home in Chula Vista.
According to police, Maya and Larry had a confrontation on the day she disappeared; Sometime later, Larry confessed to this detail.
May Millete's sister makes an emotion plea for help locating her sister's body
Maya's sister Maricris also confirmed she visited her and Larry's home.
The next day, Maricris and her husband Richard Drouaillet stopped by to check on the family because neither Maya nor Larry were answering their phones.
Maricris and Richard had plans with Maya and Larry to spend their daughter's birthday at Big Bear Lake.
The pair attempted to contact Maya and Larry several times but were repeatedly sent to voicemail.
While remembering the circumstances, Maricris told The U.S. Sun: "My family had been trying to contact her [on January 7, 2021] and she didn't answer us.
"The following day, my brother tried to reach her all day, and still nothing.
"We couldn't find her anywhere and she hadn't come home so that's when we knew something was wrong.
"By the time we reported her missing, I couldn't believe what was happening.
"Then when she missed her daughter's birthday, that's when the panic really hit us that something really, really bad had happened."
She added: "Everything was turned completely upside down.
"It didn't feel real. I was in La La Land and the world just shut down for us."
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When was Larry Millete arrested?
On October 19, 2021, Larry was arrested in connection to Maya's disappearance.
He was charged with first-degree murder and illegal possession of assault weapons, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
After a series of delays, Larry's trial is scheduled for January 6, 2025.
Regarding the break in her sister's case, Maricris told The U.S. Sun: "He was our family for 20 years and we loved him, we grew up together.
"And he didn't do anything before this where he worried us or gave us any reason to think he would hurt my sister.
"He wasn't a hateful person, and he wasn't the type where you'd suspect something of him – he was always such a nice guy.
"So it’s very hard and heartbreaking to see him on the other side and defending himself for what happened to my sister."
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She further shared: "No matter the outcome of the trial it’s still going to be very sad for us because we have our nieces and a nephew who are going to be affected too.
"So no matter the outcome it’s going to be devastating for us. It'll be like losing a family member all over again."
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