Maya Millete's family searches for solace, 5 years after her disappearance
For five years, a Chula Vista family has sought to fill the void left behind by the disappearance of their loved one, May “Maya” Millete — a sister, a friend, a mother of three — who disappeared on Jan. 7, 2021.
Maya Millete’s husband, Larry, is set to stand trial for her slaying, but her body still has not been located, leaving her family with a hole unfilled. Regardless of the pain, Millete’s loved ones have continued to organize vigils and searches for her body. They have continued to push the Chula Vista Police Department for answers. And, they have called on the media to shine a spotlight on the light that was Maya Millete.
It really hurts me that, now, what she’s most known for is being a missing case when she was so much more than that.Maya Millete’s niece, Rica Casino
The fight for closure has been arduous for her sister, Maricris Drouaillet, who spoke with NBC 7 ahead of the five-year anniversary of Maya Millete’s disappearance about her family’s search for her missing sibling — and the search for solace.
Watch “Vanished: Maya Millete, 5 Years Later” on YouTube or below:
An enduring pain
The agony of wondering what happened to Maya Millete is just as painful today for her sister, Maricris Drouaillet, as it was when Maya vanished five years ago.
“That’s the thing, not knowing. So it’s been really hard,” Drouaillet said. “To be honest, I go back and forth. Even though it’s been five years, I still wish she’s still out there, walking and breathing. And at the same time, she may be gone.”
For Maya’s family, time seems painfully frozen since the then-39-year-old mother of three vanished from her Chula Vista home.
“We can’t even move on and grieve,” Drouaillet said.
Though Maya’s body has never been found, prosecutors have charged her husband, Larry, with murder. He’s pleaded not guilty in the case and has been awaiting a trial that’s seen numerous delays.
The family hasn’t spoken publicly in some time, instead allowing the judicial process to crawl forward. They decided to break their silence for Maya.
“She was such a wonderful woman,” Maya’s niece Rica Casino said. “And it really hurts me that now what she’s most known for is being a missing case when she was so much more than that. She was a loving mother, she was accomplished, she was amazing.”
Glimmers of hope
One positive outcome this past year for Maya’s family concerns Maya and Larry’s three children, now ages 9, 14 and 15. With Larry in jail, the children had been living with his parents in the same home where prosecutors allege Maya was killed.
But in August of 2024, a judge awarded custody of the three children to Maricris and her husband, Richard. They were thrilled, but say the initial transition was complicated.
“It’s been really positive for the past few months for us,” Drouaillet said. “It’s a struggle to say the least. When we first got them, it was not like a walk in the park…At the beginning, they didn’t like us when we got them. But now, we got them back. We got our nieces and nephews back…So that’s been wonderful.”
Addressing Larry’s claims
The family also refuted a few of the things that Larry told NBC 7 Investigates during two jailhouse interviews in 2023. That included saying that he believed family members colluded prior to testifying in his preliminary hearing.
“Because they already, basically, think in their minds they’re convinced that I had something to do with Maya’s disappearance or her being missing,” Larry told us. “I’m thinking the day they all sit down together and think of ways to hey, we all say this and we’re in cahoots. You know, maybe we can get him on this or get him on that. Because I know I have I haven’t done anything.”
“You know, whatever we said in trial, those are all facts,” Drouaillet said. “We never really got together as a family, like a whole, you know, like a sit-down where we would discuss what’s going to be happening in trial.”
The family also expressed surprise at what was heard during the preliminary hearing about the spellcaster requests Larry is accused of ordering. Prosecutors said that included love spells and hexes.
Pieces of evidence shown in court include phrases like:
- “Humble her down.”
- “Make her really sick and keep her sick.”
- “Please punish May and incapacitate her enough so she can’t leave the house. She needs to be humbled down to the lowest of low.”
- “Maybe an accident or broken bone.”
“Definitely blindsided us that this whole time I see my uncle at family gatherings and he’s just spellcasting on my aunt,” Casino said. “To me, that was just a shock to come out. The lengths, like the obsession he had with my aunt. It’s just terrible.”
What’s next?
The family said they’re speaking out now to keep the case going, so Maya can be found.
“She’s still out there,” Drouaillet told us. “I’m hoping someday, somehow, someone might know something.”
To mark the anniversary, the community will gather for a remembrance walk later this month.
“It also gives us a chance to, I guess, remember her again,” Casino said. “Grieve her again, just to remember how much we love her.”
“The children will be ready to walk along with us for their mom’s tribute,” Drouaillet said. “They will be able to see what we’ve been doing for their mom for the last five years.”
As for Larry Millete, after being pushed back several times, the murder trial is now set to begin on March 9, 2026. It’s anticipated to last three months.
The 43-year-old faces up to 25 years to life in state prison if convicted of murder, plus a felony count of possessing an assault weapon.
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