UPDATE: 6:46 p.m., Oct. 19, 2021
The husband of a Chula Vista woman missing for more than nine months was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of her murder, police said.
Larry Millete, 40, was taken into custody shortly after 11:30 a.m. in the 2400 block of Paseo Los Gatos, Chula Vista police Chief Roxana Kennedy said. That’s the home he has shared with May “Maya” Millete and their three children, ages 4, 9 and 11.
The children were not home at the time of his arrest, Kennedy said. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan confirmed Tuesday that Maya Millete’s body is still missing. But, she said, that does not prevent her office from charging Larry Millete with murder.
"California law, similar to those across the nation, is very clear. We can file murder charges despite not having a body," Stephen said. "In fact, the law is so crystal-clear that we cannot let someone murder someone and gain a benefit by hiding the body in a way that we can't recover it."
Maya Millete was reported missing Jan. 9, two days after her last known sighting. Maya was in the process of filing for divorce from Larry, who hired “spellcasters” to cause harm to Maya so she could not leave him, Stephan said.
Maya’s sister Marichris Drouailllet made an emotional plea at the news conference, asking the public to help find her sister’s body.
“Help us bring my sister home,” she said through tears. “I just want to see my sister. I just want her to come home with us.”
Stephan said Larry Millete may have moved Maya’s body on Jan. 8 in his black 2015 Lexus GX460.
He left the house around 6:45 a.m. that day and was gone for 11 hours and 21 minutes, Stephan said. He told authorities he was in Solana Beach but pointed to Torrey Pines Beach, 4 miles away, when presented with a map, she said.
Larry Millete also left his cell phone behind, making it impossible for investigators to pinpoint his whereabouts.
Authorities are asking anyone who may have seen the black Lexus in the early morning of Jan. 8 to make a report to San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or CVPD at (619) 691-5151.
Since Maya Millete’s disappearance, Larry Millete has largely declined to speak to the media about her disappearance. But he did talk to KPBS news partner, 10News, a few days after Maya was reported missing.
In the 10-minute interview, he admitted that the two were having marital problems for about a year and was distraught over her disappearance. He said he hoped that she was going for some “alone time” somewhere.
Chula Vista police said they interviewed more than 80 people and combed through more than 130 tips on possible sightings of Maya and the reason for her disappearance. The most recent tips include sightings in different areas of the country, police said.
More than 65 warrants were issued in investigating Maya’s disappearance, including a search on the couple’s home Jan. 23, about two weeks after she was reported missing. On April 1, authorities searched a relative’s home.
Police again searched the couple’s home on May 7, the same day they served a gun violence restraining order against Larry Millete. They conducted another search on the home July 1.
On July 22, Larry Millete was named a “person of interest” in the case.
He is being held without bail pending his arraignment, scheduled for Thursday.
