Searching for Maya Millete | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] I don't want her to be a Cold Case please get some water hydrate are you ever overwhelmed as you
look around at this wide open space no they we going to find her got to keep searching this one and this one right
this one yeah I want her to be f I want to bring her home to her kids to our families how often do you think
about your sister all the time I still can't believe it's like she just vanish my impression of Maya was that
she had a beautiful home life she was an accomplished career woman she was a super
mom what was she like as a friend kind funny witty her voice my God she could sing she could play the guitar she's
very talented she could do martial arts Jeeping off-roading there's my adventurous little girl it's so pretty
she loved the outdoors E when did you notice something was wrong she's planning for her daughter's
birthday and we haven't heard anything from her this is not her at all when we walked in the house was a
mess boxes everywhere I right away knew there was something really wrong here did you ever think in that moment in
that house that Larry did something to Maya yeah Larry was the last person that saw
her what was his demeanor when you showed up and started asking questions calm he hadn't slept much it didn't look
like he was unconcerned about his wife being gone he said this wasn't all that unusual for
her I didn't have the answers at that point but I was very suspicious so I needed to gather more evidence the
family was well aware this marriage was not working out he went on the internet found a website that does witchcraft
cast spells he bought one of the Spells I don't even know how to make this out so I I need your help this is
the spell that he cast on Maya and that's blood on there he created the Witchcraft Altar and he puts down the
picture of himself and Maya he wrote can you hex to have her hurt enough that she will have to depend
on me maybe an accident or broken bone that's really hard to hear what kind of person do you believe Larry is very
damaged person do you think Maya left that house on her own no no [Music] sorry it's been really hard it is our
family we're still asking the public please help us bring my sister [Music] [Music]
more than a year has gone by since 39-year-old Maya May milete mother of three young children vanished in Chula
Vista California I still have hope I still had that hope they will find her alive Maya's Sister Mary Chris and her
husband Richard drer have fought hard so Maya's disappearance doesn't become a cold case it's been a really really
tough year with the whole family we still don't have answers yet Maya was 13 years old when she
immigrated to the United States from the Philippines with her parents and five siblings in
1995 Mary Chris says her sister thrived in Honolulu Hawaii where the family settled to build a new life she's always
been you know the smart one and uh she's very active about school education is very important to the family I've always
been so proud of her Maya met her future husband Larry milete when they were both
working at a fast food restaurant in Honolulu Larry's family had also immigrated from the Philippines when
Larry turned 18 and joined the Navy the couple decided to get married they were so young yeah teenagers yeah she's the
first one to get married so it was a shock for everyone but we respected her decision Maya and Larry moved to
Southern California and built their careers working for the Navy Larry was an optician at the Naval Medical Center
and Maya worked as a supervisor contract specialist at this Naval Station in San
Diego she was my mentor her from day one she was like this little tiny person but
she was a big personality Claudia hola and Alice and Alexander worked with Maya at the
base and became friends we actually negotiate contracts for the US Navy and she was very good at it I used to you
know joke around with her and you know because she had a photographic memory I had a lot of respect for her
she was was a very strong and confident leader a lot of the women in the office really looked up to her there was no
glass ceiling we could get whever we wanted didn't matter where we came from Maya and Larry decided to wait 10 years
before starting a family the couple eventually welcomed two daughters and a son it's a joy to see them you know that
they have their own family too we're always out camping we're always Outdoors it's so pretty
lry was a good dad always attened to the kids like great parents what kind of mother was she very caring loving
mother she hands on she's um always teaching them something especially you know music Soul she has some videos with her
son singing with her word by word yeah word by word brings us to tears every time we watch
[Music] it her kids were everything she enjoyed her kids in early January 2021 Maya was focused on planning a ski
trip to Big Bear for her daughter's birthday but her family grew concerned when she suddenly stopped communicating
on January 7th for her not to tell us what's going to happen for her daughter's birthday
you know that was a big deal Mary Chris says when their brother Jr drove over to
check on Maya the next day her husband Larry told him Maya had been in the bedroom for several hours Jr knocked on
the door but got no response he kind of just thinks okay maybe she just maybe she's sleeping Larry did say that they
had an argument he left it at that we believed Larry they had an argument and she just she just want to be left alone
the following day when there was still no news from Maya Mary Chris and Richard drove over to the milete house when we
walked in the house was a mess which I've never seen their house messy and it was cold it was January and
he had the AC running which was really odd this time Larry told them Maya was out so Larry says Maya's been where
hiking she went hiking suspicious that something wasn't right Mary Chris reported her sister missing to the chiv
Vista Police Department that night how did the police react they sent uh three officers went to the house and they
questioned us Mary Chris and Richard were upset with what they say was a lack of concern from the police it seemed
like there was no urgency for the police department to investigate it properly by January 10th Maya had now been
missing for 3 Days her family gathered at her home to celebrate her daughter's birthday hoping against hope we're all
like looking at the door hoping she'll walk in on her daughter's birthday she never de I feel so
bad after D she said Mommy didn't show up for my birthday I didn't know how to comfort
[Music] her as Maya's family tried to keep some normaly for the sake of the children
Richard was watching Larry during the party just laid back wearing his Navy sweats on a Sunday no shoes and Larry
had no concern whatsoever on his face for his missing wife not even for his daughter's
birthday that night Claudia got the distressing news that Maya was missing and drove over to the milete house by
now the birthday party had turned into a search party so they were outside with babies and
blankets trying to look for their sister their daughter her parents are elderly the
brothers and the brother-in-law were out knocking on doors giving out flyers and
he had no interest in helping as word spread that Maya was nowhere to be found more friends stepped
in trying to help my wife Lou was working at the 32nd Street Naval Base said that a friend of hers went missing
the family is concerned would you help them somebody asked for help you just do it right so if she was still alive I
needed to get to her quickly that's why I went straight to where the last place she was seen which was that house I had
no idea that it would turn into what it was on January 11th 2021 4 days after Maya milet was last
heard from I knew what had to be done uh and I did it attorney Billy little a former criminal defense investigator for
the US Navy decided to step into the missing person's case I went straight to where the last place she was seen which
was that house little wanted to talk to Larry milete a amongst other things he had found it odd that Maya's husband
wasn't the one who initially called the Tula Vista Police Department in fact when the family wanted to call 911 he
discouraged it were there police around also investigating at this point no no according to the family the police had
come he had given them I guess the same story in news reports at the time a Chula Vista Police spokesperson stated
that Larry was being cooperative they were treating it as a missing person's case and had found no
indication of Foul Play Little says after he showed Larry his Naval civilian ID he let him in I started looking for
things that I thought might be suspicious in the house just like Mary Chris and Richard he noticed something
strange most of the windows in the house were open it was clear he was trying to
air the house out little knew from Maya's family that the couple had had a fight on the day she was last heard from
I was looking to see if there's any damage in the house it would indicate some domestic violence I'm also looking
for defensive wounds on his hands which I don't see but little says he did see something outside the miletti bedroom we
went upstairs where her bedroom was the first thing I noticed was the hole in the door right next to the handle cuz
it's right in the area where if you need access to a locked room you're going to
punch right through there and I touched the patch and it felt new it felt wet I made a comment to Larry about hey was
this and he says oh yeah uh Maya punched a hole in the door there inside the bedroom little says he noticed another
hole on the wall that also appeared to have been recently repaired that would have been too high for Maya to punch cuz
she was small right and I said Larry what about this hole and he said so yeah she uh got man punched that
too Larry's creating a picture here of a woman who is violent is this adding up to you no none of his story is adding
up when you left the house that day after collecting those puzzle pieces what were you thinking I thought Larry
killed her and we need to find out what he did and what he did with the body but
I wasn't ready to tell Mary Chris yet cuz I didn't know right I could be wrong little began canvasing the neighborhood
and knocking on doors to track down home security footage to see if anything suspicious was caught on camera around
the milete house so I knew we had to get that uh quickly and preserve it quickly
time was of the essence oh God yes what little found was a treasure Trove of Clues he says a camera from a
neighboring house recorded The Voice of the milet children playing in the yard at 10:30 p.m. on the night their mother
was last heard from on a school night and it's cold outside and the weather I believe it was
in the high 40s that night another camera recorded Larry backing their Lexus into the garage at 558 a.m. the
next morning so you can't see what's going on but you can see it going in the garage Larry then leaves the house at
6:45 a.m. and doesn't return home for almost 11 and 1 half hours you could have moved on why did
you stay on this case and take matters into your own hands in my mind my job wasn't nearly complete it was just
beginning it was just beginning when I see Mary Chris and I see her crying I'm just like I got to figure
this out so as Billy little continued investigating it's just not in me to quit so I don't Mary Chris and Richard
turned to local media and organized the first search for Maya on the hiking trails behind her house we were
desperate for answers we wanted action and we wanted to do something staying at home sitting
down wasn't going to bring us answers bring her home her sister goes on television and is
begging the public for help help me find my missing sister and that really moved
people ala V an attorney and true crime author saw Maya's case on the news and started following it closely you realize
that this was somebody that was very vibrant that was really out there living her life and that is part of why it's
all so shocking that she's missing it shocks her conscious as the the case gathered steam
in the media on January 23rd 2021 2 weeks after Maya's disappearance the Chula Vista Police Department
searched the milete house and what they did find was that Larry had a lot of firearms They seized two Glock handguns
a rifle and a shotgun and they found that he was in possession of an illegal assault weapon investigators also
downloaded images from Larry's phone 3 days later the police were back on January 26th
they served another search warrant and the police take the navigation system the GPS from Larry's Lexus meanwhile
Maya's friends had been revealing details about the couple's relationship I would say March or so of
2020 the obsession became obvious Larry's Behavior had grown alarming before his wife went missing
he would do subliminal messages for her to be that perfect spouse and it was everywhere she walked at different times
they would turn on that is insane it sounds like from a movie [Music] she didn't just walk out that's
something she would never do about a month after Maya's disappearance her husband Larry milete hired a lawyer and
stopped cooperating with investigators I believe that he did something to her Billy little was told by Maya's
friends and family that troubling signs in the marriage began emerging the year before and it started back in January of
2020 when they started marital problems Larry will call every single one of us trying
to ask for help to intervene you know into the marriage Larry was complaining that Maya was having a midlife crisis
he's said well she's been going out with her friends more often and she has a lot
of single friends but my sister is saying you know it's not me it's it's Larry Maya's friend Claudia spent time
with the couple socially his relationship was very kind of to the side and just very watchful from what my
observation of him he always had to be in control Claudia recalls an instance when Larry couldn't get a hold of Maya
at work you know when somebody might be agitated or you overhear their voice I did hear where are you it takes you this
long to get from your car to your office who were you talking to he wants her to
pay submissive for her to comply to him or to be the same person as you know she
used to but Maya's loved ones say that Maya was changing she was growing into someone new a strong woman for sure as
the months passed in 2020 Larry's grip on Maya tightened he's now tracking her spending habits he's gotten into all of
her social media accounts she doesn't have any privacy and he suspected that she was straying Larry accused her of
having affairs with several Men at Work wrote emails to her boss at work he knows that if he tells the boss that
she's having an affair with somebody at work that she will get fired he tells all of Maya's family she's cheating
she's sinful help me get her back on the Christian religious way and starts forcing her to go to church these are
texts that Larry sent to Maya's family and he's quoting the Bible and it says for the lips of the adulterous woman
drip honey her feet go down to death her steps lead straight to the Grave he talking about Maya in his own words he
said that he was getting desperate and he felt that the devil was tempting him at some point Maya's family says they
told her they were concerned about what was unfolding at that time we knew that my sister is ready to move on we told
her whatever your decision is we're here to support you by the fall of 2020 Billy
little says Larry was growing increasingly desperate to hold on to Maya and so what does he do he goes to
uh witchcraft there are people on the internet that'll sell you for five bucks you know how to make a spell that will
get her to be attracted to you to bind your marriage in Blood and that's what he tried to do
does a little Butch crab blood alar that is the picture that he took of the altar
an old photo of them with blood thrown on it little said says Larry contacted numerous spellcasters and even wrote a
review for one and he writes of this spellcaster she is kind professional and courteous my casting has not yet
manifested but I'm really hoping and counting on it leaving a review like one would leave on Yelp for a food order
like it's an Uber ride they like ah five stars good job spellcaster so he's not quite as smart as he thinks he is he
doesn't realize that all of that stuff was pointing the finger in by December of 2020 Maya and Larry were sleeping in
separate rooms little says Maya found speakers in her room and confronted Larry he admitted he had been playing
subliminal messages while she slept Maya messaged a friend and said her marriage
was definitely over what was that message that was coming out of those speakers under the bed it's right there
no more men no more men no more men on New Year's weekend Maya told her family her decision she's ready for
divorce she's finally made up her mind I just told her just be careful just be careful on January 7th
the last day she was heard from Maya filled out this form and made an appointment with a divorce attorney I
think she told him that she was going to file for divorce he snapped when he found out that he was finally losing her
what had happened in the house that night little thinks he knows after a neighbor reached out with some
information the neighbors do they say oh yeah we heard gunshots yeah not only did
they tell me that they've got gunshots but they've got the audio a home surveillance system from the neighbor
captured these loud bangs around 1 p.m. that night little also believes they are
gunshots it's coming from Larry and Maya's house remember Billy little had tracked down
that other home security footage that police agreed captured audio of the milete kids playing in the backyard at
10:30 p.m the picture is becoming more and more clear he's got to clean up and he's
got to move the body so he needs to send those kids outside in the school night at 10:30 do you try to speak to law
enforcement I did and I told them what I found and time and time again there was
just no followup by the police the Chula Vista Police Department declined our request for an interview but an April
2021 they told local media that it had been an active investigation since mid January and they were keeping their
cards close to the vest it's tough there was very minimal details and that was part of our frustration working with the
police department the family now is having various rallies in front of the Chula Vista Police Department basically
demanding answers but the police are not going to release a lot of information to
the family this is potentially a murder investigation in May of 2021 the police served Larry m with a gun violence
restraining order among the reasons investigators had found this image on Larry's phone another photo which had
been redacted featured the couple's 4-year-old son surrounded by weapons authorities retrieved more
firearms from the Milad house I think that was a smart move by the police it protects the children while they try to
buy a little bit of time but it also protects them if they have to go in and arrest him in the summer of
2021 investigators named Larry milete a person of interest in his wife's case she keep wondering is this going to be
the time that they're going to arrest Larry on October 19th 9 months after The Disappearance of Maya investigators did
just that today at 11:42 a.m. the Chul Vista Police Department SWAT team arrested Larry m for the murder of his
wife and with that even more evidence came to light Maya's family and friends anticipated
the news of an arrest for months I understand that there is a case that needs to be built there's only one
shot but it just seemed like it was too too long yet when Maya's husband Larry milete was arrested for her murder in
October 2021 it was still a mixed range of emotions Claudia what was your reaction
relieved yet at the same time sad and so although you keep that hope up now it became
real I think we had different reactions I said finally she started crying he's been with us for 20
years my sister did love him she gave him three kids she just came go in a press conference San Diego
County district attorney summer Stefan laid out some of the details of the monthlong law enforcement investigation
in homicide case say there is often a triggering event in this case the last call recorded that may made was to a
divorce attorney that call was at 3:48 p.m. home security cameras captured her arriving at her house at 4:42 p.m. there
were no images of her leaving investigators had also turned up more evidence of Larry trying to keep Maya in
the marriage through the super natural before she went missing I've never had a case where that was
[Music] involved but the Spells they discovered went beyond more than asking Maya to be
attracted to him according to the arrest warrant Larry now wanted Maya to be harmed before Maya went missing Larry
sent this message to a website that claims to cast spells please punish May and incapacitate her enough so she can't
leave the house it's time to take the gloves off it was evidence they say of his unbalanced
mindset and homicidal ideation the day Maya went missing Larry sent countless emails to spellcasters I think she wants
me to snap I'm shaking inside ready to snap what's more according to the arrest warrant Larry had allegedly snapped
before one of Maya's friends said that Maya told her Larry choked her to the point where she was unconscious I just
heard that oh I was mad how could he do that Maya had never shared that with Mary Chris she didn't share what she was
going through cuz she didn't want the family to worry about her she was also protecting Larry and she was protecting
the children were you aware of any physical abuse no no she would say little things here and
there there but not always to the same person there were already incidents that were huge red
flags that if we all knew it at the same time it would have been a bigger picture
I feel guilty at the you know after the fact once she went missing it was a very harsh reality for me I wasn't able
to help her and I will forever live with that [Music] nobody had the full picture right
besides the two of them Evelyn Rodriguez is an associate professor of Sociology who teaches on topics of race and
identity at the University of San Francisco she reviewed the case for 48 hours the signs of domestic abuse can be
so hard to identify because we as a society are unable to distinguish the line that divides that kind kind of like
zealous passionate love from controlling Behavior Larry m checks all the boxes for domestic partner abuse he knew what
Maya's pressure points were and so he weaponized her work he weaponized her children her family her religion before
he got desperate enough to try these other means of controlling her and keeping her in that
marriage Rodriguez suggests when Larry turned to spellcasting as another method to control Maya he may have been
inspired by an oldw World form of folk magic in the Philippines and this is stuff of like the old world to our
parents even somehow that has evolved into what I think Larry was able to find but Rodriguez points out that it is
important not to lose sight of what the issue is here really the story here is that this was an abusive partner
regardless of his culture Who was exhibiting every single sign of domestic abuse this one and this one right one
this is where we're going to be staying with Maya's alleged killer Behind Bars her family knew their work
was not done don't go too far they were more determined than ever to find her energized with new information that had
come out after Larry's arrest aav Von was part of that search the thing that this case really needed was to be able
to know where to search that was the problem here you can't just search the entire
world where are we right now it's a hot spot that Larry could have brought mil's
body out here like Billy little invest instigators obtained footage that showed Larry leaving the house in the couple's
Lexus for almost 11 and 1/2 hours the day after his wife was last heard from they analyzed the car's navigation
system according to the information that we have now he was about 2 and 1/ half hours out from his house when he put his
address in somewhere 2 and 1/2 hours away from his house Larry had entered his address to find his way back home
that information was enough to Center the searches on places Larry was familiar with like this desert area
where he and Maya had gone hiking what are you specifically looking for as you comb this
area at this point unfortunately I hate you say but we're probably just looking for clothing or
[Music] bones over the months droves of volunteers have responded to her family's calls to the community and have
joined joed team Maya we're just so thankful and blessed to have everybody here together I'm San Diego City retired
firefighter I got a team and we go out and we systematically cover areas where someone could possibly hide a body and
it's you know it's very sad to even talk about but you have to do it and it's the
the proverbial needle in a Hast tack why are you here today uh really just to support our family hopefully we can
bring peace to the family always make sure you've got eyes on somebody what drives you to do this for a total
stranger somebody you didn't even know I I felt that it should be a community effort you just want closure for this
family so much and that's why we're out here it's why we keep coming they deserve it Maya deserves it as the
search for Maya continues in the vast lands of Eastern San Diego The Quest For Justice is just beginning in the halls
of the San Diego court system the problem with this case is you don't have a body
what would inspire you to join a search for a missing person go inside The myate
Disappearance at 48 hours.com Mr M you have the right to have a preliminary examination hearing
within 10 C Court days and no later than 60 his ego was so damaged by the fact his wife didn't want to be with him
anymore and he couldn't handle it so he killed her Larry milete has been behind bars
since his arrest in October 2021 awaiting trial and at this time would like to enter a plea of not guilty he
plad not guilty to charges of murder an illegal possession of an assault weapon if convicted Larry could face up to 25
years to life in prison so we're just going to do 14 then although there is still hope Maya could be found any day a
victim's body is not required to convict someone of murder and this is one of the
strongest circumstantial cases I've ever seen you don't have a body so what you don't get to get away with murder
because you're good at disposing of bodies but Larry maintains Maya left on her own his defense attorney Bonita
Martinez turned down our request for an interview but spoke with reporters after
a hearing where Larry was denied bail his wife was used to leaving the house in the past and you cannot rule out that
she's alive Larry maintains that Maya voluntarily left him left the children to start her own New Life do you believe
that no nope not at all never believe that never Maya love her kids there's no way she would have up and left the best
argument for the defense here is Maya is not dead they don't have a body she's alive and well attorney alavon says a
nobody defense has worked before in other cases she says without a body the prosecution may be at a disadvantage
they need strong evidence and the question is what do they have do they have something that they're going to
bring out in a courtroom that definitely ties Larry to murder those loud bangs recorded on the
neighboring security camera May not be proof of anything an FBI analysis was inconclusive they couldn't definitively
say those were gunshots because the sound quality was not good enough in November 2021 Larry's attorney filed
documents with the San Diego Superior Court with more allegations about Maya they believe that she had this wild
lifestyle that she was out there having Affair she's dating different men off the internet that she's drinking excess
mely that she's become this completely different person and so they're pointing to third party culpability if she's
harmed it was somebody [Music] else Larry and his parents claim in court documents that Maya was
essentially a party girl definitely not the Maya that I know was a devoted mother not long after Maya's
disappearance Mary Chris and Richard say Larry cut off contact between between the children and Maya's side of the
family we're just trying to see them going from hanging out hugging them jumping on my back seeing them at least
once or twice a month at least to not seeing them at all for 9 months the milete children are still
living at home in the care of Larry's parents but after months of not seeing them Maya's family was granted
visitation rights in November 20 21 but the fight is not over Mary Chris has filed a petition for guardianship of her
sister's children just show them that the whole entire family are waiting for them and you know are eager to be with
them again glory be to the father and to the son but those children will go through
all those moments in life when they need their mom and she's not going to be there it breaks my heart in January
2022 Maya's family and friends held a vigil to Mark the 1year anniversary of her
disappearance there's somebody out there that knows something that seen something
they should come forward have it in your heart to help us bring it home tomorrow I'll be
gone tomorrow I'll be gone away she will forever be my hero that's what I'm going to take with me it's a bright
shining star of a woman that gave Every Other Woman regardless of what she was going through an inspiration to be
whoever they wanted that's who Maya is [Music] [Music] these trees that are all around us here
played a role in solving a murder absolutely a young mother dead will DNA from a tree found on a suspect's boots
help catch your killer 48 hours Saturday on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus [Music]

A young mother disappears. Investigators say her husband contacted spellcasters to put a hex on his wife so she wouldn’t leave him. "48 Hours" contributor Jonathan Vigliotti reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

Brief Summary

Maya Milete vanished in 2021; her husband Larry is charged with her murder amid evidence of domestic abuse and witchcraft.

Key points

Suspicious Behavior. Larry's demeanor raises concerns among family members after Maya goes missing.
Maya's Disappearance. 39-year-old Maya May Milete vanished in Chula Vista, California, leaving her family desperate for answers.
Investigation Intensifies. As the investigation unfolds, suspicions about Larry's involvement grow stronger.
Larry's Arrest. Larry Milete was arrested for the murder of his wife, Maya, after months of investigation.
Search for Maya. The community rallies to search for Maya, hoping to bring closure to her family.
Vigil for Maya. Maya's family and friends held a vigil to mark the one-year anniversary of her disappearance.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

What kind of person do you believe Larry is? Very damaged person.

A family member reflects on Larry's character amidst the investigation.

2:54WatchJul 28, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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