When 39-year-old mother of three Maya Millete walked up to her Chula Vista home carrying grocery bags on the afternoon of January 7, 2021, security cameras captured what looked like a routine Thursday. But by the next morning, the vibrant Navy contract specialist had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a new Jeep Wrangler, plans for a family road trip, and an appointment with a divorce attorney scheduled for that very week.

What followed was a years-long investigation that peeled back the layers of a marriage built on escalating, obsessive control. Featuring hidden car trackers, a search history involving poison hemlock, and hundreds of frantic emails sent to online spellcasters, the case ultimately centered on one terrifying question: did a devoted mom walk away to start over, or did her husband execute a calculated plan to ensure she would never leave?

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Sources:

• Adan, Melissa. "New Family Court Documents Filed by Husband of Missing Chula Vista Mom." NBC 7 San Diego, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/new-family-court-documents-filed-by-husband-of-missing-chula-vista-mom/2712834/
• Best, Paul. "California Missing Woman's Husband Planned Murder-for-Hire Scheme Targeting Alleged Boyfriend: Witness." Fox News, 5 Apr. 2021, https://www.foxnews.com/us/husband-of-missing-california-woman-planned-murder-for-hire-scheme-targeting-wifes-alleged-boyfriend-witness 
• Best, Paul. "Missing California Mom: FBI, NCIS Assisting Chula Vista PD in Search for Maya Millete." Fox News, 22 Apr. 2021, https://www.foxnews.com/us/missing-california-mom-fbi-ncis-assisting-chula-vista-pd-search-maya-millete.amp 
• Best, Paul. "Missing Maya Millete: Husband Larry Arrested for Murder 9 Months After California Mom Vanished." Fox News, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.foxnews.com/us/larry-millete-arrested-maya-chula-vista-home 
• Gregorio-Nieto, Brenda, Karla Rendon-Alvarez, and Eric S. Page. "Judge Defers Request By Maya Millete's Sister for Custody of Kids; Permits Visitation." NBC 7 San Diego, 10 Nov. 2021, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/maya-milletes-sister-to-appear-in-court-in-hopes-of-getting-custody-of-missing-moms-children/2788109/ 
• Hood, Lindsay. "May 'Maya' Millete's Family Says She Told Them: 'If Something Happened to Me, It's Gonna Be Larry'." NBC 7 San Diego, 9 Apr. 2021, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/may-maya-milletes-family-says-she-told-them-if-something-happened-to-me-its-gonna-be-larry/2572999/ 
• "Husband of Former Hawaii Woman Missing Since January Charged with Her Murder." Hawaii News Now, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/10/19/larry-millete-husband-former-hawaii-woman-arrested-accused-murder/ 
• "Husband of Missing Fil-Am Allegedly Ordered a Hit on Her Suspected Lover." INQUIRER.net, https://usa.inquirer.net/67484/husband-of-missing-fil-am-allegedly-ordered-a-hit-on-her-suspected-lover 
• "Husband of Missing Mother, Maya Millete, Files Response in Family Court." CBS 8, KFMB-TV, https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/investigations/husband-of-missing-mother-maya-millete-files-response-in-family-court-chula-vista-san-diego-larry/509-a4d91957-bdef-44e2-817f-099ab9e01450 
• Kurosu, Jason. "Larry Millete Murder Trial Set For Closing Arguments Tuesday." Patch San Diego, City News Service, 6 Jul. 2026, https://patch.com/california/san-diego/police-fire 
• "Maya Millete's Husband Arrested on Suspicion of Murder." The Mercury News, MediaNews Group, 20 Oct. 2021, https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/10/20/maya-milletes-husband-arrested-nine-months-after-her-disappearance/ 
• Muia, Katelyn. "Death of Young Women in Media: The Origins of Obsession and a Sentiment Analysis on the Broader Contemporary Cultural Impact." Bryant Digital Repository, Bryant University, May 2024, https://digitalcommons.bryant.edu/honors_data_science 
• "New Details from Arrest Warrant for Larry Millete." CBS 8, KFMB-TV, https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/crime/new-details-from-arrest-warrant-for-larry-millete-husband-of-missing-chula-vista-mother-maya-millete/509-d7d60c88-7b3e-432f-99a2-d33cc8458908 
• Page, Eric S., and Karla Rendon-Alvarez. "Chula Vista Mom Maya Millete's Husband Enters Not Guilty Plea in Murder Case." NBC 7 San Diego, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/larry-millete-due-in-court-following-arrest-for-wife-mayas-murder/2756723/