Maya Millete's disappearance: Maricris Drouaillet says 'world shut down' after sister went missing in 2021

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA: On New Year's Eve, just before 2021 dawned, May 'Maya' Millete informed her sister that she would separate from her husband of 20 years, Larry Millete.

She had revealed that the divorce would be "messy" just a few days before she went missing. She then said something even more sinister.

"If something happens to me, it's going to be Larry," Maricris Drouaillet, sister of the missing woman, said while testifying in San Diego Superior Court in early 2023.

Drouaillet has opened up about the pain of not knowing her sister’s fate 3 years after she vanished.

Maricris Drouaillet recalls the incident

Maya's elder sister reported her missing in a matter of days. The civilian contract specialist was last seen on January 7, 2021, when she was captured on a neighbor's security camera on her way home from work in Chula Vista, California.

Two days later, Drouaillet called the police to report Maya missing. The next day, when Maya did not show up for her daughter's birthday party, Drouaillet was filled with a deep sense that something horrible had happened to her beloved sister.

In the meantime, Larry gave her worried relatives a variety of theories about where his wife might have gone.

"She's going to come home soon, "Drouaillet recalled Larry's words.

Drouaillet's fear of losing her sister increased as the days passed, whereas, neighbors were unable to find or locate Maya. "My family had been trying to contact her [on Jan. 7, 2021] and she didn't answer us," Drouaillet stated.

She went on to say, "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."

"It didn't feel real. I was in La La Land and the world just shut down for us. Everything was turned completely upside down," she further added.

Maya's sister claimed, 'Larry didn't seem bothered at all'

The days without answers soon stretched into months. Despite being the last person to have seen and spoken with Maya, Drouaillet and her family persisted in giving Larry the "benefit of the doubt."

Drouaillet wasn't worried about Larry's apparent indifference. Her sister was the only thing on her mind, according to The US Sun. 

"I knew my sister would never miss one of her children's birthdays. Family was everything to her, and she'd never do something like this, particularly without contacting us. This was not her, but Larry didn't seem bothered at all," she claimed.

"I didn't think much of it and I wasn't worried about Larry or what he was doing. I was just panicking and focusing on trying to find my sister, while all these possibilities were running through my mind of where she could be."

"We were busy out searching in the neighborhoods, in parks. Larry didn't help us, but I wasn't focused on him." 

In addition, the police reported that Larry had admitted to fighting with Maya before she went missing and that he had been attempting to look for her after she vanished. Larry told investigators that his wife had just left her family, denying any role in her disappearance. 

Larry was eventually arrested on October 19, 2021, more than nine months after Maya was reported missing. Investigators believe Larry murdered Maya, however, her body has still not been found.

Preliminary trial hearings occurred in January 2023, leading to Judge Dwayne Morning ordering Larry to stand trial for the murder of Maya.

Larry is facing a charge of first-degree murder in her disappearance and is due to face trial on August 27. He’s pleaded not guilty.