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Nancy Grace
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Nancy Grace
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Want to drive Carmax Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
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He hired a so called spell caster. Yes, spell caster. S P is in Pennsylvania. E L L caster. A spell caster to hex his wife before she disappeared. Well, in the last days, a jury has been struck for his murder trial. I'm Nancy Grace, this is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. Five long years after a California mom, Maya Millett goes missing. Finally a murder trial. Prosecutors say Larry Millette killed Maya Millette who was looking into a divorce. Her remains have never been found. What do we know about Maya's disappearance and can the state win? A nobody no case case.
Nancy Grace
A gorgeous mother of three goes missing. Her family distraught. What happened to Maya Millette.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Never put out the floor anymore.
Family Member / Friend
Come on.
Nancy Grace
I could listen to her play the guitar and sing all day. And what is haunting me right now is the fact that her children, three children, Lazarus Mailani, Laura May. Can you imagine what the children have been going through without their mother? They've got the pictures, they've got her clothes. They can listen to her recordings, but they don't have her. So when I hear her singing and playing her guitar, it's very bittersweet. Again, I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. With me, an all star panel to make sense of the breaking news we are just getting right now. First of all, Paul Best reporter. Joining us from Fox News and Fox Business, Joseph Scott Morgan, professor, forensics, Jacksonville State University, author of Blood Beneath My Feet on Amazon and start of a brand new hit series on iHeart podcast, Body Bags with Jo Scott Morgan, founder and director of the Cold Case research institute, Cheryl McCollum. You can find her at coldcasecrimes.org, Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst to the stars. Joining us out of la, she's the star of a new Netflix series Bling Empire. Matthew Mangino, former prosecutor in Lawrence county, now a private practice, author of the Executioner's Toll. Richard, Julie with me, a family member and joining me is Maya sister Mary Chris. Mary Chris, I can't imagine what you the family have been through. Guys, before we start with Mary Chris, take a listen to Abby Alford, CBS News.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Eight 39 year old Maya Millett who also goes by May, the Chula Vista mother of three who has not been seen since Friday, January 8th.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
It's been a nightmare. It's been, it's been painful, heartbreaking her
News Reporter / Audio Clips
sister, Mary Kirster Lay says that Maya's nine year old daughter saw her last inside their San Miguel ranch home. Her family says that her Jeep and Lexus are still parked at the house.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
She's always on her phone, but her phone was being off like the whole day Friday.
Nancy Grace
I mean right there. Paul Best, you and I have gone round and round and round about Maya. She's last seen in the home according to her own children. Now see, I have two children and I'm sure they could tell you, Paul, the last time that they saw me just a couple hours ago, they could probably tell you what I was wearing and vice versa. So you got the children saying this is where mommy is and you've got her Jeep. The vehicles are still in the garage. That should be a big tip off right there. Where is Maya?
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Yeah, absolutely. The San Diego county district attorney kind of laid out those curious movements on January 7th. She actually described a triggering event quote on January 7th, Maya's last phone call to a divorce attorney on that day. Later that night around 8pm Maya sent her last messages to a Facebook group for her family around 8 or so PM and then her phone activity stopped, paused for the last time ever on January 8th, just hours later at 1:30am
Nancy Grace
okay, hold on right there, Paul Best. I'm trying to take in all the information you're giving me. Paul Best has been on the story from the very beginning. Fox News and Fox Business Reporter. So she was using her phone, texting and sending messages the evening before she disappears, is that right? Paul Best?
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
That is correct, yes.
Nancy Grace
And you know what, Cheryl McCollum, we're seeing this right now in the guest petito Brian Laundrie manhunt where cell phones and use of electronic devices may crack the case. And here we have her there at home the night before she goes missing. Her children say mommy was home. That's when I saw her last. It's not like she went hiking. It's not like she went to the mall. It's not like she went out for a job. We don't have any of that. Do you remember Sherry Papini? What was her first name? Sherry. And she went jogging and we knew that because she had told her husband she was going jogging. So we knew where she was. For instance, Long island jogger Karina Vetrano, she said to her parents, hey, I'm going to go jogging. We knew where she went. Here the children are telling us mommy's home the last time they see her. She's using her phone the night before that tells me a lot. Everything in her world was okay at that time? Yes. No.
Cheryl McCollum (Cold Case Expert)
Well, these patterns are very important. The patterns of her being on social media throughout the day when she was not taking care of the children. She had a habit of contacting her family every single day. And if anybody contacted her, she would respond fairly quickly. What's concerning a little bit is, yes, the children are saying that she's home and that she's been home, but they're not seeing her.
Nancy Grace
You're dead on. You're dead on. You know what? Wherever I am, the twins find me. If I'm back in my room researching, if I'm up front in the kitchen, wherever I am, they find me. I'll see the door crack and they look in. I mean, they will find you. But they didn't see Mommy, but they say she was there. So what gives with that? Take a listen to our cut number five. This is Vanessa Van HT, ABC10.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
It appears she took her phone but is not responding.
Family Member / Friend
I'd like to text her. You know, I don't know if she's getting it, but I say, hey, babe, at least let us know or call someone. Just at least let us know you're okay.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Her Jeep is still at home and no one has seen or heard from her.
Family Member / Friend
Assumed maybe one of her friends picked her up and, you know, they went hiking or the wine chasing. She likes to go wine chasing. Temecula.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Maya works as a defense contractor at Naval Base San Diego and didn't show up for work on Monday.
Family Member / Friend
I called her boss. She didn't even log in. And that's the other alarming part, because work for her is like a party. That's her outlet.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Miliete says he will continue to search, anxiously awaiting.
Family Member / Friend
I don't even know what day it is. That's how sweet the crowd I am. So I can feel the effects, you know, but basically, I'm just mentally, emotionally, and physically drunk.
Nancy Grace
Okay, right there. And you see me exchanging sideways glances with Jackie here in the studio because, I mean, I'm just telling you right there, Dr. Bethany, if you don't know if your wife went to a wine tasting or whether she went hiking, then you've got a very big communications problem. Because if you're gonna go wine tasting, you it's got to be at a wine event or a vineyard. You're gonna need somebody to drive you home. A way to get home. If I were going to go to a wine tasting, I probably would take my husband with me. Also, if I'm going Hiking, you say, hey, I'm going hiking. On X the trail, you have the gear, you're dressed to go hiking. So when your husband says something like, well, she either went to a wine tasting or she went hiking and I think her friends picked her up. Now, unless David, my husband, has me totally fooled, he's at work right now. He is working on something that I consider to be incredibly boring. Some business deal. That's where I think he is, I'm pretty sure because when he left, he had on a business looking outfit, he had his backpack with all of his research and blah, blah, blah, a lot of paper stuffed in there. And he called en route and said, I'm on my way to work. How does this guy not know if his wife went hiking or to a wine tasting?
Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)
Nancy, there's so many clues our spouses give us. I mean, my husband's a judge. I knew when he left for work this morning that he had a trial. I knew what the trial was about. I had a sense of when the trial was going to end. Cheryl McCollum said something very important, that there are patterns in life. There's patterns in to social media, to her social media. If she was supposed to go to a wine tasting, there would be a pattern of care for the four year old child, who's going to care for the four year old, who's going to care for, 10 or 11 year old. There would be a pattern of friendship, texting the friends, arranging the rides home. You know, when somebody, either in this case the husband gives too many details, I think they're lying or when their story holds, that's very vague, they're lying.
Nancy Grace
But the dichotomy, if she's either gone high or to a wine tasting, that doesn't even make sense to me. What are you going to wear your hiking boots and your shorts and all your gear and your backpack and your helmet and whatever you're going to take to a wine tasting.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
How do you not?
Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)
Wine tasting is like a big party.
Nancy Grace
Okay.
Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)
And with the wine tasting, you have friends, right? So there would be friends who would have been with her. You don't go wine tasting alone.
Nancy Grace
Yeah. What friend? What friend picked her up? Crime stories with nancy grace.
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In the days after Maya's family called to report her missing, they started plastering the surrounding area with missing persons posters. But police said multiple times they did
Nancy Grace
not suspect foul play.
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And we're treating her disappearance like a missing person case.
Nancy Grace
Really?
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Why is it when a woman goes
Nancy Grace
missing, police always say, oh, she's probably
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Just off with her boyfriend. What boyfriend? Oh, she just wanted me time. No, she did not want me time. They lost valuable time in finding her. Could they have saved her life? What do we know about Maya's disappearance?
Nancy Grace
Our very special guest joining us, it's Maya's sister, Mary Chris and Richard Juliet and guys, I feel like I know you because we have been studying this and trying to figure out her disappearance like a rubik's cube for so many months now. A lot of prayers have gone up regarding the disappearance of your sister Mary Chris. And I've got to ask the question. I may not know everything my husband's doing all day long. I may not want to know everything he's doing all day long. But I know this. We have the twins covered. Nobody goes anywhere without the twins being covered. So who would take care of these babies?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
You know, Nancy, at that time, you know, it's been just the two of them. Larry and my sister is taking care of the kids. But you know that statement from Larry and Charlie a lot. We knew that since the beginning.
Nancy Grace
You mean about the hiking and the wine tasting?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Yeah, yeah. You know, she's. She's not considering is this day, that weekend is her daughter's 11th birthday.
Nancy Grace
Oh no, whoa, wait, wait. You just jogged my memory memory, Mary Chris. With me is my sister Mary Chris. And you and I talked about the birthday. Can I tell you the drama surrounding the twins upcoming birthday? The planning, the invites, the evites, the this, the that, the pizza, the birthday cake. That's an ordeal grande. That's like a Broadway production. From what I remember, Maya really planned out the birthday and there is no way in h e double she's going to go get a snoot fill at the wine tasting when she's supposed to be doing the birthday. I remember that distinctly. Tell me about the birthday plans for the 11 year old.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Right. It's a snowboarding event for the family. We were going to take them to big bear resort here in California. So that's her 11 year old.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
That's what she wants.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
She wants the outdoor stuff. She's very active. So she wants to go snowboarding. And she had planned it to celebrate with family. We rented a cabin in Big bear. And for her to not do anything or tell us anything about that birthday party that if it's canceled or anything like that, she could have told us. And she's not going to do any wine tasting or any hiking at that time. She's looking forward to celebrating her daughter's 11th birthday.
Nancy Grace
I found something very interesting that Cheryl McCollum said and she's absolutely correct. Take a listen to our cut 11. Tyler, if you would play that. This is Abby Alford from CBS News 8. Cheryl pointed out the children said mommy's home, but they didn't see her. Listen.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Mary Chris says that her sister's bedroom was locked and she wasn't inside. Her sister confirms that Larry and Maya argued the night before she went missing but didn't say about what. Police say that Larry is cooperating. Searched the house twice and have not found evidence of a crime and have not issued search warrants but have several detectives investigating Maya's disappearance.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
It's so pretty.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Maya's family says that she loved the outdoors, hiking and adored her kids.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
She's fun loving, just actually just keep us going.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
Despite being active outdoors and online, police say she's left no digital footprint.
Nancy Grace
No digital footprint. I want to go back to Mary, Chris, Juliet and Richard. Julie, let me understand, Richard, what does this mean? That she is at home but the bedroom was locked?
Richard Drouilet (Family Member)
Yeah, I guess Larry, my brother in law went out there Friday and just to check on her, on her, on his sister. And when he got there, Larry said that she had been in her room for 11 hours that Friday, which is kind of odd because the kids, you have to think who's feeding the kids, who's getting things ready for the weekend. But he knew that there was a big argument on Thursday so he kind of just left it alone. Maybe she just needed, you know, to air or just wanted some time alone. So it's just, it's weird that Larry didn't check up on her. He wasn't even concerned about her. Well, being that Friday it was just kind of like, okay, it's been one day, what's going on? But my brother went, checked it out and then he said, yeah, she's in her room, she's locked. And the next day my father in law, Saturday morning, my father in law went to check on his daughter and Larry magically had keys to open the door that Saturday morning. And when.
Nancy Grace
Why didn't they just knock?
Richard Drouilet (Family Member)
Well, I think they did, but she just kind of, I guess it was more like giving them the benefit of the doubt that, you know, maybe she just needed some time off because there was a big argument and he didn't want to intervene in their relationship that much.
Nancy Grace
A big argument about what?
Richard Drouilet (Family Member)
I don't know. I'm not sure on that.
Nancy Grace
Mary, Chris, do you know?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Yes, yes, I knew. Okay, so there's again, you know, 2020, it's been a rough, you know, I mean, it's been a rocket relationship with them. So there's been an issue, you know, it's, you know, it's going to be out there anyway. So I'm not going to sugarcoat on, on my sister. You know, they, she was linked to someone at work.
Nancy Grace
Okay, wait, are you trying to tell me the husband thought she was having an affair?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Well, no, she's not. You know, it wasn't confirmed, but he is accusing her.
Nancy Grace
Okay, so they're having a fight because he's suspicious of a co worker.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Correct.
Nancy Grace
Okay, now what I don't get is why they don't just. On the door. Tyler, please play our cut 12. This is an investigative producer, CBS News 8. David Goffertson.
Family Member / Friend
I went in the house. I immediately noticed the windows all open, the fans on full blast. Was chilly in the house.
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Attorney Billy Little went inside the Chula Vista home of Maya Millette on Monday, January 11, and conducted a walkthrough with her husband Larry, days after the woman went missing.
Family Member / Friend
I was mostly at that point seeing if I could smell anything, if I could smell any bleach or smell the smell of a dead body. And of course, there's absolutely no smell.
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Family members confirmed they contacted Little to help them find the missing mother of three.
Family Member / Friend
When I went to the bedroom, I immediately noticed a hole probably 10 inches long by about 6 to 8 inches tall, rectangular shape that had been freshly repaired.
Nancy Grace
Okay, wait a minute. So there's a big hole in the bedroom door that has just been repaired. Her sister, her brother, all very disturbed. The children say, mommy's home, but nobody can see her. She won't answer the bedroom door. Tyler, please play our cut 13 again. David Gottfredson.
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For months now, Little has been collecting evidence, including hundreds of text Messages sent in 2020 by Maya's husband Larry to friends and family.
Family Member / Friend
He started by complaining to family members. He started by accusing his wife of having May of having an affair, going to her supervisor, insisting that male co workers be moved with absolutely no evidence that there was an affair going on.
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Some of the messages included photos. This one looks like an altar with lit candles. Others include biblical quotes talking about adulterous women. Like this one saying, her feet go down to death, her steps lead straight to the grave.
Family Member / Friend
It started ramping up as 2020 went on. And as May started moving more and more towards a divorce, he became more and more desperate.
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Little says the day Maya contacted a divorce attorney is the last day anybody heard from her.
Nancy Grace
I am very, very concerned and was concerned when I first heard about this, I guess, hate shrine built to. Maya, do you.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
What?
Nancy Grace
Could you describe that for me? Mary, Chris,
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
everyone else. I didn't see, you know, or I didn't know until, you know, it's shown on. On the news.
Nancy Grace
Hold on. Paul Best, can you describe it for me?
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Yeah, Nancy. So apparently in September 2020, Larry, as the district attorney laid out yesterday, started displaying increasingly erratic behavior. He created the shrine in September 2020 that had a picture of the couple in the middle surrounded by candles. And then what appears to be either blood splatter or red candle wax around the picture. It's very bizarre. And then also quickly to note, around October, November, December of 2020, Larry apparently started enlisting spellcasters.
Nancy Grace
Okay, why? Wait, what? Spellcasters?
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Yeah. The district attorney said yesterday that around December of 2020, they became much more threatening. Larry started trying to cast spells on Maya that she would have broken bones or get in an accident so that she could stay home. And then also, just if we could go back for a second to Larry's kind of idea that there was another man involved, which is, again, like Marika said, is unconcerned. But this is apparently on January 9th.
Nancy Grace
Wait, do you actually think, Paul Best, that I'm going to take the word of a guy that creates a hate shrine? I was mortified when I found out he would call her supervisor at work and insist that a male coworker be transferred. Can you even imagine your husband calling your boss and insisting some guy you're not dating and he's insisting the guy be transferred? How embarrassing to start with. And now, did you have any idea he was hiring a spell caster to put spells on his wife?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Yeah. I couldn't imagine how desperate he became. You know, it was, in a way, you know, unable to wrap my mind around it, how, you know, how that behavior really.
Nancy Grace
Did Maya ever let on to you what he was up to? His bizarre behavior?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
No, no, she. She was still trying to protect him.
Nancy Grace
Oh, gosh. Guys, in the last hours, there is breaking news in the search for Maya. Take a listen to our cut 22. This is our longtime co worker and friend at Inside Edition, Jim Morray.
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
It's a jarring moment released from the night a mom disappeared. You can hear six loud bangs that sound like gunshots. The terrifying audio was captured on a
Family Member / Friend
neighbor surveillance camera at 10pm Missing mom
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Maya, Miliette's neighbor, provided the recording to
Family Member / Friend
KFMB TV San Diego.
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Maya's sister says she shared an ominous premonition that something might happen to her and who would be responsible?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
She did, said she, you know, if anything happens to her, it might be,
News Reporter / Audio Clips
it might be her husband.
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Maya and Larry were high school sweethearts and had been married for 21 years. But she was reportedly ready to end the marriage and had scheduled an appointment with a divorce attorney the same day she disappeared.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
She said that she's filing for the divorce and then that she said it's
News Reporter / Audio Clips
going to be a nasty divorce.
Nancy Grace
To Matthew Mangino, high profile lawyer. Joining us, former prosecutor and author Matthew we all know the statistics. The most dangerous time for a woman, an abused woman, whether it's emotionally, verbally or physically, is when she finally decides to leave, when she finally takes that step, calls a divorce attorney, demands a divorce, wants to break up. That is a single most dangerous time for a woman in an abusive relationship. Yes. No.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Well, no question about that, Nancy. And I don't think it's a coincidence that she disappears on the day that she makes this call to a divorce attorney. You know, we see erratic behavior building up to this and then all of a sudden, you know, she gathers the strength to call an attorney to discuss divorce and she disappears. So I don't think that that's a coincidence in any way, the timing of that. And it certainly lends itself, you know, to this whole idea that, that that is when a woman is most vulnerable in terms of domestic violence and, and, or in this case, possibly murder.
Nancy Grace
Take a listen to our cut 24, Roxanne Kennedy, the chief of police. Today at 11:42am The Chula Vista Police Department SWAT team served an arrest warrant and arrested Larry Mathi for the murder of his wife. Larry was taken into custody at his home and was alone at the time of his arrest.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
And I know many of you are
Nancy Grace
all very concerned about May's children. I want you to know that they are safe. I hear the cheering and the happiness at the announcement that Maya's husband, Larry Millete has been arrested. But that's not the end of the story. Take A listen. Our cut 23 NBC 7.
Family Member / Friend
The district attorney says that she filed the case against Millette yesterday and then he was there. He was charged with the murder of his wife. He was also charged with possession of an illegal assault rifle. This morning at 11:42, he was arrested at his home with the help of U.S. marshals and the FBI. He's currently being held right now in jail without bond. Now, the DA laid out a litany of facts. However, most of their case is circumstantial. What they don't have is are the remains of May. But what they do have, according to the district attorney, is proof that she is no longer alive.
News Reporter / Audio Clips
For nine months.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
There is no proof of life.
Family Member / Friend
She went on to say later, Mae Millett had a bank account and had money in it. And over the nine months, she's never touched it, that she's never posted on social media. She's never texted or called, even though she is a person that would call family members daily. So when she talks about proof of life, what she means to say is there is no proof that she is still alive.
Nancy Grace
Straight out to Maya's sister, Mary Chris. Mary Chris Drouile, you have a lot of circumstantial evidence, but what you don't have is Maya's body.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Why we can't, Lisa can't find her. You know, he did I don't know if he did a good job getting rid of her.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
It's just been horrible.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
But, you know, we have to continue looking for her. We're going to be searching for her just the beginning again. And now that we have more leaves,
Nancy Grace
we've got to find that body. We've got to find the body because when this case goes to court, the jury might think she's dead, but the state has to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. And yes, a case can be prosecuted without a body, but I do not want this guy to slip through the fingers of justice. Where is Maya? Paul Best joining me, FOX News and FOX Business. Paul, again, thank you for being with us. You hear Mary, Chris's voice, you hear Richard Drewilet's voice, They're exhausted. They're at the end of their rope. This has been months and months and months trying to get answers and they can't find the body. Why is that? What am I hearing about him driving for what, 11 hours the night or around the time? Tell me about that.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Yeah. So on Friday, January 8, the day after Maya apparently disappeared, he left with his youngest son around 7am he told police that he went to Solana beach, but he was gone for 11 hours and 20 minutes. He skipped work. His boss was calling Maya, calling Larry's dad, trying to figure out where he was, saying, this isn't like Larry. He left his phone at home so that there was no way to track him. And then I do want to say, just to quickly give you a sense of how wide the area is that authorities are currently searching for Maya's remains, which as you just alluded to, is going to be key in this case when it eventually does go to trial. The district attorney said yesterday that the navigation system on Larry's Lexus that he was driving for 11 hours on that Friday registered a quote, navigation event two and a half hours before he returned home. And that navigation event was for his home address. So basically what police are saying is that there is a two and a half hour drive radius around the Chula Vista home that he shared with his wife where her remains could potentially be.
Nancy Grace
Crime stories with Nancy Grace.
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It's always a big red flashing neon sign when the husband lawyers up with defense lawyers. That was apparently the first clue to police that something was very wrong. Now we believe her husband murdered her. Her body has never been found.
Nancy Grace
Now this on top of evidence that
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emerged that he hired a spell caster to hex his wife. I can't wait for the jury to hear that.
Nancy Grace
I can't wait for the jury to hear that.
Penn Foster Advertiser
Husband Larry Millett, facing one count of murder plus one felony count of illegal possession of an assault weapon. Prosecutors believe he murdered his wife and disposed of her body even though it has never been found. The last time she was seen alive was on a neighbor's surveillance video arriving home the afternoon of January 7th. Phone records show she messaged her friends and was searching the Internet until later that night, according to the police, searching for divorce advice.
Nancy Grace
Professor of Forensics, Jacksonville State University. Host of a brand new hit series on I heart podcast, Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan. Joe Scott, you know how I feel when somebody says they only have circumstantial evidence. Let me remind everybody, under the law, the black and white letter of the law, and this is read verbatim to the jury before the jury begins deliberations. Circumstantial evidence is as probative, as powerful as direct evidence, such as an eyewitness, a fingerprint or DNA. It is considered to be as powerful as direct evidence under the law. So when somebody says, well, there's only circumstantial evidence, that's a line of bs. But I will admit I'd rather have direct evidence, too. So, Joe Scott, that's where you come in. How are we going to prove this case?
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Yeah, you know, there's, there's a bit of, there's a bit of information that I was curious about. My understanding is that I guess it was probably the eighth, the family allegedly went to the home, or maybe it was the 10th, I can't recall. And there they saw bath mats being dried out, they saw trash cans being dried out, and there was a distinctive smell of bleach.
Nancy Grace
Okay, wait, let's confirm that to Richard Drew a lay and Mary Chris Drew a. What can you tell me about that?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
We were there Sunday. We actually were there Saturday night. You know the, the bed was cleaned. You know there was a comforter that was missing. And then Sunday.
Nancy Grace
Wait, what did you say was missing? I didn't quite. What comforter missing? Okay, right.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
And then. And Sunday we were there to looking the house is a mess. It's because his turn just moved out. And then we were there Monday also the auntie. The aunt start cleaning the house. That's when Billy Little was there. Attorney Billy Little went in and walked through with Larry around the house. That's when he smelled the bleach.
Nancy Grace
The bleach. And saw bath mats drying out.
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Yes. Over trash cans. Nancy and I gotta tell you.
Nancy Grace
Wait, I want to just go to Bethany and Sure. On something. Hold a thought, Jo Scott, because it's going to tie into what your analysis is going to be, I think. Dr. Bethany Generally speaking I don't like a mess in the home and I don't know if that's some kind of compulsion, but I don't want the children to grow up in a messy environment. So I think from what I've learned about Maya, she was the same way. And the fact that the house was in a mess, to me that means something because if people came into our home and it looked like a cyclone hit it, they would know I had not been there. Because that bothers me, gets under my skin. Now that's a behavioral thing. It may mean nothing to somebody else, but that tells me Maya was dead that day.
Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)
Because Nancy, this is yet another break in the pattern, right? The fact that all of her social media stopped on down the road. We're talking about no money withdrawn from her bank account. Cheryl McCollum was talking about the patterns on her social media, who she contacted. But what happens in the home when you have a 4 year old, a 10 year old and an 11 year old is extremely important. You're preparing their lunches for school, you're making sure their clothes are laid out, you have towels ready for them. I mean a good mother does care about her home. And so this was a dramatic break in the pattern.
Nancy Grace
And she is no dummy, guys. She had a really impressive job. Paul, Best explain what she did. Wasn't it for the Navy?
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Yeah, she was a contract specialist for the Navy. From everyone that I've talked to, all of her former co workers, they all said she was a rock star at work, that she, she did a great job and that she really enjoyed it and loved doing it.
Nancy Grace
She had a lot of responsibility. What I'm trying to tell you is she didn't just, you know, fall off the turnip truck. She. This woman is smart, she is accomplished, she's beautiful, she's raising these children. And what does it say to you, Cheryl McCollum? Now, see, a defense attorney would try to have a field day with this. But women on a jury, and maybe some men too, would get it if somebody came. You know, Cheryl, you've been in my home. Somebody came in and everything was a mess and there are dirty dishes in the sink and, and laundry's piled up high and the beds are not made. Uh, that's not going to happen. That tells me right then she was dead that day, that minute, no question.
Cheryl McCollum (Cold Case Expert)
Friday by 8 o'.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Clock.
Cheryl McCollum (Cold Case Expert)
And again, what they're going to do for this case is they're going to go back and they're going to show everything that led up to it. The fact that he tried to hire a hitman for $20,000, the fact that he was sending 10 text messages up to a hundred a day.
Nancy Grace
You left out the spell caster.
Cheryl McCollum (Cold Case Expert)
Oh, I'm getting there. Because that would be something that I know hate shrine. Yes, I know good and well you would put one of those statements up big as Dallas for the jury, you know, jury to stare at that not only did he want her bones broken, wanted them broken so that she couldn't leave him. And then he's borrowing gun, cleaning equipment, there's a.40 caliber handgun missing, he's got assault rifles. And all this happens after he talks to the divorce attorney. But I want to say one thing about that bedroom door.
Nancy Grace
Certainly nobody on this panel is going to be able to stop you, so go ahead.
Cheryl McCollum (Cold Case Expert)
Thank you so much. When they say she's in the bedroom and then the brother in law comes back over and Larry, the husband, opens it with a key, you're telling me that bedroom door locked from the hall. Was he keeping her captive?
Nancy Grace
Can I always count on you to keep it real, Cheryl McCollum? Okay, Joe Scott, put it all together. How are we going to prove this case?
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Hey, I got to tell you, Mayor Chris, first off, my apologies in advance, but Nancy, I got to tell you, my friend, when I start hearing words like bath mat soaked in bleach, drying out in all of the cases that I've worked as a death investigator over all my years, I got to tell you, that means that something occurred in the bathroom. And that means also that potentially there's Evidence in that tub of a cleanup. Now, I'm not going to go down the road that you think I'm going to go down relative to the level of gore that is involved in this. But there was an attempt to clean up in that environment. Why else would these bath mats be bleached out? I have to say, Nancy, I think that there is going to be a level of violence involved in this that we can't imagine.
Nancy Grace
Well, a great deal of bloodshed. Because if you asphyxiated someone, there would not be that kind of a cleanup. This is a bloody event. And look, Mary, Chris and Richard want to know the truth.
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
A carpenter uses the tools they have at their hand. What did this guy have, Nancy? He had a multitude. He had an armory in the house. As a matter of fact, he was hooked up on an illegal weapons charge for tactical weapon that he had that could use multiple calibers of bullets. And the Feds know something here. Let me tell you why. It wasn't just the Chula Vista police that showed up to process this house. You had the FBI ERT team, that is the Evidence Response Unit. They showed up at the house to process this thing. I actually believe that not only are we talking about a homicide here and a missing woman and a missing mother, we're talking about something that could potentially extend out even further that the Feds would take this much interest in. Well, I'm thinking that he may be selling weapons. That's what I'm thinking.
Nancy Grace
He had so many weapons.
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Yes, he did. And I just cannot understand. I don't know what this guy was involved.
Nancy Grace
How many weapons do we know that he has?
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
He had about 20 weapons. And as was just alluded to, he was charged with illegal possession of an assault rifle. And one of those weapons, notably, is still missing a.40 caliber gun.
Nancy Grace
I want to follow up with Paul Best and Joe Scott. Let me know when you get Cheryl back. Matthew Mangino, Bethany Marshall. How can we track where he hid her remains? Mary, Chris Drouilet, Richard Drewlay. What are the cops telling you? How can we figure out where he hid her remains? This could be critical at trial.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
Well, Nancy, I think it certainly is
Richard Drouilet (Family Member)
going to be critical at trial.
Nancy Grace
Is this Matthew or Richard?
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
It's Matthew.
Nancy Grace
Okay, go ahead.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
You certainly can. You can certainly go forward with a circumstantial case. There are convictions where there's been no body.
Nancy Grace
Yeah, I know you can, but I don't want to. How can we track.
Paul Best (Fox News Reporter)
I think it's crucial that you find the body. Because although we have circumstantial evidence. We don't have forensic evidence at this point. We don't have witness evidence at this point. So the body and the cause of death and the manner of death are all going to be extremely important in this prosecution. And I think it's only going to be done by a thorough investigation throughout that entire region with multiple police forces and federal help to try to locate this body.
Nancy Grace
This is not going to be easy.
Dr. Bethany Marshall (Psychoanalyst)
If I could jump in go Bethany, if I could jump in about this. I doubt he drove around willy nilly looking for a dump site for the body just because that's not how these things go. Think about with killer dad cross Chris Watts. Think about tot mom. They always go somewhere either near the house, near a relative or a place with which they're very familiar. Think about it. If you have a body or body parts, you're not going to just dump them in a park or in the woods or in a garbage can. You're going to be thinking those 11 hours he drove around thinking with his
Nancy Grace
then 4 year old in the car, I might add.
Jim Morray (Inside Edition Reporter)
Nancy, I've got absolutely, I've got to say the two big pieces of evidence here in my opinion relative to this event, they still have that Lexus. No one, as you well know, does a good enough job cleaning a car up. If he had to clean up in the house, that means that there is potentially a mess in that Lexus that he missed. They get their hands on that Lexus and this is the other thing, they rip that bathtub out of the wall, take the drain traps out all of the associated plumbing and go over that with a fine tooth comb. Because this is essential. If you find tissue in there, if you find tissue that is tied back to this poor, poor woman, I have to say Nancy, that might be body enough.
Nancy Grace
I hear you. I was going to disagree with you until you said that if they could get enough evidence out of the drain, which I don't think they can because so many months have passed. But if they could get that from the car or the drain or both of them together to show that she is in fact dead, he should not get a gold star for being able to hide the body. But Mary Christ Drouillet and Richard Drewilet, if you think back guys, and you look at like the Scott Peterson case, where did he go to his old fishing hole? San Francisco Bay tot mom, where did she throw her baby after Kelly was murdered? Right down the street from the home across from her old school. If you look At Chris Watts was just brought up. He went to his old place of employment, Anadarko Oil Field to hide the body was his two children and his wife. This guy Larry Millet has hidden her body somewhere he thought it would never be found. Somewhere he's familiar with. What are cops telling you guys? Mary Kris and Richard, they haven't really
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
told us any specific area, just that time frame, you know that they're looking at that two and a half hours.
Nancy Grace
But what does that mean? Mary Chris, A two and a half hour event. What does that mean? He stopped for two and a half hours somewhere?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
That's what it sounds like. That's what they're telling us.
Nancy Grace
Oh well that's where it is. That's where it is.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Yeah.
Family Member / Friend
So.
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
So in that, that's the area that would been having, you know, our. Not just gut feeling but I mean it's a feeling that we know she could probably have been. It's the desert. It's a two and a half hours.
Nancy Grace
It's the desert. Did you say it's in the desert?
Mary Chris Drouilet (Maya's Sister)
Yeah, it's. We call it the desert. It's, you know, because it's, it's. Yeah, it's at the desert area.
Nancy Grace
And what he did was very cunning. Richard Drewley. He left his cell phone at home so he cannot be tracked by pings. He is no idiot. He knew what he was doing. But now they've got a two and a half hour event where I'm understanding from Mary Crest, Juliet, my sister, that he was stopped for two and a half hours during this 11 hour period out in the desert. That's where she is. So how are they determining that Richard? Through the navigation system in the Lexus?
Richard Drouilet (Family Member)
Yeah, that's correct. I guess they had a. I guess he must have stopped somewhere and looked at maybe different routes to get back home. And where he got pinpointed was about two and a half hours away from his house. So that's where we're going to be starting our searches. I mean we've always thought it could have been the desert but during the summer, I mean the desert's 120, 125 degrees, you know, by 12 o'. Clock. So it's really dangerous to be out there in that, in that heat.
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Nancy Grace
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Nancy Grace
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Nancy Grace
This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.
Date: May 23, 2026
In this gripping episode, Nancy Grace and an all-star panel dissect the suspicious disappearance and murder indictment in the case of Maya Millette, a California mother of three who vanished in January 2021. Five years after Maya went missing, her husband, Larry Millette, now faces murder charges—despite the fact Maya’s body has never been found. The panel scrutinizes evidence ranging from conflicting alibis and suspicious behaviors to the extraordinary revelation that Larry allegedly hired "spellcasters" to hex his wife. They examine whether prosecutors can secure a conviction in a “no body” homicide case and discuss the crucial timeline, the chilling forensic clues, and the tragic toll on Maya’s family.
"She wants to go snowboarding. And she had planned it to celebrate with family...she's not going to do any wine tasting or any hiking at that time. She's looking forward to celebrating her daughter's 11th birthday."
—Mary Chris Drouilet, Maya's Sister [17:16]
“He created the shrine in September 2020 that had a picture...surrounded by candles. And then what appears to be either blood splatter or red candle wax around the picture...Larry started trying to cast spells on Maya that she would have broken bones or get in an accident so that she could stay home.”
—Paul Best, Fox News [23:52], [24:27]
"When I start hearing words like bath mat soaked in bleach, drying out...that means that something occurred in the bathroom. That means also potentially there's evidence in that tub of a cleanup."
—Jim Morray, Inside Edition [41:10]
“She was a contract specialist for the Navy...all of her former co workers said she was a rock star at work…She didn’t just, you know, fall off the turnip truck. This woman is smart, she is accomplished, she's beautiful, she's raising these children.”
—Nancy Grace [38:51]
“Under the law…circumstantial evidence is as probative, as powerful as direct evidence, such as an eyewitness, a fingerprint or DNA. It is considered to be as powerful as direct evidence under the law.”
—Nancy Grace [34:49]
On Patterns and Motives:
“If she was supposed to go to a wine tasting, there would be a pattern of care for the four year old...when their story holds, that's very vague, they're lying.”
—Dr. Bethany Marshall [12:54]
Family’s Pain:
"It's been a nightmare. It's been...painful, heartbreaking."
—Mary Chris Drouilet [06:41]
Victim’s Premonition:
"If anything happens to her, it might be, it might be her husband."
—Mary Chris Drouilet [26:56]
The Search for Justice:
“We've got to find that body because when this case goes to court...the state has to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. And yes, a case can be prosecuted without a body, but I do not want this guy to slip through the fingers of justice.”
—Nancy Grace [31:18]
Expert Forensics:
"If you find tissue in [the bathtub drain or car], that might be body enough."
—Jim Morray, Inside Edition [46:07]
The panel paints a comprehensive—and chilling—picture of Maya Millette’s unordered, abrupt disappearance, the obsessive and menacing behavior of her husband Larry (from bizarre spellcasting to weapons stockpiling to strange digital behavior), and the mountain of circumstantial evidence that will challenge prosecutors and jurors. With Maya’s remains still missing, her family remains determined to find answers and achieve justice, while Nancy Grace and her guests hammer home the cruel reality of domestic violence and the emotional devastation for Maya’s children and loved ones.
Noteworthy: