Yakima Attempted Murder Suspect Behind Bars

Outdoors

"This view is, like, killer," I overheard a 20-something say to his companions during a recent visit to Telluride. We had just walked by each other on the main street of this southwestern Colorado mountain town, wedged into a box canyon. The group was looking toward the vertiginous cliffs high above, where Ingram Falls plunged over a notch in the rock; below the falls, a thread of water followed a steep, diagonal runnel, glinting silver, like the precious metal miners once sought here.

The comment was an understatement. Surrounded by soaring peaks in the craggy San Juan Mountains, Telluride sits in an almost impossibly beautiful setting. I've been visiting regularly from my home near Aspen, Colorado, for almost 30 years, and every time I drive the final stretch into town, my breath catches when the lofty panorama bursts into view.

Well known for its ski resort, Telluride attracts plenty of summer and fall visitors, too. A season-long slate of weekend festivals ranges from bluegrass to blues, mushroom hunting to classic cars. For a time, some locals even designated one July weekend as the "Nothing Festival" to provide a break from the hectic schedule. Later this summer the star-studded Telluride Film Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary (Aug. 31 to Sept. 4).

Special programming aside, summer and fall (through mid-October, when many businesses close down until Thanksgiving) are the time to discover not just Telluride's stellar scenery, but the hiking and biking trails scribed across those hillsides. There's also a flourishing arts scene and plenty of independently owned shops and galleries along Colorado Avenue, the main thoroughfare.

Despite the remote location, getting to Telluride is easier than it may seem. Throughout the summer, nonstop flights from four cities — Denver, Chicago, Houston and Dallas — arrive daily at the Montrose Regional Airport, an hour and a half drive away by shuttle or rental car. Denver Air Connection also offers daily flights from Phoenix and Denver to the small Telluride Airport, on a mesa above the town. You can easily get by without a car for a weekend. Several hikes start from town, and free bus service loops through the community. A gondola, also free, runs daily until midnight between Telluride and the pedestrian-oriented center of Mountain Village, a town partway up the ski area purpose-built for visitors.

Transition and Tradition

Like many mountain resort communities that have felt the impact of a pandemic-driven surge in residents and visitors, exacerbated by soaring housing costs and the resulting employee shortage, Telluride emphasizes sustainable tourism these days. The primary message you'll see online and in visitor guides: Be conscious not only of your environmental footprint but also of your impact on the community.

Amid the changes, some of the things that embody Telluride's tight-knit ethos remain the same. For almost 40 years, the beloved community radio station, KOTO, has been broadcasting local news and eclectic music from a lavender-hued Victorian. For nearly the same amount of time, downtown's legendary Free Box has drawn treasure hunters who browse among the castoffs — books, clothing, housewares — left within the worn wood cubbies. Some even find serviceable skis and other sports gear.

A view of Telluride, Colo., from the top of a mountain on June 24, 2023. Well known for its ski resort, this mountain town in southwestern Colorado attracts plenty of summer and fall visitors, too. (Andrew Miller/The New York Times) Victorians, a Waterfall and Tea

Acclimate to the altitude — Telluride sits at 8,750 feet — with a day spent exploring the town, which was designated a National Historic Landmark District more than 60 years ago for its importance as a late-19th-century mining hub.

Start out with breakfast at the Butcher and the Baker. If you're not diverted by the pastries at the counter — homemade pop tarts, cinnamon buns, scones — opt for a hearty breakfast sandwich on a homemade English muffin (from $11) or house granola with yogurt and fruit ($13). The restaurant operates its own farm, which supplies fresh produce.

At only 12 blocks long by eight blocks wide, Telluride is eminently walkable. I love strolling by the meticulously kept Victorians, their candy-colored shingles and gingerbread trim intact thanks to stringent preservation and design guidelines (inside, they're often sleekly modern). They're not just for show, either, as stand-up paddleboards stored under a porch, camping trailers parked in the driveway or mountain bikes propped up outside reflect mountain-town activities — and gorgeous flowers bloom everywhere.

Stop in at the Telluride Historical Museum ($9), housed in a former hospital, for more insight on the town's past; a new exhibition celebrates 50 years of festivals, starting with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival that takes place each June and attracts some 10,000 music aficionados.

If you're near the north end of Aspen Street, look for the quarter-of-a-mile steep trail that leads to Cornet Falls, an 80-foot-high cascade that plummets off a lip of red-hued sandstone into a small pool. (Depending on water levels, you may have to cross a small side stream along the way, so watch your footing.)

Back downtown, stop by the Stronghouse Brew Pub for Bavarian-style pretzels with beer-cheese dip ($13) and an elk jalapeño cheddar bratwurst ($11) amid a buzzy beer hall vibe. The building's stone walls (inside and out) give it a European farmhouse feel, but the setting is actually a renovated warehouse dating to 1892. Out of the nine or so beers brewed on site, I sampled the petite saison ($8 for a pint), which was light and tart.

After lunch, walk to the north end of the block to peek into the Telluride Transfer Warehouse, an arts center in the making. The one-time hub for commerce and storage, built in 1906, sat empty for almost 40 years after the roof collapsed under heavy snow in 1979. Telluride Arts, a nonprofit group, bought the building six years ago and launched a fundraising campaign to restore it as a performance and exhibition venue, with a striking design by the Seattle architecture firm Olson Kundig.

Diagonally across the street, the longtime Ah Haa School for the Arts recently reopened in a new building that includes studios and exhibition space (closed on Sundays); among the offerings are an annual buildingwide immersive art installation that was just completed and farmers market-to-table lunchtime cooking classes on select Fridays.

Head up to Colorado Avenue to browse stores and galleries. Among them, Western Rise offers tech pants, shorts and merino T-shirts for men, designed by a husband-and-wife team who have an atelier in the back. Crossbow Leather specializes in locally made bags and accessories. Mixx Projects has artisan jewelry, paintings, mixed media art and furniture. Jagged Edge Mountain Gear carries hiking apparel, shoes, backpacks and accessories. Telluride Arts has two adjacent gallery spaces; one hosts rotating shows, while the other has a new long-term exhibition that focuses on Transfer Warehouse's history and artwork inspired by the site. If it's a Friday, wind down the afternoon with a gondola ride up to Mountain Village for Music on the Green, a free weekly concert series (5 p.M. To 7 p.M., through Sept. 8) that spotlights Americana, roots and bluegrass performers.

Make your dinner reservation at Petite Maison, a jewel box of a restaurant opened last year by the team behind the National, another popular spot. The menu features classic French bistro fare like coq au vin, moules frites and steak tartare (entrees from $34). The nightly bar menu special offers a less expensive option.

Then amble back up to Colorado Avenue and the Ride Lounge in the historic Roma building, which has welcomed live-music lovers since last summer. Local bands jam in the unpretentious venue amid a gallery of photos featuring musicians who have played in town, including, at the bar's namesake, the annual Ride Festival.

The view of Bridal Veil falls from the the Telluride Via Ferrata in Telluride, Colo., June 24, 2023. Well known for its ski resort, this mountain town in southwestern Colorado attracts plenty of summer and fall visitors, too. (Andrew Miller/The New York Times) Hikes, a Ghost Town and Local Spirits

Take advantage of Telluride's mountain setting with a morning adventure: hiking, going for a four-wheel-drive excursion or tackling the via ferrata.

Before heading out, stop by Baked in Telluride for coffee and raised doughnuts the size of small plates ($2.80), foot-long maple bars ($3.30) or a bagel breakfast sandwich ($8). Take along a sandwich and maybe a sea salt dark chocolate chip cookie ($2.95) to eat on the trail.

Two half-day hikes start in town: From the top of Aspen Street, the Jud Wiebe trail loops for almost 3 miles through field and forest above Telluride, with 1,200 feet of elevation gain. The heavily trafficked Bear Creek trail starts at the south end of Pine Street and follows an old mining track for a little more than 2 miles to Bear Creek Falls, gaining some 1,000 feet.

A less-busy option: the 2-mile Ridge trail at the ski area. Ride the gondola from Telluride to the San Sophia Station. The view includes Lizard Head Peak (a distinctive vertical rock formation) and two 14,000-foot-plus-high mountains, Wilson Peak and Mount Wilson. Follow the trail signs to hike downhill, detouring to take in the bird's-eye overlook of town. The route winds through aspen groves and meadows, finishing in Mountain Village.

Telluride Outside's half-day, four-wheel-drive tour ($120 per person) up a road to the top of Imogene Pass is breathtaking both for the scenery and the elevation (13,114 feet). It includes a stop at Tomboy ghost town, where gold miners eked out a hardscrabble life in the early 1900s, as vividly recounted in Harriet Fish Backus' book "Tomboy Bride."

Telluride's via ferrata used to be under the radar, but now three local guide services, including Mountain Trip (from $189 per person), lead outings on it. Thanks to permanently attached steel cables and rungs, you can traverse this cliff face several hundred feet above the ground — provided you don't fear heights. You'll get a distinct vantage of Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado's highest free-flowing waterfall.

Post-adventure, go for the summer version of après-ski at a trio of spots around Mountain Village. On the ground floor of the Franz Klammer Lodge complex, Telluride Distilling Company serves up $5 mules, made with housemade ginger beer and vodka, and other reasonably priced whiskey, gin and agave cocktails. Next door, the Communion Wine Bar, which opened last summer, has been getting enthusiastic reviews for its lesser-known wines by the glass. Telluride Brewing Company pours its refreshing IPAs and other ales at a brewpub in the Hotel Madeline building (the brewery's original tap room just west of Telluride remains a hub for locals who stream in after biking and kayaking.)

Finish up with a casual dinner back in Telluride. La Cocina de Luz is my go-to for tamales and giant burrito plates, accompanied by the requisite margarita (entrees from $22). Newer is the Wok of Joy, a Thai spot opened in 2021 by Joy Itthithepphana, who earned fans for her pad Thai and spicy curries while operating a food cart in Mountain Village. Now that devoted clientele packs the small dining area of this counter-service restaurant for those dishes and more (entrees average $20).

Where to Stay

The Telluride area has no shortage of luxe hotels, with the biggest concentration in Mountain Village. Last year at the Madeline Hotel and Residences (rooms from $599), an Auberge Resorts Collection property, the 155 rooms and suites were redone in a modern chalet style. An emphasis on wellness includes meditation stools in every room, chlorophyll-enhanced water in the lobby and nightly turndown service with amenities like CBD lotion. The complex also has a spa, outdoor pool, restaurant and cocktail lounge. Every afternoon at 4 p.M., Bryan Woody, the hotel's general manager, plays the alpenhorn during a complimentary Champagne toast, as his St. Bernard, Cheyenne, greets guests.

On the west side of town, the Hotel Telluride (rooms from $369) is a reliable option, with friendly service and a relaxed vibe. The 59 rooms, all with balconies, are furnished in mountain lodge style, and the on-site restaurant serves breakfast and dinner. The hotel is within a few blocks of the commercial district and offers free shuttle service around town and cruiser bikes for loan.

If you have a car and a limited budget, consider the Bivvi Hostel Telluride, open since 2020 in Placerville, about 16 miles down the valley. Private and shared rooms, all with their own bathrooms and continental breakfast included, start at $55 per person in a dorm room.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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Ski Lines: Hickory Ski Center Looks To Make Comeback

Generations of Hickory Hill skiers have ridden the T-bars to the top of the mountain. (Gazette file photo)

"We're dreaming of a white Hickory.

Just like the one we used to know."

This version of the seasonal standard could be a popular lyric these days among long-time Hickory Ski Center regulars who are trying  to resuscitate the Warrensburg ski area that has been shut down since the close of  the 2015-16 season. 

The area was one of many across the country founded by veterans returning home from World War II. Vail in Colorado is probably the most famous of that lot, but it is a common link to many places, large and small, that came into being in the late 1940s.

Some spread out and are still with us today. Others served mainly local skiers who lived nearby. Some grew with the times and prospered. Many did not and fell by the wayside. A handful of areas that closed have come back to life and operate today; think of Mount Ascutney in Vermont, Powder Ridge in Connecticut and  Tenny Mountain in New Hampshire. 

Now, think of the Hickory Ski Center.  

Today, there are people who see a future for the area and are planning to bring it back to life, as soon as this winter.

"I have every expectation it will be open this season," Sue Catana said recently.

More than most, Catana has solid Hickory credentials. Her father Hans Winbauer, a 10th Mountain Division veteran, was — along with wife Fran, and friends Ken and Flo Bates — one of the principals in opening the area in 1947. Like many other young people from the Warrensburg-Glens Falls area, Sue grew up skiing at Hickory. She is one of a handful of people with deep local ties who are leaders in the effort that has created a two-tier model for the future of Hickory.

The most-attention-getting part of the plan is the Legacy Foundation, structured as a 501C-3 not-for-profit to bring low-cost skiing and outdoor programs to young people and families in towns near Hickory. This group, with an all local board of directors led by Warrensburg auto dealer Matt Maciariello, leases the lower part of the ski area including the base lodge, from Ski Hickory Hill Inc., the original stockholders group, a traditional for-profit corporation with its own board of directors now chaired by New Jersey attorney David Cronheim.

Hickory over the years has always been a family-oriented ski center, the lower area highlighted by a big round fireplace in the center of the lodge with common-use cooking gear hung around the edges that people could use to grill their own food. Recently, lights have been added to allow for evening skiing. But what earned Hickory its reputation over the years has been the upper mountain and the challenge of steep, often ungroomed, trails that led generations of devotees to proclaim that this was the place to ski when Vermont's iconic "Ski It If You Can" Mad River Glen became too tame. 

Families and Challenge: that is the promise of Hickory.  

Sue Catana is a believer. 

"We are in a unique market: telemark, back country, black diamond skiers," she said.

WILL IT WORK? 

In the early years of Hickory, there was no snowmaking at ski areas anywhere. Grooming was mainly the tracks of the first people down the hill in the morning. What areas there were at the time often relied on surface tows hooked up to old truck engines to haul people up the hill. There was no West Mountain nearby, and while there was the Ski Bowl at North Creek, what we know of as Gore Mountain today did not start until 1964. 

A significant part of the early Hickory skiers came from the population of GE workers in the Capital Region, and many earned season passes by volunteering time at the area.

That was then. Hickory still has no snowmaking and limited grooming capacity, in a time when most skiers are accustomed to high-speed lifts and extensive grooming. While there are still purists in the mix who prefer the more primitive, older ways, many — especially the aging Baby Boomers generation — have moved on to the more mellow challenges of blue square and groomed blacks skiing. 

Hickory does have two paid staffers on the hill this winter, and still welcomes volunteers — but forget about a free pass in return. 

"We had gotten to the point where there were two volunteer pass-holders to every paying customer," Catana said. "Now we welcome people who show up to help with no more expectations than a 'Thank you.'"

Getting a ski area that has been idle for years operating again is a major task, even when there is substantial  snowfall. Currently, there is an on-going tussle with New York State over whether Hickory's existing T-Bar and Poma lifts require an engineering study before they can be certified to operate and, as of now, the area is self-insured pending acquisition on liability insurance coverage.

Funding is of course an issue. Catana sees about $140,000 of projected revenues needed from a mixture of sales and donations. 

One long-time New York Ski Area executive sees the situation differently: "I wish them luck, but, for it to be a sustaining ski area, they need more than passion; $10 million would certainly help."   

The organizers are certainly optimists, like Hickory Legacy Foundation officer John Braidwood of Queensbury.

"Hickory is in my DNA," Braidwood  said. "It will succeed. I started skiing there when I was 7 years old. I am 77 now." 

When the area opens, the pricing of tickets is very modest by current standards. 

The most-expensive season's pass for the lower mountain only will be $100. A day ticket will be no more than $30. Children 6 and under will ski free. Those who want to ski the upper mountain will need to buy an annual license to access the Poma lifts. The cost for an individual is $300 and for a family, $450 which gives you the right to purchase a day pass for $50 or less, depending on age. 

The plan when the area opens is to operate the lower slopes on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2 to 8 p.M., and the full area Saturdays from 9 a.M. To 8 p.M., and Sundays from 9 a.M. To 4 p.M.

For the Hickory organizers and skiers everywhere:

"May your days be merry and bright.

And may all your ski trails be white."

KIDS SKI FREE PASSPORT PROGRAM AVAILABLE

Ski Areas of New York is again offering its Kids Ski Free program. 

It features the opportunity to purchase two day ski passes for students in grades 3 and 4, who are accompanied by an adult who buys a regular price ticket, at 23 areas in the state. 

Nearby ski areas in the program include Catamount, Gore, Plattekill, West and Windham. The program does not include rental gear and is not available this week, the Martin Luther King Jr. Week in January or the President's Week school holiday from Feb. 19-27.

For more information, check www.Iskiny.Com.

MAPLE RIDGE LESSON PROGRAMS START NEXT WEEK

The long-popular Learn-To-Ski and Learn to Snowboard programs at Maple Ski Ridge get underway next week. 

There are a variety of six-week options offered Wednesday through Friday afternoons and evenings, and Saturdays and Sundays. The programs begin Jan. 5. 

For descriptions, specific times and availability, check the area website at www.Mapleskiridge.Com.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

We are in the midst of the most popular ski weeks of the year. 

If you are not a season-pass holder, be sure to check with your intended destination before leaving home. Capacity limits may come into play. 

Gore, for instance, has no day tickets available this week. There can also be surprises. Mount Snow in Vermont has very limited free parking at the area and that fills up quickly in the morning; additional spots are available at $25 a car. 

So, know before you go. 

Best New Year wishes to all. 

Contact Phil Johnson at [email protected]

Categories: -Sports-

Maya Millete's Family, Friends Continue The Search For Missing Mom: "I Want Her To Be Found"

This article was originally published on Feb. 18, 2022. It was updated on July 22, 2023.

Maya Millete, a young wife and mother of three disappeared from her Southern California home in January 2021. From almost the beginning, Maya's family and friends grew suspicious of her husband Larry.  Investigators say the couple had been having marital troubles and shortly before Maya's disappearance, Larry had been contacting spellcasters to have a hex put on his wife so that she would stay in the marriage. Where is Maya Millete?  

A DESPERATE SEARCH

More than a year has gone by since 39-year-old Maya May Millete, mother of three young children, vanished in Chula Vista, California.

Maricris Drouaillet: I still have hope. I still have that hope that we'll find her alive.

Maya Millete, a mother of threee, was last seen in January 7, 2021 in Chula Vista, California. Maricris Drouaillet

Maya's sister, Maricris, and her husband Richard Drouaillet have fought hard so Maya's disappearance doesn't become a cold case.

Richard Drouaillet: It's been a really, really tough year for 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. Maricris says her sister thrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the family settled to build a new life.

Maricris Drouaillet: She's always been, you know, the smart one. And -- she's very active at school. … education -- it's very important to the family. … I've always been so proud of her.

Maya met her future husband Larry Millete 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. 

Jonathan VigliottiCBS News correspondent: They were so young.

Maricris Drouaillet: Yeah.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Teenagers.

Maricris Drouaillet: Yes …  She's the first one to get married so it was a shock for everyone, but we respected her decision.

Larry and Maya Millete Maricris Drouaillet

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 Naval Base San Diego.

Claudia Julao: She was my mentor from day one.  

Allison Alexander: She was like this little, tiny person but she was a big personality.

Claudia Julao and Allison Alexander worked with Maya at the base and became friends.

Claudia Julao: We actually negotiate contracts for the U.S. Navy. … And she was very good at it. … I used to you know joke around with her because she had a photographic memory.

Allison Alexander: I had a lot of respect for her. … She was a very strong and confident leader. A lot of the women in the office really looked up to her.

Claudia Julao: There was no glass ceiling. We could get wherever 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.

Maricris Drouaillet: It's joy to see them, you know that they have their own family, too. … We're always out camping … We're always outdoors.

Richard Drouaillet: Larry was a good dad … always attentive to the kids, great parents.

Jonathan Vigliotti: What kinda mother was she?

Maricris Drouaillet: Very caring, loving mother. She, hands on. … She's always teaching them somethin', especially, you know, music. … she has some videos with her son … singing with her.

Richard Drouaillet: Word by word. Word by word. Brings us to tears every time we watch it.

Claudia Julao: 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 7.

Maricris Drouaillet: For her not to tell us … what's gonna happen for her daughter's birthday, you know, that was a big deal.

Maricris says when their brother J.R. Drove over to check on Maya the next day, her husband Larry told him Maya had been in the bedroom for several hours. J.R. Knocked on the door but got no response. 

Maricris Drouaillet: He kinda just thinks, "OK, maybe she's just, maybe she's sleeping" … Larry did say that they had an argument. … He left it at that.

Maricris Drouaillet: We believed Larry … they had an argument and she just, she just wanna be left alone.

The following day, when there was still no news from Maya, Maricris and Richard drove over to the Millete house.

Richard Drouaillet: 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.

Jonathan Vigliotti: So, Larry says Maya's been where?

Richard Drouaillet: Hiking. She went hiking.

Suspicious that something wasn't right, Maricris reported her sister missing to the Chula Vista Police Department that night.  

Jonathan Vigliotti: How did the police react? 

Maricris Drouaillet: They sent -- three officers … went through the house. … They questioned us …

Maricris and Richard were upset with what they say was a lack of concern from the police.

Richard Drouaillet: It seemed like there was no urgency from the police department to investigate it properly.

By January 10, Maya had now been missing for three days. Her family gathered at her home to celebrate her daughter's birthday, hoping against hope.

Maricris Drouaillet (sobbing): We're all, like, looking at the door, hoping she'll walk in on her daughter's birthday. She never did. I felt so bad … After that she said, "Mommy didn't show up for my birthday." I didn't know how to comfort her.

As Maya's family tried to keep some normalcy for the sake of the children, Richard was watching Larry during the party.

Richard Drouaillet: Just laid back, wearing his Navy sweats on a Sunday, no shoes.

Richard Drouaillet says he was watching Larry during the party. " Larry had no concern whatsoever on his face for his missing wife.  … Not even for his daughter's birthday." Maricris Drouaillet

Richard Drouaillet: 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 Millete house. By now the birthday party had turned into a search party.

Claudia Julao: 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.

Claudia Julao: He had no interest in helping.

As word spread that Maya was nowhere to be found, more friends stepped in trying to help.

Billy Little: 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 asks for help, you just do it, right?

Billy Little: So, if she was still alive, I needed to get to her quickly. … that's why I went straight to the last place she was seen, which was that house … I had no idea that it would turn into what it was.

A TREASURE TROVE OF CLUES

On January 11, 2021, four days after Maya Millete was last heard from, attorney Billy Little – a former criminal defense investigator for the U.S. Navy – decided to step into the missing person's case.

Billy Little: I knew what had to be done, and I did it.

Billy Little: I went straight to where the last place she was seen, which was that house.

Little wanted to talk to Larry Millete. Amongst other things, he had found it odd that Maya's husband wasn't the one who initially called the Chula Vista Police Department.

Billy Little: In fact, when the family wanted to call 911, he discouraged it.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Were there police around also investigating at this point? No?

Billy Little: No. According to the family, the police had come. He had given them I guess the same story.

Larry Millete gave Maya's family different accounts about where she could have gone, from hiking to visiting wine country. But according to Maya's family, friends and colleagues at the naval base where Maya negotiated contracts for the U.S. Navy, she was not the kind of person who would just take off.   Maricris Drouaillet

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.

Billy Little: I started looking for things that I thought might be suspicious in the house.

Just like Maricris and Richard, he noticed something strange.

Billy Little: 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.

Billy Little: I was … looking to see … if there's any damage in the house that would indicate some domestic violence.

Billy Little: I'm also looking for defensive wounds on his hands, which I don't see.

But Little says he did see something outside the Millete bedroom.

Billy Little: We went upstairs where her bedroom was, the first thing I noticed was the hole in the door right next to the handle … cause it's right in the area where, if you need access to a locked room, you're going to punch right through there.

Billy Little: And I touched the patch and it felt new; it felt wet. … I made a comment to Larry about, "Hey what's this?" And he says, "Oh yeah, 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.

Billy Little: That would've been too high for Maya to punch because she was smaller … and I said, "Larry, what about this hole?" … And he said, "Oh yeah, she got mad and punched that, too."

Jonathan Vigliotti: Larry's creating a picture here of a woman who is violent … Is this adding up to you? 

Billy Little: No … none of this story is adding up.

Jonathan Vigliotti: When you left the house that day after collecting those puzzle pieces, what were you thinking?

Billy Little: I thought Larry killed her and we need to find out what he did and what he did with the body.

Billy Little: But … I wasn't ready to tell Maricris yet because I didn't know, right? I could be wrong.

Little began canvassing the neighborhood and knocking on doors to track down home security footage to see if anything suspicious was caught on camera around the Millete house.

Billy Little: So, I knew we had to get that quickly and preserve it quickly.

Jonathan Vigliotti: Time was of the essence.

Billy Little: Oh god, yes. 

What little found was a treasure trove of clues. He says a camera from a neighboring house recorded the voices of the Millete children playing in the yard, at 1030 p.M., on the night their mom was last heard from.

Billy Little: 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 5:58 a.M. The next morning.

Billy Little: 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-a-half hours.  

Jonathan Vigliotti: You could have … moved on. Why did you stay on this case and take matters into your own hands?

Billy Little: In my mind, my job wasn't nearly complete.

Jonathan Vigliotti: It was just beginning.

Billy Little: It was just beginning (tears up) … When I see Maricris and I see her crying, I'm just like, I got to figure this out.

Billy Little: It's just not in me to quit, so I don't.

As Billy Little continued investigating, Maricris and Richard turned to local media and organized the first search for Maya on the hiking trails behind her house.

Richard Drouaillet: We're desperate for answers … We wanted action and we wanted to do something. Stayin' at home, sitting down wasn't gonna bring us answers.

Aleida Wahn: Her sister goes on television and is begging the public for help, "help me find my missing sister" and that really moved people.  

Aleida Wahn, an attorney and true-crime author, saw Maya's case on the news and started following it closely.

Aleida Wahn: You realize that this was somebody that was very vibrant … was really out there living her life. And that is part of why it's all so shocking that she's missing … It shocks your conscience. 

As the case gathered steam in the media, on January 23, 2021, two weeks after Maya's disappearance, the Chula Vista Police Department searched the Millete house.

Aleida Wahn: 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.

Two weeks after Maya's disappearance, the Chula Vista Police Department searched the Millete house. Investigators had found this image of Larry's guns on his phone. They seized some of Larry's firearms. San Diego Superior Court

Investigators also downloaded images from Larry's phone. Three days later, the police were back.

Aleida Wahn: On January 26, 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.

Claudia Julao: I will say March or so of 2020, the obsession became obvious.

Larry's behavior had grown alarming before his wife went missing. 

Claudia Julao: 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.

SIGNS OF TROUBLE

Claudia Julao: She didn't just walk out. That's something she would never do.

About a month after Maya's disappearance, her husband Larry Millete hired a lawyer and stopped cooperating with investigators.

Claudia Julao: 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.

Billy Little: And it started back in January of 2020 when they started having marital problems.

Maricris Drouaillet: Larry would call every single one of us … trying to ask for help to intervene, you know, into the marriage.

Billy Little obtained numerous texts from Maya and Larry's friends and family indicating the couple was having trouble in the marriage. Maricris Drouaillet

Larry was complaining that Maya was having a midlife crisis.

Richard Drouaillet: He's like, "Well, she's been going out with her friends more often. And she has a lotta single friends."

Maricris Drouaillet: But my sister is saying you know, "It's not me, it's Larry."

Maya's friend Claudia spent time with the couple socially.

Claudia Julao: 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.

Claudia Julao: You know when … somebody might be agitated or you overhear their voice … I did hear, you know … "Where are you? …it takes you this long to get from your car to your office …Who were you talking to?"

Maricris Drouaillet: He wants her … to be submissive for her to comply to him … to be the same person as, you know, she used to.

Maya's advocates argue that Maya was a devoted mother who was dedicated to her job and family and would never leave her children. Maricris Drouaillet

But Maya's loved ones say that Maya was changing.

Richard Drouaillet: She was growin' into someone new. A strong woman, for sure.

As the months passed in 2020, Larry's grip on Maya tightened.

Billy Little: 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 she was straying.

Billy Little: 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.

Billy Little: He tells all of Maya's family, she's cheating, she's sinful, help me get her back on the Christian religious way … starts forcing her to go to church.

These are texts that Larry sent to Maya's family.

Billy Little: 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's talking about Maya.

Billy Little: 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.

Maricris Drouaillet: 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 onto Maya.

Billy Little: And, so, what does he do? He goes to witchcraft.

Billy Little: 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 witchcraft blood altar.

A photo of Larry Millete's witchcraft altar.  Billy Little says he found evidence that Larry Millete purchased spe