The Millete home at 413 Paseo Los Gatos, in Chula Vista
What to Know
- May "Maya" Millete, a Chula Vista mother of three, was last seen alive on Jan. 7, 2021
- In October 2021, police arrested her husband, Larry Millete on a first-degree murder charge
- No body has ever been recovered
Nearly four years after missing mother of three May "Maya" Millete was last seen at her home in Chula Vista, her house has gone up for sale.
Trial for Maya's accused murderer and husband, Larry Millete is scheduled for July 7, 2025, about four and half years after Maya was last seen on Jan. 7, 2021. The court date has been rescheduled multiple times.
A listing on Zillow details the sale of the five-bedroom, four-bathroom property on Paseo Los Gatos for $1.3 million. According to the real-estate site, the home was last sold for $590,000 in 2013.
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"A spacious home in a newer community featuring SOLAR PANELS, a downstairs bedroom with a full bath, three-car tandem garage and a large loft adjacent to the master suite," the listing states. "This home boasts dual staircases with elegant wrought iron handrails and an upstairs balcony offering mountain views. The expansive lot is designed for low maintenance, with mature plants and a charming yard perfect for entertaining."
The listing also mentions that the 3,682-square single-family home, which was built in 2004, will officially be for sale on Dec. 8. One of several photos accompanying the listing shows the garage shows, its door open to reveal stacked moving boxes and a red wagon.
The Decision to Sell
Last August, Judge Olga Alvarez appointed a conservator for Millete's estate and granted the fiduciary permission to sell Millete's home, as well as her vehicles and other property.
"It is believed that the proposed conservatee, May T. Millete, also known as Maya Millete ("MAYA"), was murdered in January of 2021," court papers stated in August. "A conservator is urgently needed to address pressing financial issues regarding her estate, including pending foreclosure proceedings regarding her personal residence."
Alvarez appointed Kaitlyn Welling of Foster Thornton Welling as conservator on Aug. 10, 2023, having been petitioned to do so in April by Maya's sister, Maricris Drouaillet.
The development last August followed news that Larry Millete was struggling with money and did not have enough to pay his defense attorney, who he has since been replaced. In September of this year, Larry's new legal team accused his former defense attorney of fraud. In other recent developments in the case, custody of the couple's three children — what at the time were ages 7, 13 and 14 — was granted in August to Drouaillet. After Larry's arrest, the children had been cared for by Larry's parents.
The May 'Maya' Millete Case
Larry has been in custody since October 2021, approximately nine months after Maya disappeared. Prior to the time she was last seen, the couple had marital problems; she wanted out, but testimony in the preliminary hearing in January showed that Larry would have none of it. He tried everything to keep her from leaving him, including hiring so-called "spell-casters" in the hopes that they could use magic to get her to stay with him.
Alvarez ruled in August that she found "by clear and convincing evidence under Probate Code 1804 that Ms. May T. Millete is a missing person and whose whereabouts are unknown since January 2021, hence, a conservatorship is appropriate."
Court papers also stated that the decision was made, in part, because foreclosure proceedings had begun due to missed mortgage payments.
"Sufficient funds do not exist to continue making payments on the mortgage and maintain the house. Renting the property is not advisable from a financial standpoint given that the petitioner has no belief that it will be needed by MAYA as a residence in the future," the documents continue.
Last August, the two-story detached residence was valued at $1.24 million, according to Zillow. That figure tracks with the estimated value of $600,000, roughly half, listed in the court documents filed regarding Maya's conservatorship.
The conservatorship ruling was an attempt by Drouaillet to preserve the value of Maya's estate, presumably to aid her children in the future or, potentially, provide financial assistance to their caregivers. By granting the powers to the conservator that she did, Alvarez ruled, she was seeking to "reduce the strain on judicial resources" that would result if Welling had to repeatedly get input from the interested parties in all stages of the transactions connected to the estate's liquidation.
It's not clear yet when — or if — Larry will be able to utilize any proceeds to fund his defense.
In August, the court ruled that all "funds from the sales proceeds shall be placed into a blocked account given the uncertainty as to what portion of the funds belong to the conservatee," with Maya being the conservatee.
Maya's disappearance occurred two days before the family was set to travel on a planned trip to Big Bear for her daughter’s birthday. Two days later, Drouaillet called Chula Vista police to report that her 39-year-old sister was missing. Maya’s car was still at her home but phone calls went straight to her voicemail after her disappearance. Since then, the residence was visited by police on multiple occasions, dozens of search parties were held to locate Maya, and, in October 2021, Larry was arrested and charged with murder in the first degree as well as a weapons charge connected to a gun found during one of the searches.
