Chula Vista mother of three May "Maya" Millete has been missing for three months now.
Within days of her disappearance, Millete's family contacted Billy Little, an attorney and a former Air Force colonel just recently retired as an investigator for the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Defense Service Office West. Little volunteers his time for the Cold Case Foundation.
Little began interviewing friends and neighbors long before police considered it an active missing person’s case. He said he interviewed over 100 family members and friends.
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Little said he turned everything he had over to police.
"The initial officer was very friendly," Little said. "They moved up to an agent who seemed to be less friendly and didn't want to hear anymore."
This week, Chula Vista police stressed how hard they are working the case, revealing that they had conducted 47 interviews, written 12 search warrants and followed up on 40 tips from the community.
"We empathize with the Millete family and understand their frustration with each passing day," the department told NBC 7.
Along with Little, family and friends of Millete have spent hours searching for her and say they will keep up the search until she is found.
"We'll continue doing that," Maya's sister Maricris Drouaillet told NBC this week. "We have a lot of supporters out there ... they keep on telling us, 'We got your back.' "
A friend of Maya's told Maricris that the missing woman alleged that Larry, Maya's husband, had physically abused Maya, and, after she went missing, that made a particular comment stand out that Maya had said days before she disappeared.
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"It was a statement that she made," said Maricris: " 'Hey, you know if something happened to me, it's gonna be Larry.' "
The Drouaillet’s miss not only Maya but her kids as well.
"For us not to see them for this long, it's heartbreaking," Maricris said.
In a plea to her brother-in-law, Maricris said, "I still love you. You are still the father of my nieces and nephew."
Police said Maya's husband, Larry, stopped cooperating shortly after the investigation started. Larry maintains he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Richard Drouaillet has just one request for Larry: "Please come and help us find your wife, the woman that you love, the woman that you protected, the woman you promised to protect and love for your kid's sake."
