California husband hires lawyer, stops answering questions as wife remains missing: report
Family and friends of Maya Millete, 39, plan to rally Friday morning outside police headquarters to draw attention to the case
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The husband of a missing California woman has retained a lawyer and was no longer responding to police questions after authorities previously said he was cooperating with their investigation, according to a report.
Maya "May" Millete, 39, was last seen by family members at her residence in Chula Vista, Calif., near San Diego, on Jan. 7, according to the Chula Vista Police Department.
Family and friends plan to draw attention to the case with a rally outside police headquarters at 10:30 a.m. PT Friday, Kasia Gregorczyk of FOX 5 San Diego posted on Twitter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Larry Millete, her husband, stayed home with the family's children instead of attending community-led searches or vigils for his wife, FOX 5 reported. Authorities said he turned off his cellphone early on in the search.
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Maya "May" Millete, 39, was last seen by family members at her residence in Chula Vista, Calif., on Jan. 7, police said. (Chula Vista Police Department)
"Yeah, it’d be nice to see him out here, you know, but I’m sure he does miss her, and I’m sure he’s probably broken at home," Richard Drouaillet, Maya's brother-in-law, told the station last week.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The department made a renewed plea to the public on Jan. 24, asking for assistance in finding the woman after interviews with family, friends, and co-workers had "not assisted in locating her," police wrote in a release.
Authorities served a search warrant at the family’s home Jan. 23, "to obtain any evidence and clues to her current whereabouts," the release added. Police, at the time, said the Millete family was being cooperative during the investigation.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maya has not responded to phone calls or texts since Jan. 7 and "all of her vehicles" were at her residence, according to the department. Family members told FOX 5 she may have gone hiking in a canyon near their home, but search efforts in the area came up empty.
Last month, Larry Millete told the station he believed his wife may have left to spend "some alone time."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Initially, that’s what I thought," he said. "But as the days go by, it’s very unlikely that that’s it because she wouldn’t be gone this long. I’m still very hopeful that will all this media coverage, she’ll turn up and say, ‘Hey, I’m OK.’"
"I love you honey. Just come back home," he continued.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Chula Vista Police Department or the San Diego Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line, authorities said.