Missing California mom Maya Millete's family spars with husband over visitation rights for children

Maya Millete, a missing California mother, vanished from her Chula Vista home more than eight months ago and her three children have not seen her side of the family since she disappeared, her family members tell Fox News. 

Now Larry Millete, Maya's husband and a person of interest in her disappearance, is fighting in court to continue keeping his kids away from Maya's side of the family. 

The missing mother's parents, Pablito and Noemi Tabalanza, originally filed a petition in May seeking to see their three grandchildren. 

Last week, Larry Millete filed a response, which was obtained by CBS8, arguing that Maya's family is unfit to take care of his kids and that the grandparents "and their extended family have not played an integral part of our children’s lives since birth."

"This is a desperate attempt to persuade the court to grant visitation rights to May’s parents who is (sic) being used by Maricris and Richard Drouaillet to be able to harass and question our children regarding the disappearance of my wife and their mother," Larry wrote in the filing. 

Richard Drouaillet, Maya's brother-in-law, declined to comment on the accusations due to the ongoing litigation, but said Larry Millete won't let the kids see their mother's side of the family. 

"He's trying to cut ties with the family. It's been really hard to communicate with the kids for the last eight months. We're trying to fix it, you know, create a bridge so that we can see them through a Facetime, or have a Zoom meeting with them or something, but the father has been denying everything," Drouaillet told Fox News on Thursday. 

Larry Millete did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. 

CALIFORNIA AUTHORITIES NAME LARRY MILLETE A PERSON OF INTEREST IN HIS WIFE'S DISAPPEARANCE

The Chula Vista Police Department named Larry Millete a person of interest in Maya's disappearance on July 22. 

He was served with a gun violence restraining order and had more than a dozen guns seized from his home on May 7. Multiple other search warrants have also been carried out at the home, most recently on July 1 when officers towed away Maya's black Jeep. 

CVPD said Thursday that they have interviewed 79 individuals, reviewed 125 tips, and executed 64 search warrants for "residences, vehicles, cellular and electronic devices, call detail records, financial records, social media and cloud data."

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Meanwhile, Maya's family members, friends, and community members have continued searching for her on a weekly basis. They are planning a search this Saturday in a mountainous region roughly 30 miles east of Chula Vista. 

We just have to have faith that the truth will prevail," Richard Drouaillet said Thursday. "It's just a matter of time."