‘If anything happened to me, it would be Larry.’
That’s the chilling warning missing mother-of-three Maya ‘May’ Millete, 39, allegedly told her family just days before she disappeared in January in Southern California.
As the search for Maya stretches into its fourth month, her relatives have become increasingly insistent that police zero in on her husband of 21 years, Larry Millette.
Last week reports emerged that Maya had made an appointment with a divorce attorney on the day she was last seen at her home in Chula Vista, January 7.
In a new interview with Fox News, Maya’s brother-in-law Richard Drouaillet revealed that the couple’s marital problems began months earlier, and claimed that Larry repeatedly reached out to his wife’s family about their problems.
‘He was more of an aggressor, trying to get us involved,’ Richard said of Larry.
‘He was trying to get us on his side, when we felt like it was a lot of lies that he was telling us.’
Maya Millete is pictured with her husband, Larry. Days before she disappeared in January, Maya reportedly warned relatives: ‘If anything happened to me, it would be Larry’
As the search for Maya stretches into its fourth month, her relatives have become increasingly insistent that police zero in on her husband Larry (above together with their three kids)
Richard said the last time he and his wife Maricris, Maya’s sister, saw the couple was on a camping trip days before she went missing.
It was during that trip that Maya allegedly warned that Larry might do something to her, according to a family member who spoke to Fox News on condition of anonymity.
Maricris, told NBC7 that Larry and Maya engaged in ‘a lot of arguments’ on the trip.
‘We felt sometimes uncomfortable about it, too,’ Maricris said. ‘But you know, we were just praying and hoping they would be able to work it out. We didn’t see this coming, you know, after that.’
Speaking to Fox News, Richard recalled how Larry had called him asking for advice about his marriage last summer.
‘He just sounded desperate, you know, “You gotta listen to me. It’s her fault, it’s her fault,”‘ Richard said.
He said that Larry began sending increasingly bizarre messages to his in-laws in the months that followed.
In September he allegedly sent on of Maya’s relatives a photo that showed a picture of the couple covered in what appeared to be drops of blood and four candles.
‘He did some extreme s**t,’ Richard said.
Larry began sending increasingly bizarre messages to his in-laws last year, according to his brother-in-law Richard Drouaillet. In September Larry reportedly sent a relative the photo above of a makeshift altar with a pictured of him and Maya splattered with blood
Maya and Larry are pictured together with their three children in an undated Facebook photo
Maya’s relatives told Fox News that they’ve been cautious about speaking out because they’re afraid of Larry.
Larry has declined to speak to the media and reportedly stopped cooperating with police in the investigation after retaining his own lawyer.
Maya’s family sought help in solving the case from Billy Little, an attorney at the Cold Case Foundation.
Little spoke to Fox News on Saturday and said that Larry allowed him to walk through the Millettes’ home on January 11 – two days after he reported Maya missing.
‘The windows were all open, the fans were on full blast, it was a little chilly. It looked like he had been cleaning,’ Little said.
He said he talked to Larry ‘a little bit’ before noticing a hole in the door to the couple’s bedroom.
Larry blamed the hole on Maya, Little said.
Maya is described as being 5’2′ and 105lbs with brown hair. She has tattoos of musical notes on her clavicle and a tattoo of a hummingbird on her back
The Drouaillets spoke to DailyMail.com about Maya’s case in February and said that she and Larry’s relationship had been ‘rocky’ for ‘a year or two’.
‘When we do have a get together they would be there arguing… and then another time, they would be close again. Like oh ok, they worked it out. So it had been like that for the last year,’ Maricris said.
Relatives said Maya’s relationship with Larry had been ‘rocky’ for at least a year before her disappearance
Richard added: ‘They argued a lot and it was a little bit uncomfortable. It was weird because Larry was acting different. He wasn’t acting like Larry. He was acting different… They were done. The relationship was done. You could just tell.’
The Drouaillets expressed frustration with the fact that they hadn’t gotten any answers about Maya’s whereabouts.
‘It doesn’t add up. They have camera surveillance from all the neighbors,’ Richard said.
‘They said they have over 100 hours to review, and three months later, you’re still looking at those 100 hours — reviewing those videos. Something’s got to give.’
And in an interview last week Maricris confirmed that Maya had booked an appointment with a lawyer with the intention of starting divorce proceedings before she vanished.
She also revealed that Maya had asked her for $10,000 that same week.
‘The date, the scheduled date to meet with the divorce lawyer, that was done Thursday afternoon,’ Maricris told Fox 5.
‘According to the divorce lawyer, she wanted to have the birthday celebration first, her daughter’s birthday celebration was on Sunday, so she wanted to wait.’
The appointment had been made for the following Tuesday but Maya never made it.
Maya’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet (pictured), revealed that Maya had made an appointment to see a divorce lawyer the same day that she disappeared
Volunteers are seen searching hiking trails in Spring Valley near Maya’s home last month
Maricris told DailyMail.com that she does not harbor ill feelings towards Larry and his family.
‘I don’t want to cut ties with them,’ she stated. ‘I don’t want to burn bridges. They are still family.’
She previously told NBC7 that she ‘can’t imagine’ Larry harming her sister.
Maricris told the news network that she hopes her brother-in-law joins in the search for Maya.
‘Show that you do care for my sister. Show that you do love her. That’s all I’m asking.’
Detectives have said there are currently no persons of interest in the investigation.
Maya is described as being 5’2′ and 105lbs with brown hair. She has tattoos of musical notes on her clavicle and a tattoo of a hummingbird on her back.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Chula Vista Police Department at 619-691-5151 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-847.
Posters of the missing mother-of-three have been posted around the area