Billboard goes up in search of Maya Millete

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The search for missing Chula Vista woman Maya “May” Millete has not wavered since January and now there’s another reminder in the form of a billboard.

The billboard went up Tuesday on Main Street between Hilltop Drive and 3^rd Avenue in Chula Vista in an effort to generate any new leads on Millete’s whereabouts.

“Maybe somebody will see it and will know where she is,” said Amber Patterson, a member of a Facebook group dedicated to finding Millete. “Having her face up there and having everybody see it brings light to the story and what’s happening.”

Millete, 39, now has been missing for nearly two months. She last was seen in early January near her Chula Vista home. Friends and supporters of the family have participated in a number of community searches and vigils searching for any trace of the wife and mother of three.

Participants of the group “Missing Maya Millete Discussion and Theories” — now at more than 6,000 members — are brainstorming about the case and ways to help the family.

“Printing fliers, getting banners donated, getting a billboard, whatever they need,” Patterson said. “We want to try to make it happen without them having to do anything.”

Patterson reached out to the advertising company Lamar, which operates billboards and signs throughout the country. She said they responded “immediately” and offered to donate the billboard.

The sign features two photos of Millete, the contact number for the Chula Vista Police Department as well as a Facebook page and email address to reach out with tips or other information.

“Everything was included from start to finish, all we had to do was just give the information we wanted on the billboard and include pictures,” she said.

With the two-month mark approaching in the search, every piece of information or lead on Millete might be valuable in locating her, Patterson said.

“When you join a group like this you end up looking into other stories, other missing cases and there was one where a billboard actually helped find them,” she said.

Millete is described as 5-foot-2 and about 105 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes, freckles and a wrist tattoo.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Chula Vista Police Department at 619-691-5151 or San Diego Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477.