The search for a missing South Bay mother is continuing a month after her disappearance and her loved ones opened up to NBC 7 to share their heartache and pleas for help in their ongoing efforts.
“It’s unthinkable. It’s agonizing. Every day it’s just a terrible feeling,” said Richard Drouaillet, the brother-in-law of missing woman Maya “May” Millete.
Millete was last seen at her Chula Vista home on Jan. 7 and hasn’t been heard of since. In an interview with NBC 7, Richard Drouaillet and Millete’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, said that even as the family is facing adversity right now, they are trying to remain positive.
“I don’t want to lose that hope, that she’s still OK and that she’s still with us,” Maricris Drouaillet said. “I know that there’s a lot of possibilities and they can happen, but I want to think, still in my heart, that she’s still with us.”
Millete disappeared just before a family trip to Big Bear that was planned around the same time as one of her children’s birthdays. A devoted mother to her three young children – ages 4, 9 and 11 – Millete’s sudden cease in communication and disappearance is uncharacteristic of her.
Police said Larry Millete, Maya’s husband, retained an attorney and is no longer assisting in the investigation. He was the last known person to have seen Maya before she went missing and the two had an argument just before that.
At a news conference Friday morning, the sister and brother-in-law of May “Maya” Millete, a mother of three who has been missing since Jan. 7, made emotional pleas to the public for help with the case.
Maricris Drouaillet said last week that the situation has been tough because he’s a part of the family. She described him as “distancing” himself and their children from her side of the family recently. She added that he has had little participation in their search efforts.
“We can’t imagine him doing anything to our sister,” Drouaillet said last week.
Still, the Drouaillet’s have not lost hope and said they will continue to work tirelessly to make sure her case doesn’t lose traction. The couple, who are Riverside residents, have been staying in San Diego for the past few weeks to host search parties and rallies.
“Once we find her, then maybe we’ll get some kind of normality in our lives,” Richard Drouaillet said. “At least we’ll have some peace of mind that, whatever state she’s in, at least we’ll have her.”
May Millete went missing on Jan. 7. Chula Vista police and family have been searching for her since.
In a direct message to Maya Millete, Richard Drouaillet wanted to remind her that they are not going to give up on her case.
“Maya, if for some reason, somehow, you see this, just remember and just know that we’re looking for you,” he said. “We’re not going to give up on you, little sister. We love you and with God’s help and everyone’s help, we’re going to find you. Whatever it takes, we’re never going to give up on you.”
Information on search parties can be found on a family-run Facebook page here.