It’s a case that continues to grip the nation.
Maya Millete, a civilian contractor for the Navy in southern California, vanished from her Chula Vista home more than three months ago, but her loved ones are still fighting every day to find out what happened to her.
About 50 of Maya’s family members, friends, and coworkers took to the land, water, and air on Saturday to search for the missing mother of three.
The search party split up into groups, dodging poison oak and rattlesnakes as they combed through heavy vegetation to look for anything that might clue them in to what happened to Maya on Jan. 7, the last day that she was seen.
Searchers gathered at 8 a.m. Saturday and broke out in groups to search specific locations.
Some of Maya’s family members and search leaders met with the Chula Vista Police Department on Thursday to collaborate, but they left that meeting disappointed in the CVPD’s input.
The CVPD was not present at Saturday’s search and has not been actively searching in recent months. The department gave the family a map on Thursday that shows the area they believe Maya could be in, which includes thousands of square miles in California, Arizona, and Nevada.
ATVs were used during Saturday’s search to cover more ground.
Searchers have been using drones to scope out areas that are hard to reach on foot.
“We are the only people, aside from other individuals, that are searching for her, so it’s very imperative that we keep on searching,” search leader Liliana Burke said before the group headed out. “She needs to be found.”
The CVPD did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.
MISSING CALIFORNIA MOTHER SOUGHT ADVICE ABOUT DIVORCE ATTORNEYS ON DAY SHE WENT MISSING
Fox News is not divulging the area of the search for the sake of the investigation, but leaders emphasized that there is a reason behind each location and they have been fielding tips on their own.
“I want to make it very clear, that we’re not just picking random places,” Burke said Saturday. “I don’t want the community to give up hope.”
Maya Millete has three children, aged 4, 9, and 11.
(Richard Drouaille)
Fox News recently reported that Maya warned her family just days before she went missing that, “If anything happens to me, it would be Larry,” referring to her husband, Larry Millete.
He has not been named as a suspect or a person of interest in the case.
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Maya’s family said they won’t stop searching until they find Maya or get justice for her.
“We’re not leaving any stone unturned,” Maya’s sister, Maricris Drouaillet, told Fox News Saturday after the search. “We’re desperate for answers.”