Jeff Maiorca, 53, has been charged with murder in the 2006 death of his ex-wife, Jill Maiorca. She was 29 when she vanished from Big Bear Lake, California, in 2007.

Her remains were found in October 2020 in a crawlspace under a home in Big Bear Lake. An autopsy ruled the death a homicide. The remains stayed unidentified for years.

In 2023, the sheriff’s cold case team used advanced DNA analysis to identify the remains as Jill Maiorca. Detectives say she was killed in November 2006. Her body was hidden under the home without the homeowner’s knowledge, authorities said.

Maiorca was arrested on September 21 at a Big Bear Lake library. He is held without bail at a jail in Adelanto. He was formally charged with murder and a weapon enhancement. His next hearing is set for October 12.

Public records show he filed for divorce from Jill in Los Angeles County in 2004. Investigators have not shared a motive. The case remains active.