Missing Wife: Interview of Larry Millete

 

Maya Millete has been missing since 7 January, 2021

The following brief notes are from team analysis training.  

Transcript of Larry Millete’s phone interview with ABC10 News

 

 

 

I:  When did you first notice that Maya was missing?

 

LM:  Uh, Saturday morning

 

"uh" slight pause to consider an event that should not need time for thought as it is a memorable, unique event.  We now consider the timing of "noticing" that Maya was missing.  

 

I:  Okay - and tell me

 

LM:  Her parents came by

 

a.     Pause at a question one would expect no pause needed

b.    He next introduces her parents 

c.     They “came by” (casual) during critical time period. 

d.    What caused the inclusion of “parents”? Was this a possible reason for the argument?

e.     The event is addressed:  he could have told us anything, instead, he brought her parents into this associated with her going missing. His mind is linking these two thoughts together, from the beginning (priority) indicating that for him there is a relationship between her disappearance  and her parents “coming by”…

   In his wording, the event of her missing is linked, somehow, to her parents.  Why?  Is this related to the timing issue? 

 

I: Just tell me, kinda walk me through like the last time you saw her and what was going on

 

LM: Uh, Thursday, Thursday night, um you know like we got into uh, a kind of an argument um and you know - ih we’ve been having uh you know, like problems for about a year, kind of like been up and down and stuff like that, but after that I give her space

 

 

This one sentence has multiple speech disruptions, repeated words, change in language, multiple 2nd person referencing, generic language and change of tense... So much sensitive indicators may indicate she died Thursday night.

 

He does not say, regarding Thursday night, that he “gave her space”---- the change of verb tense is significant. Might this be his way of telling us what he usually did, to avoid telling us what he actually did? 

 

That he has the need to go back one year may indicate either thinking of her demise for an extended period of time, or possible pre meditation. 

 

I: Tell me - so you got into an argument - um, the last time you saw her was actually in the house?

 

LM:  Yes, Thursday

 

I:  She didn’t take a vehicle?

 

LM: No

 

I: No-one saw her leave?

 

LM:  um, no, but on Friday um I could still hear her but I didn’t physically see her- when I got home, but that’s like normal too because we, you know, we have lots of bedrooms and it’s a two story house - and, you know, we kinda like - well, I give her space, so - but that’s why every time someone says Thursday - yes, it’s physically, you know, visually (  )  didn’t see her, but for me, it’s Friday, Friday night, you know, I can hear her rustling around making dinner for herself - in another bedroom, I’m sleeping with the kids in another bedroom, so upstairs, and she’s downstairs - kind deal, kinda like a roommate thing - kinda like giving each other space.  I don’t need the space - she alwayswants the space.  

 

He’s been humiliated by her? …it is her who “always” (time) wants the space?

Note he reports he did not "physically" see her-- the word "physically" is later changed to "visually" --- is he thinking of "physicality" regarding her disappearance?  Did he "physically" cause her disappearance?

"Normal"--- when one portrays or states something as "normal", it may indicate that it was something that is not at all normal.  

Note the portrayal of her as making dinner for herself while he cares for the children.  This is a "negative linguistic disposition" towards the missing victim and is unexpected. This is followed through with her needing her "space" but not him. 

Note the change of verb tense:  "I give her space" is to avoid saying what he did ("I gave her space")

Note the missing pronoun "visually didn't see her" psychologically removes himself from this activity. 

Police should explore that he did not hear her at this time.  Please consider time sensitivity in the beginning of this interview. 

Is he deceptively describing the presence of Maya?

 

I:  Got it. So it was like Friday, and then you left and went somewhere and then came back and she wasn’t there, right?

 

 

LM:  Yes. I left her with my two girls, ,cause they you know, they um, they do their home - home school , and then I just had my son with me, so when I came back she was still there. Friday, um, we can hear her downstairs, you know, like after done giving the kids baths and feeding them and everything, and um, on Saturday morning when her parents came, came by, uh her door was locked, uh I found the keys to the bedroom and I opened it and she was already gone, so [inaudible] maybe she went for a morning’s [inaudible] hike, you know, because she didn’t go jeeping, because that’s one of her other hobbies, uh, the Jeep group.  

The subject will not be alone with this thought.  He has not committed to Maya being alive or present Friday. "We" is used to further strengthen his assertion that she was present.  This is a signal of linguistic weakness (the need for strengthening) 

Presentation as "good" (giving baths) is often a signal of the opposite. 

"Jeep" is very sensitive to him. 

And um, you know, she would’ve taken that, so( )  assumed maybe one of her friends picked her up- 

He did not say he assumed maybe one of her friends picked her up.  He dropped the pronoun "I", removing himself from the sentence. 

and um, you know, they went hiking or wine tasting, she likes to go wine tasting to [?] - that’s her other favourite brunch - early morning - yeah.  After that, you know, like -  at night, well, okay, she hasn’t come home yet, which is sometimes okay, you know, she’d go out maybe for drinks or something - uh, she usually doesn’t drink a lot, but recently she’s been, you know, uh doing that, you know, the latest she’d be home like two-thirty, or three-thirty in the morning.  After that, that’s kinda like out of the ordinary

Negative linguistic disposition towards the victim continues.  "She doesn't drink alot" offered in the negative to portray her as a neglectful wife and mother while introducing alcohol.  This is not expected in the context of her missing. There is no concern for what Maya may be experiencing, though he indicates a willingness to talk about what he, himself, is going through. This is also not expected in a missing person case.  Maya is facing the unknown, which should be expressed by an innocent concerned spouse (or parent if the victim is a child) in such context. 

 

I:  Sure

 

LM: so my sister-in-law was recommending hey, you know maybe we should call the cops now. I was like give her some time, um, but, we initially got to the police report, you know they’re like hey, you got to check the hospitals first so this is like around twelve o’clock at night.

Reluctance to report her missing to police noted.  This is not someone who is likely helpful to police to help find Maya. 

Note that we now may see why her parents were tied to the disappearance:  Was it their presence that forced the issue?  Was the door locking and key finding an actual staging for the benefit of her family? 

 

 

And it was like, okay, they started checking hospitals, uh, two-thirty we finally filed the police report and I was like, well, you know, maybe give her some time, because I’d call about four thirty, because you know, give her some time, if it’s really, really out of the ordinary - 

desire for delay noted 

yeah, so after that you know, they started an investigation and three cops came and then searched the house, they looked at all the houses, all the cars, you know and didn’t - we’ve just been waiting, and then I got - the NCS called me and then [?] , you know, he was able to search the house and everything - my in-laws have been here the whole time - 

consider staging 

uh, they start doing the neighbors, you know, the cameras and everything - tryinga - uh figure out if - wh-when she left - you know, like they can see her but they can’t really because it was night time, kinda deal.  Uh, we’re just basically trying everything, and anything - tryinga, tryinga find her. 

 

I: Larry, Larry, just tell me - how worried are you and what do you think happened?  Where do you think she is?

 

LM: Uh, before I wasn’t really worried - uh you know, I was kinda like worried, but you know, I wasn’t - like totally worried until the birthday. I was thinking, okay, maybe, you know like she’s  blowing off steam - tr-doing like what she told me before where she wants everybody to leave her alone because before I used to get her family involved like, hey, she’s not coming home- you know, and then, why did you call my family? you know, I just want everyone to leave me the - thing alone.  But, you know,  like this time I think she stepped up her game, you know like she’s blocking everyone.  Now that she missed our daughter’s birthday, and like with all this pressure, with the media and everything, uh there’s something keeping her from contacting us, so, um, my sister-in-law is - I don’t really try to think about that stuff because it’s like mind-numbing, but I’m trying to stay positive, but you know, when people are telling me hey, you know, maybe she got into an accident while she was hiking, you know, and she can’t get to her phone - well, her phone would be right next to her, you know what I mean- she wears [?] - it’ll be in her pocket.  So worse case scenario, I don’t know what - what’s keeping her from, you know, contacting anyone but this pressure should be enough pressure to say hey, you’ve got to - I’m okay. 

 

I: Right.

 

LM:  So. I’m - I’m not quite sure what to think- but, you know, I’m still tryinga, you know, keep my head up, trying say, hey, you know, keep positive and say - I’m hoping, you know like, she’d just come home - even though this whole situation is embarrassing - I don’t know what to think, but the longer it’s going, the more like surreal it gets because you know what they say is like the first forty-eight, seventy-two hours is most critical - you know, I’ve seen enough uh movies and you know, documentaries about this kind of stuff so, I think, you know, the - the worst case scenario’s basically, you know, something’s happened, like very terrible, you know what I mean? So.

 

I: Right.  Right.  I mean, how worried are you?  Do you think there’s still a chance that she could voluntarily have left and she just needs time - how worried are you?

 

LM:  um, that’s what I’m hoping for and this is like really the like whoa, you know, come on, why did you have to do this - the whole thing?  But  I - I’m really worried and shaken, but again like most of the time I’m just numbing, like surreal kind of deal - I’m just worried about her and you know, tryinga keep things normal for the kids.  I-I know they don’t show it but it’s really affecting them, so.  

 

I:  When she didn’t surface for your daughter’s birthday, that was really unlike her -

 

LM:  yes ,that was the pinnacle - yes, that was like a gut wrenching feeling, and you know how you break down a little bit, it’s like, whoa, you know she would never never not even say, hey, honey, you know, happy birthday.

 

I:  And your eleven year old’s old enough, has she asked - like are they asking?

 

LM:  Yes, yes, she’s asking, um, she’s kinda like me, you know, she keeps stuff in her [shell?], don’t really wanna, you know - open up. 

 

I;  How many times has she left before, and how long has it been?  

 

LM:  um, In the past, like, before she would just like stay at the park, or park somewhere, like go in the parking lot, in the uh - you know, that’s years back - even, even this past year, you know, she’d just stay away.  Um, this year she’d like, you know like, go out um, drinking with friends, or stay at a friend’s house, you know, and try to sleep it off. Um, months, couple of months she’s been you know like wanting her space so she’ll like go out with family to places, and she’ll just go out for days, and stuff like that, but at least I know where she’s at.

 

I:  But when she has left - what’s the longest she’s been gone for? 

 

LM:  Like maybe a day, for like till two-thirty, or three o’ clock in the morning kind of deal - that’s about it.

 

I:  Never more than a day or two.

 

LM:  Oh, yeah, never more than a day.

 

I:  Okay

 

LM:  Or two.  Yeah.

 

I:  Never more than a day, and then you always kind of knew where she was at. Okay.

 

LM: Yeah, you know, not more than a day, basically - or the next day.  You know again, I always tell her, we have three kids, you know, you can’t be doing this kind of stuff.  And, um, yeah - she would never be that irresponsible not to say, hey, I’m okay. 

 

I:  was there anybody that wanted to hurt her? - was there any other guy? - I hate to ask 

 

LM:   Um, you know like, I don’t know, I told the police, you know, she really likes hiking - um you know wine-tasting in South Temecula,, and stuff like that, but I don’t know what else to think, like who would, y’know, kidnap her - or do something

 

I:  Would she go hiking by herself?   

 

LM: Um, she has, yes - but that’s the ones like close to the house.  We have a hiking trail on San Miguel Park, on San Miguel over here,  that’s the only time she would go by herself.  And yes, she has, before, in the beginning, um, but she would take her car.

 

So - she would go to the one, oh no, the Santee one - or the one in the Mesa - I for- forgot there’s a mountain there, um but you know, yes - those ones she would go by herself, but most of the time she would go with Hiking Mommas, with [Shane ?] and then um, you know, she was like one of the leaders, and then everyone else was like whoever shows up, shows up to that group

 

I:  So she was a pretty experienced hiker

 

LM:  Um - not experienced - she was training for um, this hike, that we, me and her tried like ten years ago, before we had the kids. Down the Colorado River, and um -the Grand Canyon - anyway, it takes about a day to go down there, so she’s been hiking and hiking - it’s a kind of a stress release. And uh she wanted to do this, um like a s-s-seven hiking trail, you know, like Twin Sisters, Devil’s Peak, er Potato Chip Rock, and all the ones that she keeps mentioning, and I was like well -

 

I:  But she would have taken her car - like, or there would have been a friend.

 

LM:  Yes, exactly, if she didn’t have her car a friend would have to pick her up 

 

I: Okay

 

LM:  so. That’s - that’s the only reason why I think maybe she’s wine tasting or hiking with a friend - ‘cause she’s not jeeping because her car’s here.  You know, she has her own vehicle and she has a jeep, that she specifically goes for jeep groups.  

 

I:  So, what has this been like, Larry, just emotionally for you?  I know you said you’re kind of just numb and you’re trying to take care of three children, but I mean, how are you doing emotionally with this?

 

LM:  I’ve been emotionally, physically, mentally drained - um there’s no sleep - uh not eating - um, you know, jus’ my face look like it just aged, like, I don’t know.  But, you know - the main thing is I can’t really think straight.

 

Conclusion:

 

Q. Is the subject truthful about what happened?

A. No

 

Q.  Is he withholding information about what happened?

A.  Yes

 

Q. Does he appear to be fabricating the “hearing” of Maya in the other room?

A.  Yes 

 

Q. Do you think he is revealing knowledge that Maya will not be found alive?

A. Yes

 

Q. Do you think he has revealed that he knows where her body is?

A.  Yes

 

Q.  Does he offer any justification for her disappearance?

A.   Yes

(this is the subtle and not so subtle blaming of the victim while she is missing --- the negative linguistic disposition. 

 

 

Q.  does the subject indicate that he has a need to not cooperate with police?

A. yes 

 

Q.  Does the subject reveal the time of death is prior to Friday?

A.  Yes 

 

Q. Was the house staged with the door locked and key in need of being found?

A.  yes 

 

Q.  Did he deliberately delayed calling police?

A.  yes 

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