On October 28, 2020, a call came in to the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station about a “suspicious discovery”: human remains had been found beneath the floor of a house in Big Bear Lake, California.
The autopsy confirmed it was a homicide, but initial DNA testing could not identify the victim. The case went cold. Nearly three years had to pass before, in 2023, the Cold Case Homicide Team reopened the file and sent the remains for new analysis. This time, the result was clear: they belonged to Jill Maiorca, a 29-year-old woman who had been reported missing in 2007 and who, according to authorities, was murdered in November 2006.
With her identity confirmed, detectives named her ex-husband, 53-year-old Jeff Anthony Maiorca, as the prime suspect.
Records show that he had filed for divorce from Jill in 2004, but it was never finalized. It also raised suspicions that almost 1 year passed before Jill was reported missing, given the estimated date of the murder.
He was arrested on September 21, 2026, and charged with murder. Authorities have not yet revealed the motive. He is presumed responsible until a judgment is issued.