Man arrested six years after his wife’s remains were found in a crawlspace

A man in Southern California is facing murder charges in connection to his wife’s killing 20 years ago.

Jeff Anthony Maiorca, 53, was arrested Monday after local authorities in San Bernardino discovered the remains of Jill Maiorca hidden in the crawlspace beneath a home in Big Bear.

Jill Maiorca was reported missing from Big Bear Lake in 2007 and authorities now say she was murdered in November 2006, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. She was 29.

Jill Maiorca.San Bernardino County Sheriff's DepartmentAuthorities resumed their investigation into her disappearance on Oct. 28, 2020, when deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station responded to a call from someone who reported “a suspicious discovery in the crawlspace” under a residence, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release on Monday night. Upon arrival, they realize that hidden beneath the home were “unidentified human remains.”

An autopsy conducted on the remains determined the manner of death to be homicide.

In 2023, the remains were identified as those of Jill Maiorca following “additional investigative DNA analysis” after cold case homicide investigators took over the case, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Her remains had long been concealed beneath the Big Bear house without the homeowner’s knowledge.

Cold case detectives eventually identified Jill Maiorca’s former husband, Jeff Maiorca, as a suspect in her murder.

Public records show Jeff Maiorca had filed for divorce from Jill Maiorca in Los Angeles County in 2004.

Local authorities detained Jeff Maiorca on Monday afternoon at the Big Bear Lake branch library on Garstin Drive, arrest records show. He is currently being held without bail at the High Desert Jail in Adelanto, California.

Records from the San Bernardino County Superior Court in California show Jeff Maiorca had an initial hearing on Wednesday. He was formally charged with murder and use of a deadly weapon, records show.

Records do not yet list an attorney for Jeff Maiorca. His next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 12.

The investigation into Jill Maiorca’s disappearance and death remain ongoing. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is encouraging anyone with information to contact their homicide detail team.

Nicole AcevedoNicole Acevedo is a news reporter for NBC News.