Jeff Maiorca was arrested and charged with murder and use of a deadly weapon in his ex-wife Jill Maiorca's death, authorities said. They say she was killed in November 2006; her remains were found in a Big Bear Lake home's crawlspace in 2020 and identified through DNA.
Jill Maiorca was reported missing in Big Bear Lake in 2007. An autopsy determined the manner of death was homicide, and the sheriff's cold-case team submitted the unidentified remains for additional DNA analysis in 2023. The sheriff's office said her body had been concealed beneath the home without the homeowner's knowledge.
Court records show Jeff Maiorca had filed to divorce Jill in 2004. He had an initial hearing Wednesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court and remained in custody at High Desert jail in Adelanto on Saturday, records indicated. Multiple media outlets reported he was held without bail; his next court appearance was tentatively scheduled for Oct. 12.
