CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The petition for a gun violence restraining order against the husband of a missing Chula Vista mom sheds new light on the second search warrant served at the Millete family home.
Maya Millete, also known as May, was last seen Jan. 7 near the home in Chula Vista. Four months of volunteer-led searches have yielded few answers about her whereabouts, and investigators served a second search warrant at the home on Friday.
Two days prior, a gun violence restraining order was issued against Maya’s husband Larry Millete. Such an order prohibits someone from possessing or buying guns, ammunition or magazines, the San Diego County Superior Court website shows.
The petition for the restraining order was obtained by FOX 5 and shows a law enforcement officer requested the restraining order “to protect the public and prevent harm to the respondent or others.”
“The danger consists of children having access to firearms, possession of illegal assault weapons, possession of unregistered firearms, allowing a third party to possess firearms without a legal transfer, and the recent purchase of firearms subsequent to the execution of a search warrant of his home where illegal firearms were seized,” the petition said.
Police said in February that Larry Millete had retained an attorney and stopped answering police questions. Then in April, an audio recording from the day Maya last was seen raised more questions.
The petition shows a San Diego detective was emailed two photographs from a Chula Vista police detective of a kitchen table featuring 16 firearms, four U.S. passports, a government identification card, high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Also included in one photo, dated Jan. 9, 2020, is Millete’s approximately 4-year-old son “standing on the table surrounded by the same cache of legal and illegal firearms and ammunition,” according to the petition.
Those photos were downloaded from Millete’s phone Jan. 23, 2021, according to Chula Vista police.
“The child had immediate access to the illegal assault weapons and the 14 other firearms and ammunition creating a potential extreme danger to the child and those physically present in the home,” the petition reads.
Among the weapons in the photos were:
- Two short barreled AR-15 illegal assault weapon platforms;
- Five AR-15 platform rifles of undetermined legality;
- Three pump shotguns;
- One bolt action rifle with scope; and
- Five semi-automatic handguns.
According to the petition, Larry had eight firearms registered in his name. At the time of filing, it was believed he was in possession or control of another 14 guns with unknown serial numbers, including AR-15s, shotguns and handguns.
As of May 4, a total of 18 firearms were unaccounted for by police.
According to the petition, he bought two of the firearms after illegal firearms were seized during the initial search of the Millete home. The petition also accuses Larry Millete of allowing a third person to possess guns without a legal transfer.
“After a search warrant was executed at respondent’s residence, respondent told the officers that he knew they were coming for his firearms and he gave multiple firearms to his friends,” the document said. “Respondent refused to disclose the names of the people possessing respondent’s firearms.”
The document says three unregistered assault weapons have been seized as part of the investigation, including two from an uncle’s house. The document called possession of alleged unregistered and illegal firearms an “extreme danger to the public in both the cities of Chula Vista and San Diego.”
The petition filed May 5 sought the restraining order for a period of one year.
