Jill Maiorca’s remains were discovered beneath a Big Bear Lake home years before investigators were able to identify them.
BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. — A Southern California man has been arrested in connection with the killing of his former wife nearly two decades ago after additional DNA analysis identified human remains found beneath a Big Bear Lake home as 29-year-old Jill Maiorca, authorities said.
Jeff Maiorca, 53, was arrested Sept. 21 after a yearslong cold case investigation into Jill Maiorca’s disappearance and death, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators say evidence developed in the case indicates Jill Maiorca was killed in November 2006. She was reported missing from Big Bear Lake in 2007. Her former husband now faces a murder charge, but authorities have released few details about the evidence they say links him to her death.
The investigation into the unidentified remains began Oct. 28, 2020, when deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station responded to a residence in the 39000 block of Forest Road after someone reported a suspicious discovery in a crawlspace beneath the home. Deputies and Big Bear Fire Department personnel recovered human remains from beneath the residence. An autopsy determined that the person had been the victim of a homicide, according to authorities.
Investigators initially could not determine whose remains they had found. DNA testing and other investigative efforts failed to produce an identification, leaving authorities with a homicide victim but no confirmed name. The case remained unresolved until the Sheriff’s Department’s Cold Case Homicide Team took over the investigation in 2023 and submitted the remains for additional investigative DNA analysis.
The newer analysis eventually identified the remains as those of Jill Maiorca. Sheriff Shannon Dicus said the DNA work allowed investigators to establish her identity and connect the unidentified-remains investigation with a woman who had been reported missing years earlier. Investigators subsequently concluded that Jill Maiorca had been killed in 2006, before she was reported missing the following year.
Authorities said Jill Maiorca’s remains had been concealed beneath the Forest Road residence without the homeowner’s knowledge. Investigators have not publicly explained when or how the remains were placed beneath the property. ABC7 reported that investigators found no known connection between Jill Maiorca and the cabin where her remains were discovered. The circumstances surrounding why that location was used remain part of the investigation.
Detectives continued investigating after identifying Jill Maiorca and eventually named Jeff Maiorca as a suspect. Public court records cited by the Los Angeles Times show that he had filed for divorce from Jill Maiorca in Los Angeles County in 2004. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive or detailed the evidence they say led investigators from the identification of the remains to Jeff Maiorca.
Jeff Maiorca was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Big Bear Jail on suspicion of murder, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Subsequent reports citing court and custody records said he was being held without bail. The criminal allegations against him have not been proven in court, and the filing of a charge does not constitute a finding of guilt.
Reports citing San Bernardino County Superior Court records said Maiorca was formally charged with murder and an allegation involving the use of a deadly weapon. An initial court proceeding was held Sept. 23, but the matter was continued. His next reported court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 12. Authorities have not publicly provided a detailed account of how they believe Jill Maiorca was killed.
The case stretches across roughly two decades. Investigators believe Jill Maiorca died in November 2006, she was reported missing in 2007, her unidentified remains were recovered in 2020 and the cold case team began additional DNA work in 2023. Identifying the remains allowed detectives to bring together what had been an unidentified homicide investigation and a long-running missing-person case.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said the homicide investigation remains ongoing. Investigators have not announced a motive or publicly detailed all of the evidence underlying the murder case. Jeff Maiorca remains accused, and the allegations will be addressed through the court process as the investigation continues.
Author note: Last updated September 27, 2026.