Detectives broke a 20-year-old cold case when they identified the remains found under a Big Bear Lake home as those of Jill Maiorca, a 29-year-old woman missing since 2007. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested her ex-husband, Jeff Maiorca, on September 21, 2026. He is now held without bail on suspicion of murder.
The discovery traces back to an unremarkable moment in October 2020. A homeowner checking the crawl space beneath his residence on the 39000 block of Forest Road spotted something disturbing. Deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station and Big Bear Fire Department personnel recovered the remains. An autopsy confirmed homicide, but for years, the victim remained a mystery. DNA testing failed to yield a name. The case sat dormant until the Cold Case Homicide Team intervened in 2023.
That intervention changed everything. Additional DNA analysis matched the remains to Jill Maiorca. Court records reveal a history of conflict; Jeff Maiorca filed for divorce from Jill in 2004, a case involving their minor children. Authorities believe she was killed in November 2006, roughly a year before her disappearance was reported. The remains had been concealed beneath the Forest Road property, though investigators have not publicly explained how or when they were placed there, nor have they detailed the specific evidence linking Jeff to the crime.
Jeff Maiorca, now 53, was taken into custody without incident. SFGATE reported he was detained at the Big Bear Lake branch library on Garstin Drive. His arrest record lists charges for first- and second-degree murder, plus an enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon. An initial arraignment date of September 23 was pushed back, with the hearing now set for October 12. The Sheriff’s Department continues to seek information on the circumstances surrounding Jill’s death.