San Bernardino County investigators announced a breakthrough in a long‑standing missing‑person case that has shaken the Big Bear Lake community. Remains discovered in a crawl‑space beneath a cabin on Forest Drive in 2020 have been positively identified as those of Jill Maiorca, a 29‑year‑old who was reported missing in 2007.
DNA technology provides the key
According to Sheriff Shannon Dicus, the department’s cold‑case unit, reactivated in 2023, applied advanced DNA analysis to the skeletal fragments. “Through DNA analysis, we were able to determine it was Jill,” Dicus said. The sheriff’s office now believes Maiorca was murdered in 2006, though her disappearance was not reported until the following year.
Former husband taken into custody
Following the identification, detectives focused their investigation on Jeff Maiorca, Jill’s former husband. He was arrested and faces first‑ and second‑degree murder charges, with additional enhancements for the alleged use of a deadly weapon. A preliminary arraignment scheduled for September 23 was postponed to October 12.
Cold‑case team’s impact
Dicus highlighted the importance of the cold‑case squad, established in 2008, in delivering justice for families long denied closure. “I always say when we’re talking about homicides there are two people that know what happened; generally, it’s the suspect who did it and the homicide investigator who’s after them,” he said, adding, “I couldn’t be more proud.”
The investigation continues as prosecutors prepare for upcoming court proceedings. The Big Bear Lake community, still reeling from the tragedy, hopes the case’s resolution brings some measure of peace.
Original reporting: Brookhaven News – ABC7 New York — read the source article.
