SAN DIEGO — After months of continuous searching for Maya Millete, family, friends and complete strangers came to Fiesta Island on Saturday to celebrate her. May 1 is Maya’s 40th birthday.
On its face, it’s a Luau on a sunny day. Hawaiian and Filipino food cooking on a barbeque and kids playing volleyball. May 1 should have been a fun day for the family of Maya Millete. A year before, Maya, her sister Mari Cris and her husband Richard Drouaillet were sipping wine in Temecula for Maya’s 39th birthday.
It’s been nearly five months since the mother of three was last seen. After disappearing from her home in Chula Vista in January, search efforts from hundreds of volunteers, covering huge swaths of the South Bay and East County have yet to show results.
On Saturday, the family put the search on hold. May 1 was all about honoring Maya. The many volunteers that have spent their days dedicated to finding Maya, were welcomed with open arms and appreciation from the people who knew her best.
However, the family is still left without answers. A dark cloud over a party on a sunny day. But they are not giving up hope that Maya will be found. One family member said, “It's hard, you know, because it's your birthday today. She's not here. And somebody knows somebody who knows what happens and they don't want to come fast or they don't want to step up to the plate.”
Watch: The ongoing search for Maya Millete heads to Jamul