Jill Maiorca’s remains were found beneath a Big Bear Lake home in 2020 and later identified through DNA analysis.
BIG BEAR, Calif. - A Big Bear man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his wife nearly 20 years ago and hiding her body beneath a house without the homeowner’s knowledge, according to authorities.
Jeff Maiorca, 53, was taken into custody Monday in connection with the death of his then-29-year-old wife, Jill Maiorca, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. Detectives believe she was killed in November 2006. She was reported missing from Big Bear Lake the following year.
Remains found in crawlspace
What we know:
The case began to take shape on Oct. 28, 2020, when deputies responded to the 39,000 block of Forest Road in Big Bear Lake after a resident reported finding something suspicious in a crawlspace beneath the home.
Deputies found what were later determined to be human remains. An autopsy determined that the manner of death was homicide, but authorities were unable to identify the remains at the time. The case eventually went cold.
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Cold case investigation
In 2023, the sheriff’s department’s cold case homicide unit took over the investigation and submitted the remains for advanced DNA analysis. The remains were ultimately identified as those of Jill Maiorca.
Detectives named her husband as the primary suspect but did not disclose specifics about the evidence linking him to the crime. He remains jailed at the High Desert Detention Center.
What we don't know:
Sheriff’s officials have not disclosed a motive. They also have not said how long the remains had been hidden beneath the home.
The Source: This report was written based on information provided in a Sept. 21, 2026 news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.