Husband arrested in 20-year-old cold case – years after man accidentally discovered remains beneath his home

A man has been arrested in connection to the death of his wife, who died two decades ago.

Jill Maiorca was murdered in November 2006, but she wasn't reported missing by her family until 2007.

Sadly the case went cold without finding Jill's killer, but there was a huge break in the investigation when her remains were accidentally discovered in 2020.

In October that year, deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff's Station, California, responded to a call about a 'suspicious discovery in the crawlspace' below somebody's home.

They went on to discover a corpse beneath the property, which was later identified to be 29-year-old Jill.

Apparently the homeowners had no idea it was there, and police did not connect Jill to the remains straight away as she reportedly had no connection to the cabin where her body was found.

It took three years for successful identification because the body was so badly decomposed. The DNA testing was conducted through the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus recently said of the case following the latest developments, per ABC 7: "Through DNA analysis, we were able to determine it was Jill.

"And as a result of this investigation, we believe that Jill was murdered back in 2006 but not reported missing until 2007."

Now Jill's husband, Jeff Anthony Maiorca, has been named as a suspect in the 20-year-old case and was arrested last week.

Jeff, 53, was taken into custody at the Big Bear branch library on Garstin Drive on September 21, The Mirror reports. He's now being held at High Desert Jail in Adelanto and is not eligible for bail.

A possible motive for his alleged crime has not been disclosed.

The missing woman's remains were discovered under a home in Big Bear Lake in 2020 (KTLA 5)

Jeff is facing both first and second-degree murder charges, with enhancements for using a 'deadly weapon'.

He's next scheduled in court on October 12.

Sheriff Dicus went on to say of the case and the importance of cold case teams: "I always say when we're talking about homicides that there are two people that know what happened; generally, it's the suspect who did it and the homicide investigator who's after them. And I couldn't be more proud."

San Bernardino County's cold case team was established back in 2008.

The investigation is ongoing and police have asked for people to come forward with information if they have it.

Jill Maiorca was just 29 years old when she went missing 20 years ago (KTLA 5)

The Sheriff's Department said in a news release: "On September 21, 2026, Jeff Maiorca was arrested in connection with Jill’s murder and taken into custody without incident. Maiorca was booked into the Big Bear Jail for Penal Code section 187(a), Murder.

"The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding Jill Maiorca’s disappearance or murder is asked to contact Detective Malcolm Page or Sergeant Justin Giles, Specialized Investigations Division, Homicide Detail, at (909) 890-4916. Callers wishing to remain anonymous should call or text REPORT to We-Tip at 844-909-3006."

You can also submit an anonymous online report here.