Photo via NBC News

Man arrested six years after his wife’s remains were found in a crawlspace

Read the original at NBC News ↗
Cite

Acevedo, N. (2026, September 25). Man arrested six years after his wife’s remains were found in a crawlspace. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/big-bear-california-maiorca-arrested-wife-remains-found-crawlspace-rcna599811

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

NBC News · collected 2026-09-25 · by Nicole Acevedo

Quick Summary

Jeff Anthony Maiorca, 53, was arrested six years after his wife's remains were found in a crawlspace beneath a home in Big Bear, California. Jill Maiorca, 29, had been reported missing since 2007 and an autopsy confirmed her death as homicide from November 2006. Her remains were identified through DNA analysis in 2023, leading to Maiorca's arrest for murder and use of a deadly weapon. He is currently held without bail awaiting his next court hearing on October 12.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In Big Bear Lake, California, a homeowner discovered human remains hidden in a crawlspace under their house on October 28, 2020. These remains were later identified as those of Jill Maiorca, who had been reported missing since 2007 and was determined to have died from homicide in November 2006 when she was 29 years old. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed her identity through DNA analysis conducted in 2023, after cold case investigators took over the file.

Based on this evidence, Jeff Anthony Maiorca, Jill's former husband, who had filed for divorce from Jill in 2004, was arrested on September 21, 2026 and charged with her murder. He is currently being held at the High Desert Jail without bail pending further court proceedings scheduled for October 12th. This case highlights how modern DNA techniques can solve cold cases decades after they initially occur.

Written for “Cold Case Solved Under House” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Cold Case Solved Under House
Crime & Law · 5 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
California man charged in the killing of his ex-wife – two decades after she vanished Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 3 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
Homeowner’s horrifying discovery in crawl space leads to arrest in 20-year-old cold case Same event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
California homeowner finds remains of 2006 murder victim under house; ex-husband arrested Same event
Times of India
Hedges 6 of 40 claims Outlet record 59/100
California homeowner accidentally solves DECADES old cold case after making gruesome discovery under his crawl space Different event
Daily Mail
Hedges 0 of 14 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different phases of the same case: Article A reports on the arrest six years after the remains were found, while Article B focuses on the discovery of the remains in 2020.”
Frantic grave-digging effort in California desert uncovers human remains sparking murder investigation two weeks after man goes missing Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different stages of an ongoing case, with Article A reporting the arrest six years after remains were found and Article B describing the initial discovery of human remains sparking a murder investigation.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
11%
2 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
60/100
NBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

NBC News · 1987 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 1 correction(s)
2026-10-29
Manhunt grows for escaped murderer who may have left area where truck was ditched

Who wrote this

Nicole Acevedo
4 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 The case of a Connecticut woman accused of holding her stepson captive for over two decades is expected to go to trial in February.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Woman accused of holding stepson captive over 20 years in abusive conditions to go to trial in February
🔮 The incident sparked public outcry in New York City, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani saying on Thursday night that “there is no explanation for federal officers firing this many rounds into a car that has a 5-year-old in the car.”
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · DHS officials defend their actions in shooting of NYC immigrant amid outcry
🔮 Trump announced Schroyer’s nomination in a Truth Social post in June, saying, “Lance has firsthand experience getting Illegal Aliens OFF our streets and, just like ME and our Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, he LOVES the men and women of ICE.” Acting ICE Director David Venturella is expected to remain in his role leading the agency for the time being, according to an ICE spokesperson.
2026-09-17 · mixed framing · White House withdraws Trump’s nominee to lead ICE
Also by Nicole Acevedo
Woman accused of holding stepson captive over 20 years in abusive conditions to go to trial in February
2026-10-20 · NBC News
DHS officials defend their actions in shooting of NYC immigrant amid outcry
2026-10-09 · NBC News
White House withdraws Trump’s nominee to lead ICE
2026-09-17 · NBC News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Big Bear California San Bernardino the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department

Subjects

Jeff Maiorca PERSON · 5× Jill Maiorca PERSON · 4× the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department ORG · 4× Big Bear GPE · 2× California GPE · 2× Jill Maiorca’s PERSON · 2× Big Bear Lake GPE · 1× Jeff Anthony Maiorca PERSON · 1× San Bernardino GPE · 1× the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station ORG · 1×

Narrative

Authorities resumed their investigation into her disappearance on Oct. 28, 2020, when deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station responded to a call from someone who reported “a suspicious discovery in the crawlspace” under a residence, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release on Monday night.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
2026-09-25 · NBC News
Man arrested six years after his wife’s remains were found in a crawlspace · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 2 hedged)

A man in Southern California is facing murder charges in connection to his wife’s killing 20 years ago. asserted
man → face → killing
Jeff Anthony Maiorca, 53, was arrested Monday after local authorities in San Bernardino discovered the remains of Jill Maiorca hidden in the crawlspace beneath a home in Big Bear. asserted
authorities → arrest → Bear
Jill Maiorca was reported missing from Big Bear Lake in 2007 and authorities now say she was murdered in November 2006, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. uncertain
she → report → Department
Authorities resumed their investigation into her disappearance on Oct. 28, 2020, when deputies from the Big Bear Sheriff’s Station responded to a call from someone who reported “a suspicious discovery in the crawlspace” under a residence, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release on Monday night. asserted
Department → resume → night
Upon arrival, they realize that hidden beneath the home were “unidentified human remains.” asserted
remains → realize → home
An autopsy conducted on the remains determined the manner of death to be homicide. asserted
manner → conduct → death
In 2023, the remains were identified as those of Jill Maiorca following “additional investigative DNA analysis” after cold case homicide investigators took over the case, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. uncertain
investigators → identify → Department
Her remains had long been concealed beneath the Big Bear house without the homeowner’s knowledge. asserted
remains → conceal → knowledge
Cold case detectives eventually identified Jill Maiorca’s former husband, Jeff Maiorca, as a suspect in her murder. asserted
detectives → identify → murder
Public records show Jeff Maiorca had filed for divorce from Jill Maiorca in Los Angeles County in 2004. asserted
Maiorca → show → 2004
Local authorities detained Jeff Maiorca on Monday afternoon at the Big Bear Lake branch library on Garstin Drive, arrest records show. asserted
records → detain → Drive
He is currently being held without bail at the High Desert Jail in Adelanto, California. asserted
He → hold → Adelanto
Records from the San Bernardino County Superior Court in California show Jeff Maiorca had an initial hearing on Wednesday. asserted
Maiorca → show → Wednesday
He was formally charged with murder and use of a deadly weapon, records show. asserted
records → charge → weapon
Records do not yet list an attorney for Jeff Maiorca. asserted
Records → list → Maiorca
His next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 12. asserted
hearing → schedule → Oct.
The investigation into Jill Maiorca’s disappearance and death remain ongoing. asserted
investigation → remain → disappearance
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is encouraging anyone with information to contact their homicide detail team. asserted
Department → encourage → team
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 2 Nov 2026