Big Bear man arrested in nearly 20-year-old cold case murder of his wife

A cold case investigation nearly two decades in the making ended with the arrest of a Big Bear resident last month, after advanced DNA technology finally put a name to remains discovered beneath a local home six years ago. Jeff Maiorca, 53, was taken into custody without incident on September 21, 2026, by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Cold Case Homicide Team and booked into Big Bear Jail on a charge of murder under California Penal Code Section 187(a).^[1] The charges are allegations; Maiorca has not been convicted. No statement from Maiorca, a defense attorney, or family representatives was available at the time of this report.

The investigation began on October 28, 2020, when Big Bear Sheriff's Station deputies responded to a call on the 39000 block of Forest Road in Big Bear Lake. A reporting party had discovered suspicious remains in a crawlspace beneath a residence. Deputies and Big Bear Fire Department personnel retrieved the remains, and an autopsy determined the manner of death was homicide.^[1] Initial DNA testing was unable to identify the victim, and the case went cold again.

In 2023, the Cold Case Homicide Team submitted the remains for advanced investigative DNA analysis. That testing identified the victim as 29-year-old Jill Maiorca.^[1] Investigators say Jill had been reported missing from Big Bear Lake in 2007, and that evidence indicates she was murdered in November 2006 — roughly a year before she was reported gone. Her remains were concealed under the Forest Road property without the homeowner's knowledge.^[1]

The investigation remains open and ongoing. Anyone with information about Jill Maiorca's disappearance or murder can contact Detective Malcolm Page or Sergeant Justin Giles with the Homicide Detail at (909) 890-4916. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling or texting "REPORT" to We-Tip at 844-909-3006.^[1]