A man has been charged with the murder of his ex-wife, whose remains were found in a crawlspace beneath a home in Big Bear Lake, California, more than six years after the discovery and about two decades after she went missing. Jeff Maiorca, 53, faces a murder charge in the death of Jill Maiorca, who was 29 when she was killed, according to authorities. Jill Maiorca's disappearance was reported in Big Bear Lake in 2007, according to the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department. The investigation into her disappearance began in late October 2020, when deputies received a call about a suspicious discovery in a crawlspace under a residence in Big Bear Lake. Deputies and members of the Big Bear fire department found human remains in the crawlspace. Although the remains could not be immediately identified, an autopsy determined the manner of death was homicide. In 2023, the sheriff’s cold homicide case team submitted the remains for additional DNA analysis, which identified them as Jill Maiorca. Investigators had previously considered Jeff Maiorca, who was Jill’s husband and had filed for divorce in 2004, as a suspect, citing unspecified evidence. The sheriff’s office stated that Jill Maiorca was murdered in November 2006, and her remains were concealed "without the homeowner’s knowledge" beneath the residence where they were later found. The agency did not elaborate on how the body was hidden. Business records reviewed by The Guardian link Jeff Maiorca to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning company. Other records indicated his divorce from Jill Maiorca involved children. The San Bernardino sheriff’s office arrested Maiorca on Monday and formally charged him with murder and the use of a deadly weapon. He had an initial hearing on Wednesday in San Bernardino County Superior Court, as NBC News first reported. Jeff Maiorca remained in custody at the High Desert jail in Adelanto, California, on Saturday, according to records. Multiple media outlets reported that he was being held without bail and was tentatively scheduled to appear in court again on 12 October. The case has drawn attention due to the long delay in identifying the remains and the connection between the victim and the accused. Authorities have not provided further details on the evidence linking Jeff Maiorca to the crime, but the charges mark a significant development in a case that had remained unsolved for nearly two decades.