Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter. Madalina Cojocari.
The mother and stepfather of a missing North Carolina girl were arrested on Saturday.
Diana Cojocari, 37, and Christopher Palmiter, 60, failed to report that Madalina Cojocari, 11, had disappeared, authorities said.
The Cornelius Police Department have said that the couple did report to the school resource officer at Bailey Middle School that Madalina was gone, but that was on Thursday — almost a full month after the girl was last seen on Nov. 23. Officers say that last sighting was at her home.
From local cops:
On December 15, 2022, at approximately 1:12 p.m., the Cornelius Police Department began investigating a missing person’s report involving a juvenile. The parents of the juvenile reported the juvenile missing to the Bailey Middle School SRO where the juvenile attends school. The juvenile was last seen at home, on the evening of November 23, 2022, and has not been seen since.
The search is ongoing. Just in case, authorities are extending their work to a local lake.
Authorities describe Madalina as white and weighing approximately 90 pounds. She was last seen wearing jeans, Adidas shoes that were pink, purple, and white, and a white T-shirt and jacket, officers said.
Police ask that anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact the CPD at 704-892-7773 or the North Mecklenburg Crimestoppers at 704-896-7867
“You can remain anonymous,” they said.
The FBI is also participating in the investigation and can be reached at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Diana Cojocari and Palmiter, Madalina’s stepfather, remain Monday at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center for failure to report the disappearance of a child.
[Mugshots via Mecklenburg County Detention Center; image of Madalina via FBI]