The mom of an 11-year-old girl, who has been missing since 2022, has now been determined as a suspect in her daughter's vanishing.
11-Year-Old Girl Missing Since 2022
Authorities record that Madalina Cojocari was last seen on November 21, 2022, when she disembarked from her school bus in Cornelius, North Carolina. Although her parents proclaimed her missing on December 15, they alleged she had been lost since November 23, according to a police record.
Earlier this week, the Cornelius Police Department declared in a Facebook post that Diana Cojocari, the girl's mom, "is considered a suspect" in the lawsuit. The police did not give details on why she was named a suspect and did not answer a request for comment.
Diana Cojocari was discharged from jail last month after serving almost 18 months for declining to inform that her daughter was missing. Cojocari, who is in the U.S. on a green card, might be expelled back to Moldova.
Christopher Palmiter, her husband, was also liable for not informing his stepdaughter's vanishing and obtained a 30-month supervised trial penalty. The police highlighted their pledge to locate Madalina, compelling the public to share her photo and give any beneficial data.
Shortly after the girl was recorded missing, police declared that her mom and stepfather "clearly" knew more than they were revealing. Capt. Jennifer Thompson declared in a video at the time that this is an important case involving a child whose parents are keeping back data from us.
Police had previously mentioned that Madalina's school attempted to contact Diana Cojocari multiple times between November 23 and December 15, the day she reported her daughter missing.
Mother Delays Reporting Disapperance of 11-Year-Old Daughter
Diana Cojocari informed the police that she last saw her daughter going to bed on November 23. On that same night, she and her husband argued, and the following day, Palmiter drove to Michigan.
She claimed she discovered her daughter missing around 11:30 a.m. on November 24 but waited until Palmiter returned on November 26 to ask if he knew her whereabouts. According to the arrest report, upon his return, Palmiter inquired about Madalina's whereabouts from Cojocari.
Police questioned Diana about the delay in reporting her daughter missing, to which she responded that she feared it might cause a conflict with Christopher, as noted in the arrest sheet.
The arrest record also noted that Chris and Diana talked about Madalina's location several times over the following three weeks but did not reach out to the authorities.
Before Madalina vanished, her mom asked relative assistance to leave their residence, citing a bothered relationship with her husband and a desire for a divorce, according to a search warrant in March 2023.
In December, officers searched the family's house, taking over two dozen items, including three cell phones. Additional items taken during the search were redacted from the inventory document.
Authorities declared that Madalina was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, and a white T-shirt and jacket. The FBI defined her as standing 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 90 pounds. A photo issued to the public shows her smiling and wearing a shirt that reads, "I can change the world with love."