(NewsNation) — Police have arrested the mother and stepfather of 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari, who went missing in North Carolina.
mother of madalina cojocari told a school resource officer
at Bailey High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, that her daughter had gone missing on December 15. But Diana Cojocari admitted that she had not seen her daughter since November 23 when she went to bed.
School officials repeatedly attempted to contact Diana Cojocari regarding Madalina’s absences and requested a meeting with the mother and daughter. When Diana Cojocari appeared without Madalina, she told the school resource officer that the girl was not there.
Police and FBI investigators began searching for the missing girl, including a search for nearby Cornelius Lake.
On Saturday, the researchers they announced that they were going to arrest Diana Cojocari and Madalina’s stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, for failing to report a missing child. North Carolina Law requires parents to report a child missing within 24 hours.
The police said that Diana Cojocari had hindered the investigation and avoided reporting the disappearance of his daughter. Court documents revealed Diana Cojocari and Palmiter argued the night Madalina disappeared, with Diana Cojocari stating that she had avoided reporting her daughter missing because she feared it would cause conflict with Palmiter.
Palmiter said she did not see her stepdaughter on the night of November 23 and that she the last time you saw her It was on November 16.
Diana Cojocari He said that Madalina went to bed at 10 at night on November 23, but was not there when he went to see her at 11:30 am on November 24. Palmiter was out of town and Diana Cojocari did not ask him if she knew where Madalina was until she returned home on November 24. 26
Over the next three weeks, both adults talked about Madalina’s disappearance, but neither reported her missing to the police.
Madalina is described to be around 90 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, a jacket, and pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes.
The Cornelius Police Department is asking anyone with information on Madalina to contact them at 704-892-7773.