Diana Cojocari, the mother of missing North Carolina girl Madalina Cojocari, pleaded guilty to failure to report a missing child after Madalina disappeared in November 2022 at the age of 11. The plea includes an entitlement to 521 days of credit upon any sentence of imprisonment, and Diana may face deportation back to Moldova, her home country. Diana and her husband, Christopher Palmiter, did not report Madalina missing until several weeks after she disappeared, despite telling police the last time they saw their daughter was at home on Nov. 23, 2022. Authorities have been following leads in the search for Madalina, but she has not been found for nearly two years.
Diana told school officials and Cornelius Police that she last saw Madalina on the night of Nov. 23, 2022, when the 11-year-old went to her bedroom after an argument. Palmiter then left to visit relatives in Michigan to retrieve some items after an argument with Diana. When he returned home on Nov. 26, Diana asked him where their daughter was. The parents were arrested for failing to report a missing child, with Palmiter being released on bond and Diana remaining in custody. Madalina’s grandmother, Rodica Cojocari, believes her granddaughter is alive but has been kidnapped, and accuses Palmiter of human trafficking for $5 million.
Search warrants from earlier this year suggest that Diana and Rodica contacted a distant relative to help “smuggle” Diana and Madalina from their Cornelius home before the 11-year-old disappeared. Diana allegedly wanted a divorce from Palmiter, who she claimed was involved in a bad relationship. Authorities are urging anyone with information about Madalina’s whereabouts to contact the Cornelius Police Department. The case has garnered significant attention and concern, as Madalina has been missing for nearly two years and efforts to locate her have not yielded any results.
The timeline of events leading up to Madalina’s disappearance remains unclear, with conflicting reports from her parents about when they last saw her and what transpired before she went missing. Authorities have been working tirelessly to follow up on tips and leads in the hope of finding Madalina and bringing her home safely. The community remains vigilant, with many expressing their continued support and determination to find the missing girl. The investigation into Madalina’s disappearance has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding her case and the actions of those closest to her in the days leading up to her disappearance.
The case has prompted discussions about the importance of reporting missing children promptly and the potential legal consequences for failing to do so. As Diana faces the consequences of not reporting Madalina missing in a timely manner, the search for the young girl continues. Efforts to locate her have spanned across different regions of North Carolina, but thus far, there have been no significant breakthroughs in finding Madalina. As the investigation continues, authorities are appealing to the public for any information that may lead to the discovery of Madalina’s whereabouts and her safe return to her family.
