MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (NewsNation) — A year and a half after Madalina Cojocari vanished, the missing girl’s mother pleaded guilty in court Monday to a felony charge of failure to report a child disappearance.
Madalina Cojocari, now 13, went missing in late November 2022. Her mother, Diana Cojocari, told police she last saw Madalina on Nov. 23, 2022, but the last confirmed sighting of Madalina was on Nov. 21, when she was getting off the school bus.
Madalina Cojocari’s parents on trial
Now, both Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter, Madalina’s stepfather, are awaiting trial on charges of failing to report Madalina missing. Palmiter was released on bond and is set for a jury trial this week.
According to a Mecklenburg County judge, because Diana Cojocari is not a citizen and has pleaded guilty to a felony, she will likely be deported. She acknowledged that she understood.
Diana Cojocari will be released from jail Monday as she has already served the maximum sentence.
Palmiter is expected to appear in a Mecklenburg County courtroom this week after pleading not guilty during an arraignment to charges of failure to report Madalina Cojocari’s disappearance.
His trial was set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 20, at the Mecklenburg County courthouse but got pushed back to Tuesday, May 21. Since January of 2023, multiple dispositions and in-person arraignment hearings have been held, according to court records.
Madalina Cojocari disappears
Madalina Cojocari was last seen getting of a school bus in November 2022. 
Madalina’s mother and stepfather have offered different theories for her disappearance. (Cornelius Police Department) 
Madalina’s parents failed to report her missing for three weeks. (Cornelius Police Department) 
Police have released new images to keep Madalina’s face in people’s minds. (Cornelius Police Department) 
Madalina has been missing for more than nine months. (Cornelius Police Department)
Madalina Cojocari was 11 at the time of her disappearance.
Diana Cojocari said clothing and other items were missing from her daughter’s room when she went to check in on her on Thanksgiving. Family members have said Madalina Cojocari was sold to child traffickers.
However, Diana Cojocari did not report her daughter missing until Dec. 15, 2022, when Diana arrived for a meeting at the girl’s school without her daughter.
The delay in reporting hampered the police response, and multiple theories have been raised regarding her disappearance.
Palmiter claims Diana Cojocari hid Madalina Cojocari in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where warrants revealed she traveled after the 11-year-old disappeared. Palmiter said Diana Cojocari believed her daughter was in danger after he named her as a beneficiary on an investment account.
Where is Madalina Cojocari?
Footage from Dec. 16, 2022, shows a young girl with a man in Sugar Mountain, North Carolina. Police said the footage was consistent with the appearance of Madalina Cojocari and her only known blood relative in the U.S.
The discovery of human remains in the Pisgah National Forest in Madison County, North Carolina, not far from where Diana Cojocari traveled, sparked speculation, but police said early indications suggested the remains were that of an older man.
Cornelius police have vowed not to give up on the search for Madalina. Anyone with any information on her should call the Cornelius police at 704-892-7773 or the North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers tip line at 704-896-7867.
NewsNation affiliate WJZY and NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside contributed to this report.
