(NewsNation) — Police in Cornelius, North Carolina, have officially referred to the mother of missing girl Madalina Cojocari as a suspect for the first time.
In a Facebook post, police said Diana Cojocari is a suspect in her daughter’s case. There have been speculation that Madalina’s mother or stepfather or both were involved in her disappearance after they failed to report her missing for three weeks.
They are continuing to ask for leads in the case that has attracted national attention.
What happened to Madalina Cojocari?
Madalina was last seen in November of 2022 as she got off her school bus. The then-11-year-old was seen on school bus video as she headed home but she wouldn’t be reported missing until Dec. 15, 2022.
Her mother, Diana Cojocari, said she last saw Madalina on Nov. 23, 2022, when the girl went to bed. According to Cojocari, Madalina was missing the next morning.
Cojocari waited until her husband, Christopher Palmiter, returned from visiting Michigan to ask if he knew anything about Madalina’s whereabouts.
Neither of them reported Madalina missing.
On Dec. 15, 2022, Cojocari went to Madalina’s school for a meeting to discuss her truancy. She admitted to the school that her daughter had been missing for weeks and the school reported it to police.
Theories on Madalina’s disappearance
Police began a search for the missing girl and over the course of the investigation, multiple theories surfaced.
Palmiter claimed that Cojocari had something to do with the case, suggesting that she had sent Madalina off to relatives in her native Moldova. He said in court that she had been performing rituals including burning items and talking about having visions of danger.
Palmiter said Cojocari believed Russians were after her and Madalina and suggested that she smuggled the girl out of the country under the belief she was protecting her.
Cojocari and her relatives have pointed the finger at Palmiter, suggesting he sold Madalina for cash.
After Madalina disappeared, Cojocari’s car was spotted in Western North Carolina in a remote area, leading to speculation she took Madalina to a relative in the sparsely populated area. A photograph of Madalina taken before she disappeared showed her at Mount Mitchell, proving that she had visited the area before.
A rocky relationship
Cojocari and Palmiter were both arrested in December of 2022 and charged with failing to report a missing child. Palmiter posted bond but Cojocari remained in jail for 17 months.
Cojocari pleaded guilty to the charge in May of 2024. Palmiter was found guilty of failure to report a missing child in a trial that same month.
Palmiter served Cojocari, who he met on an online dating site, with divorce papers shortly after the trial.
Both parents have maintained they have nothing to do with Madalina’s disappearance.
Anyone with information on Madalina’s case should contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.