Where is Madalina Cojocari? Mom, stepdad arrested for not reporting 11-yr-old's disappearance for 3 weeks

READ MORE

EXCLUSIVE | 'Something bad happened': Police find missing Jolissa Fuentes' body after sister Irene says cops not doing enough

Mystery of little Harmony Montgomery: Partially blind girl, 7, was reported missing after TWO YEARS

An identification poster for Madalina, who is believed to have vanished the day before Thanksgiving, was released by the FBI on Friday night. "On December 17, 2022, at approximately 10:15 this morning, Cornelius Police arrested Madalina's mother, Diana Cojocari, for Failure to Report the Disappearance of a Child to Law Enforcement. Cojocari never reported her daughter, Madalina Cojocari as missing after she was last seen in Cornelius on November 23, 2022,' the police wrote in a statement.

The close-knit community of the quiet town has been left shocked by Madalina’s disappearance. "I've lived here my whole life so I've never seen anything like this. It's odd that it seems like she went missing back in November, and it's just now being reported," neighbor Sydney Capps told WCCB. The outlet also reported that investigators from the FBI and SBI spent hours on Friday sifting through the backyard soil and looking for clues within the house.

The parents of the missing girl are currently held at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. Palmiter, who works as a mechanical designer at a machinery manufacturer, is being held on a $100,000 bond. Police have not stated if Diana is being held on bond. It is also not clear if Madalina’a biological father is involved in the investigation.

Madalina is described as having brown hair and brown eyes, 4 feet 10 inches tall, and weighing around 90 pounds. "Madalina Cojocari was last seen at home in Cornelius, North Carolina, on the evening of November 23, 2022, and has not been seen since. She was reported missing her school on December 15, 2022. Madalina was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, and a white t-shirt and jacket," the FBI said.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Madalina Cojocari is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.