The mother of a missing 13-year-old girl has been identified as a suspect in her daughter's disappearance, just one month after being released from prison.
Madalina Cojocari, who was only 11 when she disappeared, was last seen alighting from a school bus in Cornelius, North Carolina, on November 21, 2022. However, her parents did not report her missing until more than three weeks later.
Her 37-year-old mother, Diana Cojocari, spent 520 days behind bars after being arrested in December 2022. She was set free in May this year after admitting to failing to report the disappearance of a child.
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The last time Madalina was seen (No credit)The local police department in Cornelius has since posted a new flyer on social media seeking information about the girl's whereabouts. "Her mother, Diana Cojocari, is considered a suspect in her disappearance," read the flyer shared on Tuesday.
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The police have stressed that although Ms Cojocari has been named a suspect, she is not currently wanted by the police and faces no new charges. Madalina's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, was also found guilty of failing to report her missing and is presently serving a suspended sentence.
The flyer included photos of both Madalina and Cojocari. "Diana Cojocari is Madalina's mother. She is considered a suspect in her disappearance and we remain focused and committed to finding Madalina," Deputy Chief Jennifer Thompson stated.
Madalina Cojocari disappeared in November 2022 and wasn't reported missing for three weeks (Cornelius Police Department)
Stepdad Christopher Palmiter (Cornelius Police Department)Madalina was only reported missing after school officials were sent to her home on December 12, 2022, to learn why she hadn't been in class. Cojocari, at the time, informed the police that she remembered tucking her daughter into bed on the night of her disappearance, but by the next day, she was nowhere to be found.
Cojocari confessed that she delayed reporting Madalina's disappearance to avoid a confrontation with Palmiter. The parents were taken into custody on 17 December 2022 for not reporting her missing.
Madalina's grandmother, Rodica Cojocari, is convinced that Palmiter sold the girl to traffickers for a whopping $5 million. "They were held in his house like prisoners," Rodica told The US Sun in August 2023.
"Lately, [Palmiter has] been sedating them with drugs." Rodica alleges that on the night Madalina vanished, Palmiter handed her over to an individual at the door. Rodica added: "He's saying he doesn't know anything, but that's not true."
Earlier this month, Palmiter filed for divorce from Cojocari, bringing their eight-year marriage to an end. The couple tied the knot on 9 January 2016 and did not have any children together.
The cause of their separation remains undisclosed, according to court documents obtained by ABC affiliate WSOC-TV. The documents don't mention Madalina, but other court records suggest that Cojocari planned to leave Palmiter with her daughter.
"Diana reveals her delusional fears to [her cousin] and tells him that she has accumulated enough funds to 'live off of for two or three months,'" the documents state. At his court hearing, Palmiter claimed he believed Cojocari had taken Madalina "somewhere with her Moldovan family."
He said: "I believe Diana has tucked her away somewhere where she's not going to be found." After a week-long trial last month, it took the jury just 15 minutes to find Palmiter guilty. He was sentenced to six to 17 months in prison, but this was suspended as he had already spent 244 days behind bars. Instead, the judge gave him a 30-month supervised probation sentence.
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