A Cornelius Police Department captain said Tuesday that the parents of Madalina Cojocari — who has been missing for more than a month — are not telling them everything, and asked the public for any help in finding the girl.
Madalina, who lives in Cornelius and attends Bailely Middle School, was reported missing Dec. 15. Her parents said they last saw her Nov. 23. But the last independently confirmed sighting of Madalina was two days earlier on Nov. 21, when she was captured on security footage getting off her school bus.
"School officials had repeatedly tried to contact Madalina and her parents...One of the challenges in this case, simply put, we were not notified she was gone. A delay of three weeks," said Cornelius Police Captain Jennifer Thompson in a video message. "This is a serious case of a child whose parents clearly are not telling us everything they know."
Madalina's mother, Diana Cojocari, and her stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, were both arrested Dec. 17. They're being held in Mecklenburg County's jail, facing charges of failing to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement.
Since then, the FBI and state law enforcement officials have joined the investigation. Thompson said they have:
- Followed more than 250 tips and leads, across the state, U.S. and internationally.
- Interviewed "hundreds" of people in North Carolina and other states, as well as internationally.
- Gone door-to-door to at least 245 houses.
- Obtained search warrants and searched Madalina's house.
- Searched nearby lakes and on land, as well as combed through security camera footage.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.