Update: Police Search Lake for 11-year-old Not Reported Missing for Weeks, Mother & Stepfather Arrested
by Leigh Egan
Air and land searches are underway concerning the disappearance of an 11-year-old North Carolina girl who hasn't been seen in weeks.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Madalina Cojocari was last seen on November 23 at her family home in Cornelius. Police began investigating after her parents reported her missing on December 15 to a school resource officer at Bailey Middle School.
Police arrested the child's mother, Diana Cojocari, 35, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60, and charged them with failure to report her disappearance. Cornelius police launched an investigation into the disappearance on Thursday, and the FBI and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation joined the search later in the day.
Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter/Police Handout
Fox News reports that the FBI's Charlotte office has extended the search to include Lake Cornelius "as part of the normal investigative process." Cornelius police added that additional searches in the surrounding areas are underway.
"We need to make certain we have spoken to every person who may have information about Madalina to help us create an exact timeline of when she was last seen," investigators said.
Police Handout
The suspects remain behind bars at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center.
Anyone with information on Madalina should call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773. To remain anonymous, call North Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers at 704-896-7867.
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[Featured image: Police Handout]