MADISON COUNTY, N.C. — The Cornelius Police Department is asking for additional witness information in connection to the case of missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari.
On Friday, investigators released a photo of a Toyota Prius. They said Madalina's mother, Diana Cojocari, may have been in Madison County, North Carolina sometime between Nov. 22 and Dec. 15.
The trip may be connected to the girl's disappearance as this is the three-week period between when Madalina was last seen and when she was reported missing -- a gap in the timeline that is critical to the ongoing investigation.
Madalina's mother Diana Cojocari remains in custody, charged with failure to report the young girl's disappearance.
“They have some evidence that she was spotted, or her car was spotted in this area,” M. Quentin Williams, a former FBI agent who is not involved in this case said.
It was not immediately clear what the nature of the trip was.
“From an investigative standpoint, they’re trying to get as much movement as possible,” Williams said. “Cell phone records, all of that will help to track where the mother was where the father was during these particular hours.”
Investigators have search warrants for both Diana Cojocari and her husband Christopher Palmiter's call detail records. They also have a search warrant for Palmiter's cell phone and the family's home. All of those search warrants were sealed by a judge in late 2022.
Friday morning, the judge that sealed those records said she would partially unseal some of those search warrants. However, any information in them that is not already in the public domain will be redacted, including the inventory of what the police may have taken from their home during the search. The judge said that redaction will be to protect the investigation.
Officers are asking anyone who has information about the travel to contact investigations at 704-892-7773.
“Every bit of evidence is helpful even if it leads nowhere, you never know," Williams said. "So, if there is a thought by someone in the public that there’s information that could be helpful, I would call that tip in. Immediately. Because a young girl’s life might be in the balance."
Madison County is located in the mountains of western North Carolina near the Tennessee border and is about 150 miles northwest -- or a three-and-a-half-hour drive away -- from Cornelius.
It’s been more than 45 days since Madalina was last seen in Cornelius, North Carolina, and details on where the investigation stands have been limited.
The 11-year-old North Carolina girl was last seen publicly on Nov. 21. Recorded video shows her getting off the school bus at her stop. Her mother Diana Cojocari told police the last time she saw Madalina was on Nov. 23. However, she didn’t report her daughter missing for three weeks.
That chunk of time allowed prosecutors to charge Diana Cojocari and her husband Christopher Palmiter with a felony crime of failure to report a missing child. This crime falls under what’s known as Caylee’s Law.
If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Madalina Cojocari, please contact the Cornelius Police Department at (704) 892-7773 or 1-800-Call FBI.
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