CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dozens of investigators returned to the Cornelius home of missing 11-year-old girl Madalina Cojocari and stayed for hours, with police leaving the house with at least one bin of evidence.
WCNC Charlotte is working to learn more about Wednesday's police presence, which came hours after new documents revealed Diana Cojocari, Madalina's mother, told investigators she believed her husband, Christopher Palmiter, "put her family in danger."
Diana Cojocari allegedly made the comment when she was pressed by detectives about not calling police about her daughter's disappearance. Arrest records obtained by WCNC Charlotte show that Diana Cojocari contacted her family in Moldova about Madalina's disappearance but did not contact law enforcement despite being advised to do so by her family.
The documents show more conflicting statements from Cojocari about the timeline of events surrounding the time of her daughter's disappearance.
Madalina Cojocari wasn't officially reported missing by her family until Dec. 15. Diana Cojocari told a resource officer at Bailey Middle School that her daughter was last seen on Nov. 22. She later changed her story to say she last saw the girl on Nov. 23. The FBI released a video showing Madalina getting off a school bus on Nov. 21. This was the last time investigators can say with certainty that Madalina Cojocari was seen alive.
New details in Madalina Cojocari's disappearance
Diana Cojocari contacted family in Moldova
Arrest records show that Cojocari told Cornelius police she spoke with family members in the country of Moldova about her daughter's disappearance. The family advised Cojocari to call the police, but she hesitated. When asked by investigators why she waited, Cojocari allegedly said she believed her husband, Christopher Palmiter, "put her family in danger."
The document states Cojocari believed reporting Madalina's disappearance "might start a conflict" between her and Palmiter.
A missing backpack and clothes
Diana Cojocari told police that Madalina's backpack and some clothes were missing from the house after she disappeared. Cojocari said her daughter did not have a cellphone and did not have any friends or family she would stay with.
Police search the family's home
Two detectives went to the family's home on Victoria Bay Drive in Cornelius to search Madalina Cojocari's room. Diana Cojocari and Palmiter were adamant they didn't know where the girl could be.
While searching the house, detectives noticed an area in the kitchen that was blocked with plywood. Palmiter allegedly said the couple planned to make a separate apartment inside the home. WCNC Charlotte has not found any active permits for the home.
Investigators have been trying to piece together a timeline of the girl's whereabouts. An arrest sheet first seen publicly Tuesday highlights some of the inconsistencies and gaps. The document is a summary of narratives and interviews given to officials by the parents.
The girl was last seen at Bailey Middle School on Monday, Nov. 21, the same day the school bus surveillance video was recorded.
The girl's mother told investigators she last saw the girl around 10 p.m. the following night while the girl's stepfather said he didn't see her for days ahead of her disappearance.
Cojocari is described as an 11-year-old white female, weighing 90 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, according to police. She was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, and a white T-shirt and jacket.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Madalina Cojocari is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.
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