CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It has now been more than two months since 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari was last seen getting off the school bus at her stop in Cornelius, North Carolina, on Nov. 21, 2022.
It took her parents more than three weeks to report her missing, which caused the police to be delayed in beginning their investigation. It did, however, lead to police arresting both and charging them with felony failure to report a missing child.
Both her mother, Diana Cojocari, and Madalina's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, are still in custody.
Updates from the Cornelius Police Department have been few and far between since then, even since the FBI got involved. Most of the facts in the case have come through the court system and released documents.
Despite the trickle of information, the case has gotten a lot of attention from online true-crime communities, many of whom are trying to find out what happened to Madalina.
Ever since Madalina's case went public, so-called web sleuths have gotten to work trying to find some of those answers to the seemingly never-ending list of questions surrounding her disappearance.
Michelle Sutton said she’s always had a passion for true crime. She researches missing child cases and shares the facts on her YouTube channel.
“We want to be a voice for them," Sutton said. "They don’t have a voice. They can’t speak out. So, we have to have people that are willing to take that stand."
She’s also part of a Facebook page dedicated to finding Madalina.
“If we can find that one tip that may say 'You need to question him about this,' and that’s the one that breaks them, then I don’t see the problem,” she explained.
Officials with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said most of the attention brought to the case can help. They warned online forums can cause rumors and theories to spread, but the fliers, billboards and online posts sharing Madalina’s picture and her story could also lead to tips.
“Don’t let that information slip by," John Bischoff with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children told WCNC Charlotte. "If the community feels it’s important, then report it because it just may help save a child. You never know."
Sutton said their group’s main goal is to help find and bring justice for Madalina.
“We still need to keep their faces and their story out if they’ve not been found,” Sutton said. “And right now, Madalina still has not been found. She’s still out there somewhere, and we’re still hoping that we find her and bring her home.”
Madalina’s mother and stepfather are due back in court on March 2.
Cornelius is located in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina less than 20 miles from Charlotte.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, help is readily available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Resources for help are available in both North Carolina and South Carolina.