Madalina Cojocari, 11, has been missing for several weeks. Her mother and stepfather were detained on Saturday for allegedly failing to report her absence, according to the police.
According to law enforcement officials, the 11-year-old was last seen at her home in Cornelius, North Carolina, nearly three weeks before her school was notified that she was missing on December 15.
“The parents of the juvenile reported the juvenile missing to the Bailey Middle School SRO where the juvenile attends school,” the Cornelius Police Department said in a statement on Friday. “The juvenile was last seen at home, on the evening of November 23, 2022, and has not been seen since.”
Together with the Cornelius Police Department, the FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation are looking for the missing girl.
At the time of her disappearance, Cojocari was sporting “jeans, pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, as well as a white t-shirt and jacket,” according to the FBI.
When the school learned Cojocari was gone on Thursday, police claimed they opened an investigation.
According to two announcements from the police, Diana Cojocari, 37, and Christopher Palmiter, 60, were detained on Saturday on the accusation of failing to notify law enforcement of a child’s disappearance.
The mother and stepfather of Cojocari were recognized by the police. According to the authorities, both are being held at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center.
According to North Carolina law, parents or guardians must notify authorities of a missing kid “reasonably soon.”
