CORNELIUS, N.C. — Saturday marks two months since a missing 11-year-old Cornelius girl was last seen in public.
Madalina Cojocari was seen walking off a school bus on Nov. 21. Her mother, Diana Cojocari, last saw her at their Cornelius home on Nov. 23, but her mother didn’t report her missing until Dec. 15 -- 22 days later.
In January, Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter each were indicted by a grand jury on the charge of failing to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement.
The search for Madalina expanded into Western North Carolina on Jan 6. Law enforcement sources told Channel 9 they came in contact with Madalina’s mother, Diana Cojocari, in a rural part of Madison County. A deputy came in contact with Cojocari at a pull-off area on U.S. Highway 25 near Lonesome Mountain Road, sources said.
Days later, newly unsealed search warrants shed more light on what investigators are looking for in the case.
According to the documents obtained by Channel 9, investigators went to the home of Madalina Cojocari on Dec. 15. with a search warrant looking for any potential evidence that could be associated with her disappearance. They seized three iPhones and 11 other items from the home, according to the documents.
Then later, on Dec. 21, Channel 9 was at the home as police seized more items.
Information about what was taken from the home on both dates was redacted from the warrants, but it appears investigators took nearly 40 pieces of evidence.
The Cornelius Police Department, the SBI, and the FBI continue to search for Madalina. Those departments have posted flyers and billboards of Madalina since she went missing.
