Share and Follow
LAW enforcement has stayed determined to find Madalina Cojocari after one year has passed since her disappearance.
Madalina Cojocari has been missing since November 21, 2023, when she disappeared after getting off her school bus in Cornelius, North Carolina, about 15 miles from Charlotte.
“It’s hard to believe that a year has already passed since she was last seen getting off the school bus,” Cornelius Police Chief David Baucom told Fox News Digital.
“And … in just a few short weeks is the anniversary of when our investigation actually began.”
Baucom, who hosted a town meeting to remember Madalina on Tuesday recounted how the long delay in the reporting on Madalina’s disappearance initially hindered their investigation.
“It slowed [the investigation] down initially,” Baucom said.
“We spent a lot of time trying to go back through the records we had available early on and (tried to) find her that way.
“And then … we had to, of course, obtain search warrants and start looking at other records, trying to find other avenues to locate her.
“We’re not going to stop until we find her,” the police chief said.
Baucom added that, over the course of his career in law enforcement, he has never seen a missing person case “of this magnitude.”
Madalina, an only child, lived at home with her mother, Diana Cojocari, and her stepfather, Christopher Palmiter.
Her parents did not report that Madalina was missing to the police until December 15, 2022, though the last time they said they saw their daughter home was the evening of November 23, 2022.
Her parents have been charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child.
They both pleaded not guilty to the charge in August 2023 and are awaiting trial.
Palmiter is currently out of jail on bond, however, Diana is still being held at the Mecklenburg County jail in Charlotte with her bond set at $250,000.
The police chief was not the only person who spoke on the anniversary of her disappearance.
Madalina’s aunt, Anne Mohr, posted a public tribute to her niece on Facebook.
It read: “One Year Gone,” with two broken heart emojis.
“One of the greatest tragedies in life, I believe, are those terrible voids which leave unanswered questions,” Mohr continued.
“Why did this happen??? Why you???” These are the unfortunate events and unsettling memories that have haunted me at night.”
She continued: “These thoughts preoccupy my mind and weigh heavily on my heart and spirit during the day.
“These are questions that may unfortunately never have answers and that is a hard pill to swallow.
Read Related Also: Pentagon Education Official Arrested in Georgia Human Trafficking Operation
“It’s hard to imagine how the world can just roll on, presumingly unaware of this deception.
“Minutes have turned into days and agonizing months have passed, one year, gone, seemingly you’re missing without a trace, but someone knows….”
She went on to say that enjoying anything happy feels like a betrayal to Madalina and she has to find some peace without knowing what happened to her.
“I am grateful to have been present to witness your immense love of animals and mother nature.”
She continued: “Your love of drawing and using lots of vivid colors. I choose to believe that you would want everyone to have happy memories of you.
“So, I also choose to believe you will one day have peace despite the betrayal of your innocent young life.
“We love you and we miss your beautiful face. I believe you will be found and have justice.”
She included the hashtag: “findmadalina,” which has been circulated since the girl disappeared.
The post also featured a picture of a younger Madalina wearing a yellow tank top and holding a toy horse.
Also to honor her, her community in North Carolina came together to have an emotional rally.
Locals stood hand in hand comforting each other at the event.
At his latest hearing in August, Palmiter’s attorney, Brandon Roseman told the judge that Palmiter believes Diana knows where Madalina is.
“He told police on several occasions that he believes that Diana had taken Madalina somewhere into the mountains,” Roseman has said in an interview with NewsNation.
“He told detectives specifically that he believes Diana took her somewhere and that she is safe.”
Diana Cojocari has not commented on these accusations.
However, Rodica Cojocari, the grandmother to the missing 12-year-old girl, believes Palmiter has sold her for money to traffickers.
In another claim, Rodica said Madalina has undergone plastic surgery so she’s unrecognizable, and that someone created fake adoption papers for her.
No additional charges have been made against either Palmiter or Diana regarding Madalina’s disappearance.
“This is a serious case of a child whose parents are clearly not telling us everything they know,” Cornelius Police Department Captain Jennifer Thompson said in a video posted to Facebook in December 2022.
The U.S. Sun continues to follow the ongoing case.
