Parents ‘clearly’ know more about missing North Carolina 11-year-old, police say

Lacking 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari’s mother and father “clearly” know greater than they’ve advised investigators, native police stated on Tuesday.

The Cornelius Police Division supplied an replace into the steps it is taken — with the assistance of the FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation — within the 12 days since Cojocari was reported lacking.

“We all know everybody has a variety of questions,” Capt. Jennifer Thompson stated in a video posted to Fb. “We even have questions and are doing the whole lot we are able to, with correct authorized authority, to get these solutions.”

She added, “It is a critical case of a kid whose mother and father are clearly not telling us the whole lot they know.”

‘Heartbroken…determined to seek out her’: Household of lacking 11-year-old pens handwritten plea for assist

The FBI final week launched a surveillance video that investigators stated confirmed the 11-year-old leaving her college bus on Nov. 21, which they stated was the final confirmed sighting of the kid.

Her mother and father advised investigators she’s been lacking since Nov. 23, however she was reported lacking on Dec. 15, in keeping with a police report.

Her mother and father — mom Diana Cojocari, 37, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60 — have been each arrested on Dec. 17 and charged beneath a North Carolina regulation that requires guardians to inform police inside “an affordable time” when a baby goes lacking.

Every faces a felony cost of failure to report the disappearance of a kid to regulation enforcement, police stated in two statements. Each are scheduled to seem on Wednesday morning in Mecklenburg County Court docket, in keeping with the native sheriff’s web site.

Investigators have developed and adopted about 250 leads within the 12 days they have been looking for the lady, Thompson stated on Tuesday. These leads have been “throughout state traces and throughout the globe,” she stated.

“We’ve got interviewed a whole lot of individuals in North Carolina, different states, and, once more, throughout the globe,” she stated.

Extra particulars on the timeline of Madalina’s disappearance may be discovered right here.

Police have knocked at about 245 residence as they’ve gone door-to-door within the Victoria Bay neighborhood round Madalina Cojocari’s residence, Thompsons stated. Investigators have “scoured” hours of surveillance video from native companies.

“Investigators acquired a number of search warrants for Madalina’s residence, to verify we legally gathered each piece of proof to seek out Madalina,” Thompson stated.

Police stated the lady’s college reached out to Diana Cojocari “a number of” occasions between Nov. 23 and Dec. 15, when the mom reported the lady lacking at her college.

SEE MORE: Mom, stepfather arrested for failing to report lacking 11-year-old for weeks, police say

“One of many challenges within the case, merely put — we weren’t notified she was gone, a delay of three weeks,” Thompson stated.

Officers have labored to piece collectively a timeline of Madalina Cojocari’s disappearance, in keeping with an arrest sheet obtained by ABC Information affiliate WSOC.

Diana Cojocari advised police she’d final seen the lady at about 10 p.m. on Nov. 23, in keeping with the arrest sheet, which was dated Dec. 17.

Diana Cojocari advised police “Madalina went to her room that evening to go to mattress. Diana said her and her husband, Christopher Palmiter, argued that evening and the following morning he drove to his household’s home in Michigan to recuperate some objects,” regulation enforcement officers wrote within the arrest sheet.

Second vigil held for Madalina

Diana Cojocari stated she went to examine on her daughter at about 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 24, however the lady wasn’t in her room, in keeping with the arrest sheet. Police stated Diana Cojocari advised them that she’d waited till Palmiter returned residence, at about 7 p.m. on Nov. 26, to ask if he knew the place Madalina Cojocari was.

Police “requested Diana why she didn’t report Madalina lacking till” mid-December, and he or she “said she was frightened it would begin a ‘battle’ between her and Christopher,” officers wrote within the arrest sheet.

Palmiter advised police that he’d requested Diana Cojocari the place Madalina was when he’d returned from his journey, officers wrote.

“Chris said he spoke with Diana a number of time(s) about Madalina’s whereabout(s) over the following three weeks,” the arrest sheet stated, “and each said they didn’t know the place she was however they didn’t contact the police to report Madalina lacking.”

ABC Information’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.