Cops ask public to help find missing Madalina Cojocari as they GRILL parents about disappearance
CORNELIUS, NORTH CAROLINA: The Cornelius Police Department probing the disappearance of Madalina Cojocari has issued a new statement, urging the public “to flood the area with her precious face”. The 11-year-old girl was last seen publicly on November 21 while deboarding her school bus while her mother, Diana Cojocari, claimed to have last seen her on the night of November 23.
In a Facebook release, the police department shared, “The Cornelius Police Department, the SBI, and the FBI continue to search for Madalina. Thank you for continuing to spread information on social media to help us #FindMadalina. We still need your assistance in continuing to flood the area with her precious face.”
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“We are looking for anyone who may have firsthand information on the whereabouts of Madalina. If you have information that could help detectives, please contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773,” it added.
The statement came as Madalina’s mother, Dina, and stepfather Christopher Palmiter, are in cops’ custody for over a month now and have been thoroughly grilled by investigators. They were put behind bars in Mecklenburg County for failing to report the missing girl. Reports also stated that both have been facing tough questions regarding their daughter’s disappearance.
Commenting on the parents’ condition, Dr Lisa Long, a forensic psychologist from the Charlotte area told WCNC that the disappearance followed by the police grilling in custody would have affected the couple badly. Long said, “Initially, parents might go through denial that the child is missing, sometimes you see that. You also could consider the parent might be experiencing embarrassment or shame due to guilt. There might be situations where the parent is experiencing fear, they’re concerned that [department of social services (DSS)] would get involved with their family and they might lose custody.”
The expert, who is not working on the case, also reportedly mentioned there are high chances cops have kept Dina and Christopher in jail to analyze their behavior. She noted, “Is the parent showing concern, is the parent showing remorse? Those are all things that would all be considered — a person’s emotional reaction. You have to think that there is a wide range of acceptable and expected normal reactions because this isn’t a normal situation for any parent to be in.”
Besides, Long pointed out that understanding the kind of environment Madalina had at home would be very crucial for the case. She explained, “It would be very important for them to consider the research with regard to protective factors and risk factors. Some of the risk factors being prior history of mental health issues, DSS involvement, any history of incarceration, domestic violence, conflicts even between the parents, the overall adequateness of the home environment.”
“If either of the parents were choosing to not provide information or if it seems as though they didn’t want to provide certain information, especially as it relates to sensitive areas with regards to the home environment, the child’s functioning, the parent-child relationship, those are all important areas for them to consider,” the forensic psychologist added.