Where was Madalina Cojocari seen? Search intensifies for missing girl amid new 'sighting' and shocking jailhouse comment from mother
CORNELIUS, NORTH CAROLINA: Madalina Cojocari, a missing 11-year-old North Carolina girl, was reportedly seen at two different locations with an alleged mystery man following her disappearance last year, newly unsealed search warrants have revealed as per The Sun. The update about her possible sightings came to light after a woman claimed that she allegedly saw a girl resembling Madalina at a California location on July 5, the publication reported.
The warrants also revealed that Madalina's mother, Diana Cojocari, who was arrested alongside the former's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, for failing to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement reportedly spoke about a "big bag of money" and cash withdrawal on a recorded jail call with her mother. Madalina has been missing since November 2022 and was seen on a video getting off her school bus in Cornelius, 20 miles north of Charlotte, two days before her mysterious disappearance.
Where was Madalina Cojocari spotted?
During the initial investigation related to Madalina's disappearance, it was revealed that the 11-year-old was last captured getting off her school bus in Cornelius, two days before she went missing. Her parents later told authorities that they allegedly last saw the girl on November 23, 2022, but did not contact authorities to report her disappearance until December 15, 2022.
The mysterious circumstance surrounding Madalina's disappearance further intensified on Tuesday, July 18, after court documents revealed that police found surveillance photos showing a girl "physically consistent" with Madalina on December 16, 2022, the day after Diana filed her missing report. The documents stated that the first possible sighting happened in Sugar Mountain, North Carolina, while the second happened at a Lowes Food market in Linville.
Authorities also said that Madalina was allegedly seen at both the locations with a mystery man, who resembled her only known blood relative in the US. Both Madalina and her mother are originally from Moldova, earlier reports mentioned. The report about the possible sightings emerged after a woman alleged that she saw a girl who looked just like Madalina when she stopped at a gas station in Weaverville, California, on July 5.
The woman alleged that the girl was asking for a ride "up north." "She appeared to be alone but honestly I could not tell clearly due to so many people there," the woman said, as per WCNC. Cornelius police told the network that they were "aware of the tip" and that "detectives are following up."
What did Diana Cojocari say in the jailhouse call?
The documents further revealed that Madalina's mother, Diana, reportedly made a jailhouse call to her mother and made some comments about "a big bag of money" and "withdrawing cash." She also allegedly discussed "a theory that Chris gave the girl away for money," WCNC reported as per The Sun. Further reports revealed that officials placed an undercover informant in Palmiter's jail cell and seized notebooks which he wrote while being locked up behind the bars.
The unsealed warrants also revealed that on December 2, Diana sent a text message saying she was with her daughter, despite previously claiming that she last law Madalina in November. On December 3, Diana was allegedly seen getting an oil change at a service station in Hickory. A station attendant told cops that while they spotted children's toys in Cojocari's car but there was no child present inside the vehicle.
Diana traveled to the mountains on December 4, claiming she was looking for her daughter. Meanwhile, Madalina's possible sighting came on December 16, where she was possibly spotted with a family member from the US.
What was found in Christopher Palmiter's hard drive?
Reports suggest that the Cornelius Police Department also found an old hard drive belonging to Palmiter after getting a tip from a computer repair business, who Palmiter contacted to replace the device. Documents revealed that Palmiter had alleged conversations with his brother and sister-in-law about Diana. He allegedly said that Diana had a had a lot of cash at some point but he did not know where the money came from. Palmiter also shared concerns about "financial stuff" but his brother reportedly told him not to worry.
A Facebook message exchanged between Palmiter and a family member revealed that the former allegedly wrote, "We are in some kind of investigation, Madi is missing and the local police have taken all of our electronics luckily I have an old phone." He further added, "Although they did not take my personal computer, probably because they overlooked it. Diana is using it now to call her parents." Officials previously seized the couple's banking and credit card information to examine patterns or activity that may have connections to Madalina's disappearance.
