Who is Madalina Cojocari's stepfather? Christopher Palmiter arrested as timeline reveals CHILLING details
CORNELIUS, NORTH CAROLINA: As the desperate search for missing Madalina Cojocari continues, newly released arrest documents have raised questions about events leading to her mysterious disappearance. The 11-year-old youngster was last seen at her home in Cornelius on November 23, on the day before Thanksgiving. But her parents reportedly waited for three weeks to visit their daughter's school to report her disappearance.
The Cornelius police arrested Cojocari’s stepfather Christopher Palmiter, 60, and her mother, Diana Cojocari, on Saturday, December 17, just two days after the FBI got involved in the search. The pair has been charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement. Palmiter on Tuesday, December 20, appeared in front of a virtual court, where his bond was increased to $200,000. During the trial, the stepfather claimed that he didn’t see Madalina the night before her disappearance and went to Michigan to "pick up items" from the family in the state on November 23, according to WCNC.
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Mystery of Missing Madalina Cojocari: New timeline reveals chilling details about 11-yr-old girl
Who is Christopher Palmiter?
A North Carolina resident, Palmiter worked as a mechanical designer at industrial machinery manufacturer Ingersoll Rand, according to his LinkedIn profile. He attended Grand Ledge High School in Grand Ledge, Lansing Community College in Lansing, and Grand Valley State University in Allendale. Prior to his employment at Ingersoll Rand, he worked for Troy Design, Prince Manufacturing, Inc, Aerotek, and B/E Aerospace.
He was living with Diana at their Cornelius residence when police arrested them for failing to report his stepdaughter’s disappearance. According to Conan Daily, he is 37 years older than Cojocari, who gave birth to Madalina Cojocari in 2011. Palmiter had no criminal history before his latest arrest. He has reportedly been under the FBI’s watch since the start of the frantic search for Madalina.
The state police noted that Palmiter and Diana didn’t report Madalina’s disappearance to her school’s resource officer until December 14, three weeks after she last appeared in class on November 22. During the interrogation, Diana said she last saw her daughter around 10 pm local time the night before she went missing. The disappearance was followed by an argument between Cojocari and Palmiter that evening, The Sun reported. Both Diana and Palmiter told investigators he left for Michigan after the argument, according to the document. Although Diana appears to have told officials he left early the next morning, and he allegedly told them he left that same night, both individuals told authorities he made the trip to "pick up items." Palmiter also told authorities that he did not see his stepdaughter the night of the argument.
On Monday, December 19, authorities expanded their search area to include a lake near Cornelius, which is about 30 minutes north of Charlotte. They were also seen digging the backyard of the family to find any evidence leading to Madalina’s whereabouts. It is not yet clear if Madalina’a biological father is also being investigated.
Madalina is described as having brown hair and brown eyes, 4 feet 10 inches tall, and weighing around 90 pounds. "Madalina Cojocari was last seen at home in Cornelius, North Carolina, on the evening of November 23, 2022, and has not been seen since. She was reported missing her school on December 15, 2022. Madalina was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, and a white t-shirt and jacket," the FBI said.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Madalina Cojocari is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.