CORNELIUS, N.C. — A newly released video recorded 29 days ago -- and 24 days before the 11-year-old girl was officially reported missing -- is the last time investigators can say with certainty that Madalina Cojocari was seen.
The video released Tuesday shows the girl getting off the Bailey Middle School school bus just before 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 21.
"This is the last time investigators have independent confirmation of when Madalina was last seen," the FBI field office in Charlotte said. "We are seeking additional witnesses outside of the family to narrow down the exact timeline of when she disappeared."
In the video, Cojocari is one of four students seen exiting the bus. The faces of the other students were blurred to protect their identities.
Timeline still uncertain
Questions about when the girl went missing and who was the last to see her can still not be answered publically with certainty.
As the girl's mother, Diana Cojocari, made her first court appearance Tuesday, an arrest sheet provided some insight into the conflicting timelines given by the mother and the stepfather, Christopher Palmiter.
Both were arrested on Dec. 17 and charged with the failure to report the girl's disappearance.
The arrest sheet, which summarizes interviews both parents gave to investigators, documents Diana Cojocari's claim she last saw her daughter around 10 p.m. on Nov. 23, which is two days after the school bus video was recorded.
The day of the school bus video recording is the same date school officials said the girl was last seen in class, according to the arrest sheet.
Palmiter told investigators he had not seen the girl for a week prior to her disappearance.
Search for Madalina continues
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI are assisting the Cornelius Police Department in their investigation.
Cornelius is located in northern Mecklenburg County less than 20 miles from Charlotte.
Cojocari is described as an 11-year-old white female, weighing 90 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, according to police. She was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, and a white T-shirt and jacket.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Madalina Cojocari is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.