CORNELIUS, N.C. — The Cornelius Police Department spoke to WCNC Charlotte for the time since the agency named Diana Cojocari a suspect in her daughter, Madalina’s disappearance.
This week, the agency shared new flyers naming Cojocari as a suspect in Madalina’s disappearance, one version in English and one version in Romanian.
Madalina was last seen getting off a school bus back in November of 2022 and it was weeks before Diana Cojocari and Madalina’s stepfather Christopher Palmiter reported her missing to police. That reporting happened when Madalina’s school got involved after Madalina had an excessive number of absences.
Deputy Chief Jennifer Thompson said this is very much an active investigation and there is only so much police can say right now without hurting their case and search for Madalina. However, they do want the public to know Cojocari is a suspect in Madalina's disappearance.
“Diana is Madalina's mother," Thompson said. "Madalina was 11 at the time, she didn’t report her missing. [Diana] served 18 months in jail, and she’s been out and the bottom line is she is a suspect in the disappearance of her daughter.”
Thompson said while they do now call Cojocari a suspect, she has always been considered a person of interest. No new charges have been filed in the case, but it does not mean charges couldn't come later. When asked if the department was considering any other charges or if any charges could be brought up against Cojocari, Thompson answered this.
“There are other charges that exist and I’m not going to say they necessarily pertain to this but there are other charges, and we are considering all options but that is not where we are right now,” Thompson added.
She would not comment on whether Palmiter or anyone else was considered a suspect at this time but instead referred back to Cojocari.
Madalina Cojocari timeline
“People think there’s some reason behind it, that we’ve developed something new. There were no reason other than we wanted people to know that she is considered a suspect in Madalina’s disappearance in whatever form that is," Thompson said. "She is a suspect in the fact that Madalina is not here … and if that causes people to call us more or causes other information to flow in because of a word … and I know that is a strong word to put out there, but she didn’t report her daughter missing.”
Thompson said they are glad to have the Palmiter trial behind them because it pulled some of their valuable resources from this investigation to court including herself. With the court out of the way, they can focus on finding Madalina.
Cojocari has been spotted around town and at her home. She was released from jail back in May after pleading guilty to failing to report Madalina’s disappearance to the police and after spending 520 days behind bars.
Thompson said they have made attempts to speak with Cojocari since she’s been out but would not share any details further than that.
She said she understands the frustration and she feels it too as a mom and as the deputy chief because all she wants is to find Madalina.
Thompson said they hope Cojocari listed as a suspect brings in new leads and the goal remains the same to find Madalina.
When asked if she was concerned about Cojocari going off the grid, Thompson gave the following response.
"Her passports were seized in the beginning of the investigation those remain in our custody. But what she could possibility do and where she could potentially go is always on our mind and trying to stay on top of.”
We asked if they believed Cojocari hurt Madalina and she would not comment on this directly.
However, Thompson said they are not ruling anything out and will go wherever the investigation takes them.
“If we are looking at all the evidence, we are reaching out to all these leads and we are going back to things that were said it is just not fair to rule anything out because that would narrow our mind too much," Thompson said. "So, I think it is best to leave all possibilities on the table.”
Thompson said they do believe that Madalina is alive and there is not a day that goes by where they do not discuss or put work into this case.
“I remain in the belief that Madalina is alive, I’ve been asked if that is because I'm a mom and that is something I want to believe ... but bottom line is we want to bring Madalina home," Thompson said.
The police are asking the public to keep sharing the flyers and Madalina’s story because it could bring the information they needed to solve this investigation and find Madalina.
“We are not going to stop as long as we don’t have Madalina we will keep going. We don’t set it to the side … like oh we hit the two-year mark that’s not it," said Thompson. "Children are supposed to be home, they are supposed to be with their friends, they are supposed to be safe, enjoying Christmas, various holidays and she has not had the opportunity to do that.”
Thompson said they are not giving up hope on Madalina.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.