CORNELIUS, N.C. — Editor's Note: The video in this story was obtained from a previous report.
Yellow ribbons and missing posters of Madalina Cojocari are seen across the town of Cornelius.
Cornelius police released new video of Madalina at the pool in a mermaid costume and at the beach marking six months since her disappearance. The post says Madalina should be getting ready to enjoy the warm summer months but instead, the search continues for the young girl.
Community members say they are hopeful Madalina will be found safe.
"She is young and she has her life to live and she is gone," said Hunter Jones, a Mooresville resident "We don’t know what happened and we have no answers. The fact that it’s been six months to me is insane."
"Any kind of new video or any sort of thing like when you know, we celebrated her birthday, it just gives us all a chance to renew our hope. It gives us a chance to just spark that conversation and spread Madalina’s case, even more than we have already," said Abby an advocate for the Where's Madalina Cojocari Facebook group.
Meanwhile, the police are asking the public to help by sharing her photo. It is something Abby said members of support groups continue to do to help raise awareness about the missing young girl.
"Any day you can reach someone new and that someone new may have some more information for us that we didn't have before... that law enforcement can find useful in bringing Madalina home to those that you know, care and love for her," said Abby.
Cornelius girl Madalina Cojocari was last seen publicly getting off the school bus on Nov. 21. She was seen getting off the Bailey Middle School school bus just before 5 p.m., according to FBI Charlotte video released back in December. This appears to be the last day Madalina was at school, according to what a sixth-grade school counselor at Bailey Middle School told authorities.
Her mother, Diana Cojocari, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter were arrested in December for failing to report Madalina's disappearance.
What happened to Madalina?
Since Madalina was last seen, the story of her disappearance has raised more questions than answers, with conflicting dates and statements from her mother and stepfather.
Cojocari claimed she actually last saw Madalina at home on Nov. 23, 2022, around 10 p.m. when she went to bed. She reportedly told Bailey Middle School officials Madalina had been missing since Nov. 22 at noon after she arrived at the school without Madalina.
As police continue their search for Madalina, one lead they have been looking into were reports that she may be a victim of human trafficking.
Search warrants obtained by WCNC Charlotte reveal Madalina's mother asked a distant relative if he would help with "smuggling" her and Madalina away. She also told him she was in a "bad relationship" with her husband Christopher Palmiter and that she wanted a divorce.
According to the warrants, investigators reviewed phone records revealing "extensive communication on Dec. 2, 2022" with that relative. That person's phone records showed "multiple calls to phone numbers belonging to unidentified targets involved in ongoing T3 drug/narcotic trafficking investigations."
WCNC Charlotte has learned a "T3" investigation involves a wiretap of a phone.
The warrants show drugs were not found in the car or house this time, but it’s unclear if they were during other searches, that information was redacted from previous court documents.
Madalina’s parents have now been in custody for over five months on felony charges of failing to report her missing.
Both maintain they do not know what happened to Madalina.
Cornelius Police are asking anyone with information on Madalina's disappearance to give detectives a call at 704-892-7773.
More coverage of Madalina Cojocari's disappearance
- Diana Cojocari charged with drug possession while in jail
- Finding Madalina | Search continues for missing Cornelius girl on her birthday
- 'A needle in a haystack': New warrants provide glimmer of hope that Madalina Cojocari is alive
- Mother of Madalina Cojocari wanted help 'smuggling' daughter away from stepfather, warrants show
- Caylee's law: What type of sentencing do Madalina Cojocari's parents face?