CORNELIUS, N.C. — New billboards have gone up across North Carolina as part of the search for Madalina Cojocari, according to FBI Charlotte.
The photo used in the new billboards is her school picture, FBI Charlotte said.
Cojocari was last seen just over a year ago, on Nov. 21, 2022. Then-11-year-old Madalina was seen leaving her school bus just before 5 p.m. in Cornelius, North Carolina.
Her mother, Diana Cojocari, told police she last saw Madalina on Nov. 22 around noon. She later on changed her testimony, saying she last saw Madalina on Nov. 23 around 10 p.m. instead. That was the same evening Diana Cojocari told Cornelius Police she and Madalina's stepfather Christopher Palmiter fought that evening.
Police records show Palmiter left town that evening and drove to Michigan to "pick up items." He told police he hadn't seen Madalina for a week prior to that date. Diana Cojocari told police Palmiter actually left on Nov. 24, not Nov. 23 as he claimed.
Palmiter reportedly returned to Cornelius on Nov. 26 and told police it was that day he asked Diana Cojocari where Madalina was. He said Diana told him she didn't know. According to police reports, they both accused each other of hiding Madalina. Neither of them reported her missing until Dec. 15.
Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter were first arrested last December for failing to report Madalina's disappearance to authorities. Palmiter got out on bond back in August, one day after a judge lowered the amount from $200,000 to $25,000. Diana Cojocari remains in jail.
Authorities are continuing the search for Madalina, and asking anyone with information to come forward.
If you have any information concerning the whereabouts of Madalina Cojocari, please contact the the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773. You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.