Madalina Cojocari has been missing since November 2022. The 11-year-old's mother, Diana Cojocari, 37, and her husband, Christopher Palmiter, 60, didn't report the child missing until 22 days after her disappearance. The parents were arrested in December for failure to report but claimed they did not know where the child was. Her grandmother, Rodica Cojocari, claims she knows what happened to Madalina.
Rodica Cojocari told WCNC her granddaughter was sold to human traffickers for $5 million. The woman thinks Palmiter had something to do with Madalina's disappearance and wants answers. Search warrants show her daughter may have tried to get Madalina away from Palmiter.
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Madalina was last seen getting off the school bus in November.
The last public sighting of Madalina was on November 21, after she got off the bus in Cornelius, North Carolina, WCNC reported. Diana Cojocari told police she last saw her daughter the next day but didn't report her missing for three weeks. The parents were prosecuted under Caylee's Law. It's named for 2-year-old Caylee Anthony, whose mother, Casey Anthony, didn't report her missing for 31 days.
The law requires parents to report a child missing within 24 hours. The law has been in effect in North Carolina for 10 years. The pair was arrested December 17.
Rodica Cojocari said her granddaughter is alive.
The heartbroken grandmother told WCNC she knew what had happened. "My granddaughter is alive, but she's been kidnapped," she told the station.
Rodica Cojocari believes her daughter and granddaughter were both sold to traffickers for a $5 million bounty. She believes her daughter and Palmiter had a "bad relationship" and she wanted a divorce.
According to a search warrant, Diana Cojocari asked a relative for help.
A search warrant showed the mother wanted help "smuggling" her daughter away from her stepfather and reached out to a distant relative for assistance, WCNC reported in March. The document shows phone records of Diana Cojocari speaking with the relative on December 2.
The relative's phone records showed "multiple calls to phone numbers belonging to unidentified targets involved in ongoing T3 drug/narcotic trafficking investigations." WCNC Charlotte reported a T3 is another name for a wiretap. During this search, documents did not show drugs in the couple's car or home.
Rodica Cojocari said Palmiter is to blame.
The grandmother told WCNC her daughter's husband treated her daughter and granddaughter poorly.
"Chris Palmiter is the instrument," Rodica Cojocari said. "He stalked them for two years. The[y] had no documents in his home. He stole their documents and held them in the home … like prisoners."
She added that Palmiter allegedly drugged Diana and Madalina to knock them out. She believes someone took the child while her mother was sleeping.
"Lately, he would use narcotics to make them sleep, both Madalina and Diana" Rodica Cojocari alleged, according to WCNC. "He used these narcotics in their juice. Diana and Madalina drank it, and he took Madalina out of the bedroom and gave her over to traffickers. I don't know to whom."
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The investigation into Madalina's disappearance continues.
Diana Cojocari is still in jail. Palmiter was released after his bond was reduced from $250,000 to $25,000, according to Inside Edition.
The Cornelius Police Department reminded Facebook followers that they are still trying to find Madalina.
"Throughout this investigation, we have received numerous tips on possible sightings of Madalina in various locations across the country. All tips were thoroughly investigated and determined not to be Madalina," the post reads. "We will continue to follow up on any tips or possible sightings of Madalina. We want to bring Madalina home. This has been our priority since we learned she was missing. Please continue to share her picture on social media to help us #FindMadalina and call us if you have any information that can help our detectives at 704-892-7773."
