The mother and stepfather of missing 11-year-old girl Madalina Cojocari were indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on the felony charge of failure to report a child missing to law enforcement. Diana Cojocari, 37, and her husband, Christopher Palmiter, 60, initially were arrested and charged with the crime on December 17.
As of now, the couple remains behind bars on $250,000 and $200,000 bonds respectively. In Tuesday's hearing, however, a judge ordered Cojocari's and Palmiter's passports to be released, Fox News reported.
Last week, a court judge sealed documents regarding the young girl's disappearance, fearing the couple would not be entitled to a fair trial if details were released to the public, Assistant District Attorney of Mecklenburg County William Biggers confirmed in a statement issued Friday, according to Queen City News.
During the investigation, authorities obtained search warrants for cellphone records, Palmiter's mobile device, and an extensive search of their home.
Authorities searched the couple's home December 21 for any information about Madalina's disappearance. The young girl and her parents reportedly lived in Cornelius, North Carolina, a suburban town just 20 miles north of Charlotte, according to a news release from the Cornelius Police Department.
Palmiter's lawyer, Brandon Roseman, and two private investigators reportedly searched the backyard fire pit of the couple's home. During the probe, they discovered couch cushions burned around the time Madalina had gone missing in November, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the news outlet, the charred couch cushions were the primary focus of the investigation.
Madalina was last seen on November 23.
"It has been 42 days since Madalina was last seen as she got off of her school bus on November 21st, 2022," the Cornelius Police Department wrote in a Facebook post earlier this week, Fox News reported. "We need your assistance in finding her. If you have firsthand information that could help detectives, please contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-1363 or 1-800-Call FBI. #FindMadalina."
Authorities shared an additional post Monday, with an FBI missing person's flyer for the 11-year-old attached. The federal agency also released surveillance footage of the girl exiting a school bus with other children about 5 p.m. November 21.
"This is the last time investigators have independent confirmation of when Madalina was last seen. She got off the bus on 11-21-22, at 4:59 p.m. We are seeking additional witnesses outside of the family to narrow down the exact timeline of when she disappeared," the FBI Charlotte shared, according to Fox News.
The young girl's parents waited until December 15 to report her missing.
A school resource officer at Bailey Middle School, where Madalina was a student, and a counselor tried contacting the child's parents about excessive absences from school. On that day, her mother showed up at school without her daughter. The couple said they hadn't seen the young girl since November 23.
Palmiter had reportedly taken a trip to visit family in Michigan around the time Madalina disappeared, per Fox News. Diana Cojocari told authorities she didn't report her daughter's disappearance because she didn't want to "cause conflict" with her husband. The 37-year-old also said Palmiter reportedly "put her family in danger," WCNC reported.
Diana Cojocari and her daughter immigrated to the US from the Eastern European country Moldova.
Diana Cojocari participated in a reality TV show for weight loss in 2014, per the Daily Mail. She was reportedly engaged to Palmiter at the time.
A Romanian journalist revealed that the couple had never met prior to the engagement. "They didn't know each other before the engagement," journalist Iosefina Pascal told WCCB Charlotte. "So all of this was abrupt and sudden."
"You meet a guy online, he's like 40 years older than you, he comes to Moldova, you suddenly get engaged," Pascal continued.
The FBI has described the missing girl as 4 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 90 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Madalina was last seen wearing jeans; pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes; and a white T-shirt and jacket.
Anyone who has any information on Madalina's whereabouts is urged to contact the Cornelius Police Department at (704) 892-7773 as soon as possible. Tips also can be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.
