FBI releases video of missing North Carolina 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari walking off school bus
Cornelius police arrested the girl's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, and her mother, Diana Cojocari, for failing to report the child missing earlier
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The FBI has released a video of missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari, showing her last known location before she disappeared in North Carolina.
The 20-second video shows the sixth grader wearing a plain t-shirt and a backpack, fixing her necklace and hair as she walks off of a school bus shortly before 5 p.m. on Nov. 21. The video took place two days before she was last seen on Nov. 23.
"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 said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The video was shared Tuesday afternoon and was subsequently pinned to the top of the FBI Charlotte’s Twitter page as a desperate search for the girl continues.
"The Cornelius Police Department, the FBI, and the SBI [North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation] are continuing the investigation to find 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari," the Cornelius Police Department said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. "This is the last time we have independent confirmation of when she was last seen."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Madalina is described as being 4’10" tall and weighing 90 pounds. She has brown hair.
MADALINA COJOCARI: FBI EXPANDING SEARCH FOR MISSING 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL IN NORTH CAROLINA
While the juvenile was last seen at her home in Cornelius on the evening of Nov. 23, the Cornelius Police Department said she was not reported missing until three weeks later, on Thursday, Dec. 15. The FBI swiftly joined local law enforcement efforts in the ongoing investigation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"As previously released, Charlotte-Mecklenburg School employees contacted Diana Cojocari on several occasions to inquire about Madalina being absent from school. After repeated contact, Diana Cojocari went to Bailey Middle School on December 15, 2022, and reported to the School Resource Officer, Madalina was missing."
On Saturday, Cornelius police arrested the girl's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60, and her mother, Diana Cojocari, for failing to report the disappearance of the child sooner than Dec. 15, officials said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Monday, the FBI’s Charlotte office said it had expanded its search area to include Lake Cornelius, an area just to the West of Cornelius.
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"There’s nothing we won’t do to #FindMadaline," the agency said in a tweet.