Madalina Cojocari
Madalina Cojocari, born in 2011, was an 11-year-old girl from Cornelius, North Carolina, when she disappeared in late 2022. She lived with her mother, Diana Cojocari, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter. Described as a bright and kind child, Madalina attended Bailey Middle School, where she was last seen on November 21, 2022, in school bus footage.
Madalina Cojocari, an 11-year-old from Cornelius, North Carolina, has been missing since November 21, 2022, but police are still trying to piece together the exact time of her disappearance and current whereabouts.
Madalina Cojocari’s Disappearance
Missing Madalina Cojocari
Madalina Cojocari, an 11-year-old girl from Cornelius, North Carolina, was last seen on November 21, 2022, in school bus footage. Her mother, Diana Cojocari, claimed to have last seen her on November 23 but did not report her missing until December 15, over three weeks later.
During that time, Madalina’s school made attempts to check on her, and Diana told police she delayed reporting because she feared conflict with her husband, Christopher Palmiter. A search of their home uncovered suspicious details, including a blocked-off section of the kitchen, two seized phones, and communications linked to drug trafficking investigations. Authorities also discovered that Diana had asked a relative for help “smuggling” herself and Madalina away from Palmiter.
Both Diana and Christopher were arrested for failing to report a missing child. They were later released after serving time, with Diana fleeing to Moldova in September 2024. She has since been named a suspect in the case, but no solid leads have emerged regarding Madalina’s whereabouts.
The investigation remains open, and authorities continue to seek information about what happened to Madalina.
Search Warrant: Home
Timeline of Madalina Cojocari’s Disappearance
Timeline of Madalina Cojocari’s Disappearance
2010
- Palmiter flew to Moldova to meet her. Things went well on the first meeting, mostly dinners and sightseeing.
- He returned on a second trip and presented her with a promise ring, he said, “just to say there is a potential future.”
2011
- Diana Cojocari contacted him to say that she had become pregnant by a local man “who wanted nothing to do with her,” they rekindled their relationship by email.
December 2015
- Diana arrived in the United States with her toddler daughter.
January 9, 2016
- Christopher Palmiter and Diana Cojocari married a month later on January 9, 2016.
October 18, 2016
- Christopher Palmiter and Diana Cojocari purchase a property, 6906 Channel Forest Road, Belews Creek, NC.
November 22, 2022 (12:00 PM)
- The last confirmed sighting of Madalina Cojocari.
November 23, 2022 (10:00 PM)
- Diana Cojocari claims to have last seen Madalina. Madalina reportedly went into her room for the night.
November 24, 2022 (11:30 AM)
- Diana Cojocari states she checked on Madalina, but Madalina was no longer in her room.
November 26, 2022 (7:00 PM)
- Christopher Palmiter returns home from Michigan. Diana asks if he knows where Madalina is; he says no. He does not ask Diana the same question in return.
December 12, 2022 (2:00 PM)
- A Bailey Middle School resource officer attempts a home visit due to Madalina’s continued absence from school since November 21, 2022. There is no response at the door, and a truancy packet is left.
December 14, 2022
- A school counselor, Mrs. Lampkin, speaks to Diana Cojocari over the phone. Diana claims she will bring Madalina to school the next day.
December 15, 2022 (1:12 PM)
- Diana Cojocari arrives at Bailey Middle School without Madalina. During a meeting with the counselor and law enforcement, Diana finally reports Madalina missing for the first time, more than three weeks after she was last seen.
December 15, 2022
- Law enforcement questions Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter. Diana states she feared reporting Madalina missing because it could cause conflict with her husband.
- Police visit the family’s home at 18413 Victoria Bay Drive in Cornelius. Inside, they find an area blocked off with plywood off the kitchen. Christopher Palmiter claimed they were planning to build a separate apartment in that space.
December 16, 2022
- Detectives conduct further interviews and search the home.
December 17, 2022
- Based on the delay in reporting Madalina missing, authorities establish probable cause for arrest. Both Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter were arrested for failing to report the disappearance of a child.
December 30, 2022
- Police execute search warrant on the home where Madalina Cojocari lived with her mother and stepfather.
- A judge issues an order to seal records related to search warrants for T-Mobile call records, the defendant’s home, and Christopher Palmiter’s mobile device to prevent interference in the investigation.
January 2023
- Police ask anyone with information on Madalina’s whereabouts to contact police, their local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
February 13, 2023
- Investigators search Diana’s car, finding a Romanian passport for Diana and Romanian and Maldovan passports for Madalina along with work and education documents.
April 11, 2023
- The Cornelius Police Department marked Madalina’s 12th birthday with a celebration at the station, as they continue to partner with the SBI and FBI in the search.
August 18, 2023
- Christopher Palmiter was released on bond.
February 23, 2024
- Diana Cojocari, still being held in a Mecklenburg County Detention Center, refuses to show up for her arraignment hearing. The hearing is rescheduled.
April 11, 2024
- Cornelius Police Department marks Madalina’s 13th birthday with another celebration at the station. She has now been missing for over 500 days.
May 31, 2024
- Diana Cojocari pleaded guilty to failing to report her daughter’s disappearance and was subsequently released from jail.
- Christopher Palmiter was found guilty of the same charge and later filed for divorce from Diana Cojocari. Palmiter was sentenced to 30 months of supervised probation.
June 25, 2024
- Diana Cojocari was officially named a suspect in Madalina’s disappearance.
September 2024
- Diana Cojocari left the United States, reportedly returning to her native Moldova.
As of 2025, Madalina Cojocari remains missing. Authorities continue to seek information regarding her whereabouts.
Records
Records
Mother: Diana Cojocari
Christopher Palmiter met Diana Cojocari on the dating site GlobalLadies. Diana, who claimed to be born in 1979 and living in Moldova, described herself as a teacher. They exchanged emails for a year or two before Palmiter traveled to Moldova to meet her. Their first meeting involved dining and sightseeing, and everything seemed to go well. On his second visit, he gave her a promise ring as a symbol of a “potential future” together.
The two eventually lost contact until Diana reached out again, revealing that she had become pregnant by a local man who, according to her, wanted nothing to do with her or the child. Despite this, Palmiter remained interested, and they rekindled their relationship through email.
In December 2015, Diana arrived in the United States with her toddler daughter, and the couple married a month later on January 9, 2016. However, when applying for their marriage license, Palmiter discovered that Diana had lied about her age. Her actual birth year was 1985, not 1979.
Summary of Legal Actions Timeline
Legal timeline
Madalina Cojocari Case Timeline
November 21, 2022 (Monday)
- 4:59 PM, Madalina Cojocari is last seen on school bus surveillance footage, getting off at her bus stop near her home in Victoria Bay, Cornelius, NC.
- This is the last independently verified sighting of Madalina.
November 23–24, 2022 (Wednesday–Thursday)
- Thanksgiving holiday begins.
- Investigators later suggest this may be the window when Madalina disappeared or met with harm.
Between November 23–December 10, 2022
- Investigators say items belonging to Madalina were burned in a backyard fire pit at the family’s home:
- Mattress
- Clothing
- Halloween costume
- Family photographs
- Portion of upstairs carpet
- These actions are believed to be an attempt to destroy evidence.
December 12, 2022 (Monday)
- Bailey Middle School contacts Diana Cojocari to schedule a meeting about Madalina’s prolonged absence.
- Diana arrives without Madalina and says she’s been missing since around November 23.
- School officials urge her to contact police immediately.
December 14, 2022 (Wednesday)
- Diana meets with a school resource officer and officially reports Madalina missing, 23 days after the last confirmed sighting.
December 15, 2022 (Thursday)
- Cornelius Police Department opens a missing child investigation.
- Police are concerned about the significant reporting delay and immediately suspect foul play.
December 17, 2022 (Saturday)
- Diana Cojocari, mother, and Christopher Palmiter, stepfather, are arrested and charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child.
December 19–22, 2022
- Search warrants are served at the family home.
- Extensive interviews and forensic searches begin.
Conflicting statements emerge
- Diana claims she last saw Madalina the evening of November 23.
- Palmiter claims he left for Michigan on November 23 and did not see Madalina when he returned on November 26.
January 2023
- Court documents reveal:
- Diana said she was afraid to call police because it “might start a conflict” with Palmiter.
- She made two unexplained payments totaling $4,000 to a priest in Moldova.
- From jail, she told her mother she had “hidden money.”
February 2023
- Investigators seize phones, computers, and surveillance systems from the home.
- FBI confirms burned items in backyard were Madalina’s belongings.
May 2024
- Diana Cojocari pleads guilty to failure to report a missing child and is released after serving time.
- She reportedly leaves the U.S. and returns to Moldova.
January 21, 2025
- Search warrants are unsealed, revealing investigators found burned:
- Mattress
- Photos
- Halloween costume
- Clothing
- Carpet
- These items were burned weeks before Madalina was reported missing.
March 3, 2025
- Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter finalize their divorce in Mecklenburg County, NC.
March 20, 2025
- Christopher Palmiter is convicted at trial of failure to report a missing child.
- Sentenced to 30 months of supervised probation.
April 11, 2025
- On what would have been Madalina’s 14th birthday, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children releases an age-progression photo showing what she may look like today.