Parents of missing 11-year-old arrested for failing to report her disappearance

The parents of a missing 11-year-old girl from North Carolina were arrested for failing to report her disappearance, authorities announced on Saturday. 

Eleven-year-old Madalina Cojocari was last seen at her home in Cornelius, North Carolina on November 23. 

However, police found out that the girl was missing three weeks later on December 15, after her parents reported her missing to her middle school. An investigation into her disappearance was launched that day. 

Madalina’s mother, Diana Cojocari, 37, and her stepfather, Christopher Pamiter, 60, were arrested and charged with failing to report the disappearance of a child, the Cornelius Police Department announced on Saturday. The two were booked into Mecklenburg County Detention Center. 

Police are actively looking for Madalina and searching for anyone who might have any information about her potential whereabouts. 

“We need to make certain we have spoken to every person who may have information about Madalina to help us create an exact timeline of when she was last seen,” police said.

The @CorneliusPD, #FBI, & @SBI1937 are developing & following many leads to #FindMadalina. As part of the normal investigative process, we are expanding our search to include Lake Cornelius as a precautionary measure. There’s nothing we won’t do to #FindMadalina. pic.twitter.com/xTWKwkDa7v

— FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) December 19, 2022

The FBI and North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation are providing help in the search. 

Madaline was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, a white t-shirt, and a jacket. She is 4 feet, 10 inches tall, and 90 pounds, with brown hair, and brown eyes.  

11-year-old Madalina Cojocari was reported missing on 12-15-22. The 6th grade middle school student loves horses & you can see how happy she is to have a big bowl of ice cream. If you have information, call the @CorneliusPD at 704-892-7773 or 1-800- CALL FBI. #FindMadalina pic.twitter.com/fgk1BAVpm4

— FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) December 18, 2022