Photo: Jessica Alba/Instagram
A Cornelius, N.C., woman accused of waiting three weeks to report her 11-year-old daughter missing claimed to police that she failed to come forward sooner because she was afraid of her husband’s reaction, multiple outlets report.
According toQueen City News, Cojocari, 37, received a home visit from a local detective shortly after she reported Madalina missing on Dec. 15. Cojocari reportedly told the detective that some of her daughter’s clothing was missing. She also said there was no family in the area with whom Madalina could be staying, perQueen City News.
Cojocari reportedly told authorities she’d waited weeks to report Madalina missing because she was afraid of Palmiter’s reaction, per court records.
Madalina Cojocari.Jessica Alba/Instagram
Cojocari and Palmiter have since been charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement.
On Tuesday, the Cornelius Police Department released surveillance footage of Madalina getting off the school bus on Nov. 21 — two days before she vanished.
The police department also posted a handwritten open letter, purportedly from the missing girl’s extended family,on its Facebook page, pleading for assistance and community support.
“Madalina is a beautiful, smart, kind and loving 11-year-old girl with greatness in her future,” it continues. “We are desperate to find her right now, she needs ALL of our help.”
Letter from Madalina Cojocari’s extended family.Jessica Alba/Instagram
Madalina was last seen in her Cornelius home, about 20 miles outside of Charlotte. Her mother and stepfather reported her missing to a school resource officer at Bailey Middle School on Dec. 15 after the school repeatedly complained about the child’s absence from class.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
A Mondayupdate on the Cornelius PD Facebook pagesaid the agency was expanding the “search area outside of the home where Madalina was last seen and that now includes Lake Cornelius. We are conducting additional land and water searches as a precautionary measure.”
Madalina is described as 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 90 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing jeans; a white t-shirt and jacket; and pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, authorities said.
It is unclear if Cojocari and Palmiter have entered a plea to the charges against them, or retained attorneys to comment on their behalf.
The FBI is assisting with this investigation. Anyone with information on Madalina’s whereabouts should contact the Cornelius Police Department at (704) 892-7773 or submit tips online attips.fbi.gov.
source: people.com
