Missing Madalina Cojocari’s mother debated theory: Father may have ‘given away girl for money’

In December, the FBI, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Cornelius Police Department began investigating Cojocari’s disappearance. Her mother, Diana Cojocari, didn’t report the girl missing to school authorities until December 15 – nearly a month after she and her stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, told authorities I last saw her on November 23rd.

The two were arrested on December 17 for failing to report a child’s disappearance to law enforcement; They were indicted on these allegations in January. Although authorities have searched extensively for the child, investigators have not found too many leads said in a warrant unsealed earlier this year that one of Diana’s relatives told them she wanted help “smuggling” herself and the child out of their home and had a “bad relationship” with her husband.

In other documents newly unsealed this week, via WBTVAs it turns out, investigators were examining surveillance photos taken at Sugar Mountain on Dec. 16 — a day after Madalina was reported missing by her parents.

According to the warrant, the photos showed a child and a man who “physically match the girl,” as well as a man who is reportedly the child’s only other blood relative in the United States.

The documents also suggest that Diana may have seen the child between the time her parents claimed they last saw her in November and the time she was reported missing. A Dec. 2 text message reportedly stated “that she was in the presence of the missing child” two days before she claimed to be traveling to North Carolina to search for her daughter.

In a recorded prison conversation between Diana and her mother, Diana also allegedly spoke about “a theory that Chris gave the girl away for money,” and also spoke about a large purse and withdrawing cash. Palmiter, on the other hand, was allegedly In another recorded prison call, he overheard him speaking to his brother and sister-in-law and claimed Diana had “a lot of cash on her” – adding that he didn’t know where it came from.

Also included in the documents was an alleged Facebook message from Palmiter to a family member, which said: “We are under some sort of investigation, Madi is missing and local police have taken all our electronic devices, luckily I have an old one Phone even though they had one.” I don’t take my computer with me, probably because they overlooked it, Diana now uses it to call her parents.

Records also revealed that police intentionally took Palmiter to jail with an informant and later confiscated his notebooks.

The search for Madalina continues. Now 12 years old, she is described as a white female weighing around 90 pounds. She was last spotted in jeans, pink, purple and white Adidas shoes, along with a white t-shirt and jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773 or 1-800-Call FBI.