Even though it has been almost a year since North Carolina schoolgirl Madalina Cojocari was last seen getting off her school bus, the detective in charge of the search, Major Jennifer Thompson, has stated her conviction that the 11-year-old is alive.
Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter, the sixth grader’s parents, failed to declare her missing for weeks after the last sighting in November 2022, missing the critical early days of a search.
After the couple’s arrest in December for failing to report their kid missing, Thompson was the first officer to question them.
Thompson refused to get into specifics about precisely what she saw, what she observed, or what seemed wrong in the house that led to her theory. She did say, however, that the failure to report the child missing speaks for itself.
The youngster had been gone for three weeks when she was last spotted, and throughout that time, school authorities allegedly attempted to reach out to her parents many times.
No one answered the door on December 12 when the school resource officer tried to visit the residence. The mother did not report her daughter missing until they spoke with school officials.
On December 17, 2022, the mother and stepfather were both taken into custody for failing to notify the authorities about the child’s absence.
The mother of Madalina, Diana, is still behind bars. Her spouse, Palmiter, posted a bond in August.
Regarding the question of whether further information may have been revealed if the couple hadn’t been detained, Thompson said, “I stand by the judgment that we took and arresting the parents.”
Thompson wants Madalina to know that many people are searching for her. She said if she can see it, she wants her to know that a “whole community loves her and an agency is committed to getting her home.” Thompson said a lot of law enforcement is working on that to make it happen.
“I stand by the judgment we took in arresting the parents,” Thompson said when asked whether further information would have surfaced if the pair had remained free.
When sending the message to the missing adolescent, the chief officer seemed emotional and distraught.
