Cornelius Police will host gathering on Madalina Cojocari’s thirteenth birthday
The Cornelius Police Department will host a community gathering for a local girl who’s been missing since 2022, according to a news release.
The event will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday in the department’s parking lot, on Madalina Cojocari’s thirteenth birthday. Cornelius has hosted similar events before.
The 12-year-old went missing in November 2022 when she was 11.
Since then, her mother and stepfather — Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter — have been charged with failing to report her disappearance.
Both have been interviewed by police, but neither have offered an explanation as to why they didn’t report the girl missing, prosecutors said in court. Court documents have raised as many questions as they have provided answers.
In February, Diana Cojocari missed a court date after refusing to leave her jail cell, The Charlotte Observer reported.
Her charges are pending, as are Palmiter’s.
The police department has placed a box in its lobby for people to leave birthday wishes and cards. The cards will be read at Thursday’s gathering, according to the news release.
If there’s rain, the gathering will be held in the Cornelius Town Hall’s community room.
This story was originally published April 9, 2024 at 12:04 PM.