CORNELIUS, N.C. — Cornelius Police held a community gathering on Thursday to celebrate the 13th birthday of missing girl Madalina Cojocari, the girl who was last seen alive in November 2022.
Madalina Cojocari was last seen on Nov. 21, 2022, when she was leaving a school bus in Cornelius, North Carolina. Photos on banners and missing persons posters outside the Cornelius Police Department serve as a reminder that detectives aren't giving up on finding her.
Deputy Chief Jennifer Thompson said they are keeping her memory alive and are not giving up on finding Madalina.
“It’s just my belief that she is alive and that we are going to bring her home,” Thompson said. “It is fair to her to remain hopeful and positive in our search for her.”
Madalina is described as a young girl with a beautiful smile, who loves the outdoors, horses and playing video games.
Thompson has been working on this case from the very beginning and said it is not a case that is going to go cold.
“Being a mom myself, I couldn’t imagine not knowing where my children are,” Thompson said. “Children are supposed to be safe and at home and we have been looking for her for 16 months and we are ready to bring her home.”
The department is bringing the community together to remember Madalina on this birthday and to let the community and Madalina know she is not forgotten.
"All little girls love birthdays, but turning 13, a teenager -- that is a big deal. Most 13-year-old girls should be having princess parties or big celebrations because it is a huge milestones in their lives," Thompson said. "We would rather have her with us so we can throw her a big 13th birthday. But we will get that opportunity. We truly believe it."
For the event, Cornelius police placed a birthday box in their lobby for community members to write Madalina a special birthday wish or give her a card. WCNC Charlotte was at Thursday's event and spoke to members of the community about Madalina.
"She is a child of our community she belongs to all of us," said Eileen Hume, a Cornelius resident at Thursday's gathering.
The photos around town serve as a reminder of an unsolved mystery and make the second birthday Madalina spends as a missing person, this week she becomes a teenager.
"This little girl is somewhere not celebrating her birthday the way that she should," Jeannie Green, another resident, told WCNC Charlotte.
"It's her 13th birthday and is a pretty big deal for a little girl," resident Jasmine Stewart said. "If Madalina is out there she knows someone in her community cares."
Neighbors said while Madalina may not get to blow out the candles, they’re sending messages of love.
"Everyone deserves to feel like a princess on their birthday especially a sweet and strong girl like you," another resident said at the event.
While some cards were written from scratch, others were painted with passion.
Madalina’s absence weighs heavy on the community, especially on days like today. As time passes, the pain sits still, an ache healed only by the truth.
"We don’t know what happened to her, we don’t know where she is, but she may need us and we don't know it," Hume said.
The Cornelius Police Department said they are continuing to work on this case with hopes that next time they meet, it will be in celebration of Madalina’s safe return.
Diana Cojocari, Madalina's mother, told police she last saw her daughter on Nov. 22 around noon. She later changed her testimony to say she last saw her on Nov. 23 around 10 p.m. She told Cornelius police that she and Madalina's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, got into a fight that same evening.
Police records show Palmiter left town that evening and drove to Michigan to "pick up items." He told police he hadn't seen Madalina for a week prior to that date. Diana Cojocari told police Palmiter actually left on Nov. 24, not Nov. 23 as he claimed.
The couple accused each other of hiding Madalina, but neither reported her missing until Dec. 15. Her disappearance was reported when Diana showed up to a school meeting to discuss her daughter's truancy without Madalina. Diana Cojocari told the school resource officer and the school counselor that she hadn't seen Madalina since Nov. 22. Detectives were sent to her home to search for clues as to where Madalina could be. The FBI was called in to help with the search on Dec. 16. Inside the home, police found the girl's backpack and some clothes missing.
Diana Cojocari and Palmiter were arrested on Dec. 17, with Palmiter posting bond in August. Diana Cojocari remains in jail.
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