Mom of Madalina Cojocari pleads guilty, set to be deported

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Diana Cojocari, the mother of missing 13-year-old Madalina Cojocari, pleaded guilty to failure to report a missing child and is expected to be deported, according to Cornelius Police Chief David Baucom. 

Madalina, then 11 years old, was last seen getting off the school bus on Nov. 21, 2022.

It would take until Dec. 15 for her mother, Diana Cojocari, to report her missing. 

Diana Cojocari is still being held in a Mecklenburg County Detention Center, where she has been since Dec. 17, 2022.

She was charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child. 

Madalina’s stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, was also charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child. He was released on bond in August, according to jail records. 

Palmiter was originally expected to appear in court Monday morning, but his trial was delayed until further notice.