Cornelius mom of missing 12-year-old possessed cocaine, fentanyl in jail, police say
The mother of missing 12-year-old Madalina Cojocari was charged with possession of a controlled substance in the Mecklenburg County jail as she awaits trial for failing to report the Cornelius girl’s disappearance, jail records showed Friday.
Madalina was last seen getting off a school bus Nov. 21. Her parents didn’t report her missing until Dec. 15 — some 22 days later.
Her mother, 38-year-old Diana Cojocari, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60, were arrested and charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement Dec. 17.
Cornelius Police officers responded to a fire at the couple’s home in the 18400 block of Victoria Bay Drive just before 5:30 p.m. Nov. 30, according to a police incident report obtained by The Charlotte Observer Friday.
The report offers no other details, including what was on fire and where on the property. Neighbors called police that afternoon to report that Diana Cojocari was burning furniture in the backyard, Queen City News reported, citing Cornelius Police Chief David Baucom.
On March 17, jail officers found a small clear plastic bag containing a white powder in Diana Cojocari’s shirt pocket, according to an arrest warrant on the felony drug charge obtained Thursday by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The powder tested positive for a cocaine- and fentanyl-based substance, according to the warrant.
The new information followed a vigil by the Cornelius community in honor of Madalina’s birthday Tuesday — the 141st day she’d been missing.
Police urged the public to continue sharing photos of Madalina. Tips are still coming in, and officers have followed hundreds of leads both inside and out of the state, Baucom said at the vigil.
Reminders of Madalina surround her house: yellow ribbons, a stuffed sloth and missing persons fliers.
Staff writer Kallie Cox contributed to this report
