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Police in North Carolina have released video footage showing the last known time missing 11-year-old girl Madalina Cojocari was seen, getting off her school bus.
The footage shows the 6th grader getting off at her stop on Nov. 21 at 4:59 p.m., which police in Cornelius, about 20 miles north of Charlotte, say is “the last time we have independent confirmation of when she was last seen.”
In the footage, Madalina is seen wearing a gray T-shirt with her hair in a ponytail. The black straps of a backpack are visible.
Officials previously said that Madalina’s mother and stepfather told detectives they last saw her on Nov. 23, but now authorities are seeking additional witnesses outside of the family to pinpoint the exact timeline of her disappearance.
Police became aware that the girl had vanished when Madalina’s mother, Diana Cojocari, reported her missing to Bailey Middle School on Dec. 15, and an investigation into her disappearance was launched.
That report came after school employees contacted the mother “on several occasions” to inquire about why Madalina was absent from school.
Diana Cojocari, 37, and Madalina’s stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60, were arrested Saturday and charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement as three weeks had passed before anyone knew the child was missing.
Both remain in custody at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. Attorney information for the pair was not immediately available.
The FBI and the State Bureau of Investigation are aiding in the search.
Police said Monday the search has expanded outside of the area of Madalina’s home and included Lake Cornelius, with officials conducting land and water searches as a precautionary measure.
Madalina is described as 4 feet, 10 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes, and weighing 90 pounds.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.
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