A missing North Carolina girl’s items were burned before her 2022 disappearance, according to recently released search warrants.
11-year-old Madalina Cojocari disappeared after getting off a school bus on November 21, 2022. A search warrant revealed that a phone, seized the month before in December 2023, contained the Discord app with 37 unread messages.
Cornelius police wrote that the Discord account possibly belonged to Cojocari.
“This investigation involves the believed sexual exploitation of minor child victim,” the warrant also stated.
READ: Grandmother Says Missing Girl’s Stepfather, Now Released from Jail, Sold Her into Sex Trafficking for Millions
Despite not being reported missing until December 15, 2022, Cojocari’s stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, confessed to police that several items were burned on the family’s property between November 23 and December 10, 2022. Among the destroyed items were Cojocari’s mattress, clothes, and Halloween costume, as well as family photos and carpet from an upstairs room.
According to WSOC, investigators searched the burn pit and discovered a spot of dirt that was dug up.
In June, Palmiter was found guilty of not reporting Cojocari’s disappearance and received a 30-month probation sentence. A month later, he initiated divorce proceedings.
The missing girl’s mother, Diana Cojocari, reportedly moved back to Moldova after she was convicted of the same crime in May and sentenced to time served.
[Feature Photo: Handout]
