Stepfather arrested after he waited three weeks to report missing 11-year-old girl’s disappearance

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A North Carolina man has been arrested after he waited three weeks to report the disappearance of his 11-year-old stepdaughter.

Madalina Cojocari has not been seen since the evening of 23 November when she was spotted at her home in Cornelius, North Carolina.

More than three weeks passed before the 11-year-old’s parents finally reported her missing to a school resource officer at Bailey Middle School on 15 December.

A huge manhunt is now underway to track down the missing girl with her whereabouts still unknown and fears mounting for her safety. The FBI and SBI have now joined the search.

On Saturday morning, Cornelius Police announced that they had arrested Madalina’s stepfather Christopher Palmiter on a charge of failing to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement.

Mr Palmiter, 60, is being held on a $100,000 bond at Mecklenburg County Detention Center.

It is not clear why the family waited more than three weeks to raise the alarm about the girl’s disappearance or if Mr Palmiter is cooperating with the law enforcement investigation.

Madalina was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple and white Adidas shoes, and a white t-shirt and jacket.

Madalina Cojocari has not been seen since the evening of 23 November

(Cornelius PD)

She is described as having brown hair and brown eyes, being 4 feet 10 inches tall, and weighing around 90 pounds.

Anyone with information about Madalina’s whereabouts is asked to call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.