POLICE have addressed the bombshell claims made by missing Madalina Cojocari’s, grandmother on Thursday.
After watching her daughter, Diana Cojocari, 38, plead not guilty to failure to report a child disappearance charges in a Charlotte, North Carolina Courtroom, Rodica Cojocari claimed to The U.S. Sun her granddaughter is very much still alive.
Standing outside of the Charlotte courthouse, Rodica told the media that she believes Madalina’s stepfather, Palmiter, has sold her for money to traffickers.
Palmiter is charged with failure to report Madalina’s disappearance. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge, and was released on bond on Friday evening.
“They were held in his house like prisoners. Lately, he’s been sedating them with drugs,” said Rodica, speaking almost exclusively in Russian.
Rodica has alleged that Palmiter dragged Madlina from the bedroom and handed her over to someone at the door, prior to vanishing.


“He’s saying he doesn’t know anything, but that’s not true. Madalina is alive,” said Rodica.
“Diana was told if she told the police, they’d kill her,” Rodica added, in her first public interview in the US since her granddaughter disappeared nine months ago.
Rodica said she has traveled from Moldova to North Carolina to bring her kids (Diana and Madalina) home.
It’s her belief that Palmiter was involved with a group of human traffickers who took Madalina.
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She claims that Diana and Madalina had been followed, prior to Madalina vanishing.
In another claim, Rodica said Madina has undergone plastic surgery so that she’s unrecognizable, and that someone’s created fake adoption papers for the little girl.
When asked if she has a message for her granddaughter, Madalina, Rodica said: “I love her very, very much,” as she began to cry.
Rodica said she’s speaking out – not just for her granddaughter who she believes has been trafficked – but for all the kids out there that have been victims of trafficking.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Cornelius Police Department regarding Rodica’s claims.
A spokesman responded on Friday, writing: “We are considering all aspects of this investigation and we will continue to investigate any and all leads that will help us find Madalina.”
The spokesman also said that they have no comment regarding the judge’s decision on Thursday to grant a motion to compel Palmiter’s defense team, which will give him access to more of the case’s investigative files.
Madalina was last seen getting off the school bus in her Cornelius, North Carolina neighborhood – which is located about 20 miles north of Charlotte – on November 21, 2022.
Her mother and stepfather waited several weeks to report her missing to authorities and have both alleged to police that they last saw her before Thanksgiving 2022, according to unsealed search warrants.


Police are urging anyone with information about Madalina Cojocari’s whereabouts to call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.
You can also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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