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The desperate search for missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari continued in North Carolina on Monday as the FBI announced that investigators were expanding the search across land and water while also following multiple leads.
The FBI’s Charlotte office said investigators increased the scope of their search to include Lake Cornelius in Cornelius, North Carolina, as "part of the normal investigative process" to find the child, who went missing just before Thanksgiving.
"There’s nothing we won’t do to #FindMadaline," the agency tweeted.
While Madalina, a sixth-grader, was last seen at her home in Cornelius on the evening of Nov. 23, the Cornelius Police Department said the girl was not reported missing until Thursday. The department immediately requested the assistance of the FBI.
Investigators said Madalina, a sixth-grader, loves horses and ice cream. (FBI Charlotte)
"She was reported missing to her school on December 15, 2022," the FBI previously said. "Madalina was last seen wearing jeans, pink, purple and white Adidas shoes, and a white t-shirt and jacket."
FBI and police said investigators were expanding their search to include Lake Cornelius as "part of the normal investigative process." (FBI Charlotte)
On Saturday, Cornelius police arrested the girl's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60, and her mother, Diana Cojocari, for failing to report the disappearance of a child, officials said.
Cornelius police arrested stepfather Christopher Palmiter, 60, and mother Diana Cojocari for failing to report the disappearance of missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari. (Mecklenburg County Detention Center)
Madalina is described as 4 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 90 pounds. She has brown hair. Officials have shared photos of Madalina, writing that she loves horses and ice cream.
Authorities are continuing to search for 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari, who was reported missing on Dec. 15. (Cornelius Police Department)
The expanded search includes areas outside the home where Madalina was last seen and involves additional land and water searches as a precautionary measure, Cornelius police said.
Cornelius police said additional land and water searches were a precautionary measure. (FBI Charlotte)
Authorities ask anyone with information about Madalina to call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.
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"We need to make certain we have spoken to every person who may have information about Madalina to help us create an exact timeline of when she was last seen," investigators said.
Fox News’ Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.
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