Mother of Madalina Cojocari pleads guilty for not reporting her disappearance

On Monday, the mother of the missing Cornelius girl, Madalina Cojocari, pleaded guilty to her daughter’s disappearance.

Diana Cojocari was released from prison on Tuesday afternoon. She told Channel 9’s Hannah Goetz that she hopes her daughter is okay.

“I hope she’s safe,” Cojocari said.

She spoke with Goetz before going to the public defender’s office across from the prison.

It is a case that captivated and intrigued the world. Cojocari’s daughter, Madalina, who disappeared at age 11 As of November 2022, it has not yet been found.

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Diana Cojocari and her husband, Christopher Palmiter, were charged with a felony for failing to report a missing child.

Diana Cojocari pleaded guilty to the charge on Monday in a courtroom that did not allow cameras. She answered all the judge’s questions with one word, yes or no.

Diana Cojocari’s plea was not part of a deal and she has already spent the maximum amount of time in prison on this charge.

She was sentenced on Monday to six to 17 months in prison, but with 520 days of her sentence served, the judge said she will be released “soon.”

The judge said it is highly likely that Diana Cojocari will face deportation back to Moldova as she is in the United States on a green card.

According to the Mecklenburg County Jail, if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement files the paperwork before the release papers are filed, they will keep it until it is released into their custody. If ICE does not obtain these documents sooner, she will be released as they will not have the power to detain her.

Cornelius Police Chief David Baucom was in court and spoke to reporters after the hearing.

“We are very grateful that this part of the investigation is behind us and the search for Madalina continues and, as I have said many times before, we will not stop until we find her,” he said.

Palmiter was also scheduled to appear in court on Monday for a jury trial, but that appearance was postponed due to another case taking place in the same room. He has declared himself innocent in your charge.

READ MORE: Lawyer for Madalina Cojocari’s stepfather alleges that they were denied evidence

Officials said the best-case scenario for Palmiter’s hearing is that it begins Tuesday.

At the beginning of this investigation, Channel 9 reported that when detectives asked Diana Cojocari why she didn’t report her daughter missing, they said she told them she was worried it might start a “conflict” between her and her husband.

Diana Cojocari was initially scheduled to be arraigned in February, but according to the judge in court, she chose not to attend the hearing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

(WATCH BELOW: 515 days after the disappearance of Madalina Cojocari, her stepfather pleads innocent)