Mother, stepfather arrested as police search for missing 11-year-old girl

The mother and stepfather of missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari were arrested on Saturday for allegedly failing to report her disappearance as the search for the girl intensifies.

The 11-year-old was last seen at home in Cornelius, North Carolina, about three weeks before her school was notified on Dec. 15 that she was missing, according to law enforcement officials.

"The parents of the juvenile reported the juvenile missing to the Bailey Middle School SRO where the juvenile attends school," the Cornelius Police Department said in a statement on Friday. "The juvenile was last seen at home, on the evening of November 23, 2022, and has not been seen since."

Police said they began an investigation on Thursday after the school was notified Cojocari was missing.

Cornelius police said Monday that the search is being expanded and now includes Lake Cornelius. The FBI is helping with the investigation.

The girl's mother, Diana Cojocari, 37, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60, were arrested on Saturday on the charge of failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement, police said in two statements.

Both are being held at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center, police said.

North Carolina law requires parents or guardians to report missing children to law enforcement within "a reasonable time."

Cojocari had been wearing "jeans, pink, purple and white Adidas shoes, and a white t-shirt and jacket" at the time of her disappearance, the FBI said.

ABC News' Victoria Arancio and Monica Camacho contributed to this report.