“We, as a family, are devastated and absolutely heartbroken to learn that Madalina is missing,” reads the letter. “We Love Madalina and are shocked by these circumstances.”
Search efforts continue for a missing North Carolina girl last seen just before Thanksgiving.
Madalina Cojocari, 11, has not been seen or heard from in a month. The last confirmed sighting of the elementary school student came on Nov. 21, when she was seen exiting a school bus at 4:59 p.m., just days before Thanksgiving.
Now, a member of the missing girl's family has drafted a letter thanking police for their efforts, praising the ongoing media coverage, and imploring the public to stay on the lookout for any possible sign of the girl.
“We, as a family, are devastated and absolutely heartbroken to learn that Madalina is missing,” reads the letter. “We Love Madalina and are shocked by these circumstances.”
The letter goes on to say: "We are and continue to have hope and positivity in this difficult time and pray that she is found."
Inside Edition Digital first obtained a copy of the letter from the FBI. Local police then provided additional information about the note, explaining that the "personal, handwritten message" had been written by "a member of Madalina's extended family."
"Please read it and put yourself in their shoes," added the police.
It took 22 days for the young girl's mother to report her missing, according to members of law enforcement. Diana Cojocari, 37, did not notify police, however, but rather to the staff at her daughter's school.
A spokesperson for the Cornelius Police Department tells Inside Edition Digital that school employees had called the girl's mother on several occasions prior to inquire about her absence from school.
Cojocari and her husband, Christopher Palmiter, 60, were arrested just a few days later and charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement.
The couple remain in custody at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. Records show that the pair were arrested on Saturday and formally charged the following day.
Cojocari is being held on $250,000 bond and Palmiter on $200,000 bond. There is no attorney listed or assigned to either party, according to state records.
What remains a mystery is what happened to Madalina, the little girl who stands 4 feet, 10 inches, weighs just 90 pounds and has not been seen in public for a month.
The local police force is only a week into its investigation, but given the 22-day delay, it has already reached out for assistance in the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation are now aiding the efforts of the Cornelius Police Department.
All three law enforcement agencies have remained tight-lipped about the ongoing investigation.
"As part of the normal investigative process, we are expanding our search to include Lake Cornelius as a precautionary measure," Cornelius Police Department wrote on social media. That search will soon become hindered however as arctic temperatures are expected from coast-to-coast by the end of the week.
Any person with information about Madalina or her whereabouts is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773.
