A mother reportedly waited more than three weeks before reporting the disappearance of her 11-year-old daughter to the police.
Young Madalina Cojocari has been missing since December 15 in the Cornelius area of North Carolina.
However, his mother would have explained to the investigators to have seen him for the last time on November 23.
Diana Cojocari reportedly said she waited this long because she was afraid of her spouse’s reaction, reports WBTV.com.
The 37-year-old is said to have feared her husband was “putting the lives of his family at risk”.
She would have added that she had no idea where the girl was.
The mother of the family as well as her husband, Christopher Palmiter (Madalina’s stepfather) have been accused of failing to report the disappearance of a child to the authorities.
Last week, the Cornelius Police Department shared the last known footage of the third-grader as she boarded a school bus on Nov. 21, two days before she was officially missing.
Investigators also shared a handwritten letter from the little girl’s extended family.
“We are devastated to learn of Madalina’s disappearance. We love it and we are shocked. No child or family should have to go through this,” the letter read.
“Madalina is a beautiful, intelligent and loving 11-year-old girl. She is promised a great future. We are desperate to find her. She needs ALL of our help.”
The help of the FBI has been requested in this investigation which has been stalled for more than 10 days.