Court temporarily seals Madalina Cojocari case documents

by: Annie Szatkowski

Posted: Dec 31, 2022 / 06:33 PM EST

Updated: Dec 31, 2022 / 06:33 PM EST

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A court temporarily sealed the search warrants in the case of missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari.

Assistant District Attorney of Mecklenburg County, William Biggers, released that statement to Queen City News late Friday. Case documents were to be released Thursday.

Investigators searched the home of Madalina's mother, Diana Cojocari, and her stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, on December 21st.

That search happened six days after Madalina's mother first told police about her daughter's disappearance, but no one outside the girl's family has seen her since November 21st.

While search warrants are considered public record, a former FBI agent Queen City News spoke to said they can be kept secret depending on what's going on in an investigation.

Former FBI Special Agent Michael Tabman said: "There might be a bit of evidence that they don't want the public to know about quite yet or, most likely, for the defendants to know that they have. It might be some way of testing their knowledge, their truthfulness should they talk, or something that might indicate to the suspect that they need to take some counteraction – hide something or come up with a story. So, it's all to keep what they have out of the view of the public and the defendants."

Tabman said that investigators might be trying to protect a physical piece of evidence, a source of information, or anything they think could compromise their investigation.