CORNELIUS, NORTH CAROLINA: Diana Cojocari, the mother of missing 12-year-old girl Madalina Cojocari, was seeming “out of it” during a recent courtroom appearance, body language expert and multi-published author Greg Williams claimed. He said that the woman, 37, looked “disheveled,” “downtrodden,” and “rejected” as she walked into court last month.
“Some of the symbols that leap out at me per her solemnness and her rejection, and her need to feel as though now: ‘here they go again, piling onto me,’” Williams told The Sun. “That was the gestures that I sensed with her [...] downtrodden demeanor,” he added. The expert also mentioned that footage from the court appearance showed Diana looking “downcast” and appearing “solemn” while officials spoke to her.
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Madalina was reported missing after being last seen on surveillance footage walking off her school bus in Cornelius, North Carolina, on November 21, 2022. Her mother Diana and stepfather Christopher Palmiter, 60, were charged for failing to report her disappearance to the authorities for nearly a month. They were arrested in December and held in jail on a total bail of $450,000. Meanwhile, Madalina continued to remain missing.
‘Her hair was disheveled’
Authorities said that Diana appeared in court on April 14 after being found with a small, clear plastic bag inside her shirt pocket containing fentanyl and cocaine when she was searched in jail on March 17. Diana reportedly told the court she “found that bag in the showers five days before” she was found with it. The 37-year-old was later charged with felony possession of a controlled substance while in jail.
Speaking to The Sun, Williams explained that while people use their attire to express themselves, Diana was limited while she was in prison. “She's in prison, so she has on her orange jumpsuit, but you notice her hair was disheveled,” the expert stated. “She knows she's incarcerated, she knows she doesn't have the freedoms that she would normally have,” he added. “Cojocari,’s probably thinking to herself: ‘And now I found the substance, and you guys are going to jump on me for this',” Williams mentioned.
During Madalina’s search investigation, police revealed that Diana was communicating with a distant relative, who allegedly had ties to drug traffickers, to make plans to smuggle herself and her daughter out of their house, the publication noted. Officials believe she was reportedly attempting to move away from Madalina’s stepfather as the duo had a “turbulent relationship,” the outlet reported.
‘This will likely lead towards a plea negotiation’
Diana’s additional drug charge could be used as “leverage” to find the truth behind Madalina’s disappearance, a private investigator told The Sun during an interview. Josh Witte, a PI (who is not involved in Madalina’s case), mentioned that “additional charges are always an important consideration for any prosecutor.” He added that “It can be used as leverage in negotiations and trying to pull intel out of the mom.”
Witte also shared that it is unlikely that Diana will be able to escape the prison charge “because they have constant surveillance and the environment is closed to the public, so the defense will have fewer options in preparing her defense.” He further mentioned that the situation might move toward a plea negotiation. “I imagine this will likely lead towards a plea negotiation of some sort,” Witte opined.
