Going West: True Crime - Madalina Cojocari // 290

Starting point is 00:00:00 What is going on True Crime fans, I'm your host Tee. And I'm your host, Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody, happy Friday. Big thank you to everybody who recommended this case. We have a bunch of you. Thank you to Abby and Steven, Heather, Melissa, Jamie, Lauren, Donna, Abby and Summer. Wow. That is a lot of recommendations for one case. Well, it's because this case, it's a happening now case. It occurred just a few months ago and it is still ongoing and this is like a big big big Please share and it's gonna piss you off. Oh my god. This is this case is making our blood boil so high

Starting point is 00:00:53 I mean he and I have been talking about it non-stop So please listen up please share and thank you guys so much for tuning in all right guys This is episode 290 of going west so let's get into it! We are bringing you a case that has gained national and international attention, and it involves the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl from North Carolina named Madalena Kojikari. It has been almost two months since this little girl was last seen in public, just before Thanksgiving.

Starting point is 00:01:41 But her mother and her stepfather waited three weeks to report her disappearance. What happened during those three weeks is a question that we still cannot answer, and we still don't know where Madelina is now. Among the pixelated faces on this video is one that is clear as day. Madelina Kojikari is getting off a school bus. It's November 21st just before Thanksgiving break about five o'clock. This is the last time she was known to be seen by anyone else other than her mother and stepfather. Madelina Codra Carrey's family says

Starting point is 00:02:13 both her stepfather Christopher Pometer and her mother Diana Codra Carrey were arrested. Investigators say they've conducted interviews across state lines. The news started gaining traction. People in the community started to worry. A playful house safety. Bring a home way up a sheet is bring a home.

Starting point is 00:02:30 I do remember her just playing alone. So I went to go play with her and we just connected. I'm just hoping so sincerely that we find this little girl. This is a serious case of a child whose parents clearly are not telling us everything they know. Madelina Kojikari was born on April 11, 2011 to her mother Diana Kojikari. Now while Madelina lived most recently in North Carolina as we're going to get into, she was born in the European country of Moldova. And for those who are unfamiliar, Moldova is a small, eastern European nation that's

Starting point is 00:03:21 a little bit bigger than the state of Maryland land-wise, but it has about a third of the population of Maryland with a total of 2.6 million people as of recent. Madalena was raised speaking both Romanian, which is most widely spoken in Moldova and English, and her mother also spoke some French. In her early to mid-20s, Madeline's mother Diana married a man in her hometown and the two had Madeline together. But a short time later, they divorced and Diana longed for just like a fresh start for herself and for her daughter, so she decided to move. And that's when Diana's own mother and father had also recently divorced, so Diana, her mom and her daughter, all moved to Moldova's

Starting point is 00:04:07 capital city of Kishinau. While living there, Diana participated in a recorded weight loss competition, which appeared on YouTube, and in her interview, she explained that she was recently divorced and that she was ready to find love again, and she really hoped for a stepfather for her daughter, Madalena, who was three years old at the time. The description of the project reads, quote, "...we present to you the third protagonist of the project, lose weight healthy. Diana Kojikari is 29 years old, and her weight problem started three years ago after she gave birth to a little girl. Many people tried to motivate her to lose weight but without success.

Starting point is 00:04:48 Before enrolling in the project, Diana had a chaotic meal schedule and often skipped breakfast. Now this project was run by an online women's magazine in Moldova called Unica.MD, which calls itself a quote, online magazine for women with the latest information in fashion beauty health nutrition sex diets and recipes from the best specialist in moldova and i'm just telling you guys this because this is one of the only places that we could really find a description of dianna just based on this random project that she was a part of yeah it appears that there's not a whole lot of other information about her out there on the internet.

Starting point is 00:05:28 Yeah, so this just kind of gives us the timeline of where she's living and when, what happened with Madeline's father, and then as Heath is going to go into how they got to North Carolina. Yes, now it's unclear where, when, or how Diana met her now husband, but within the next few years, Madelina and Diana made the journey from Keisha now, Moldova to the United States, and more specifically Charlotte, North Carolina. Now, according to her LinkedIn profile, Diana's job in Keisha now ended in December of 2015, and a new one picked up in January of 2016 in North Carolina.

Starting point is 00:06:05 So I mean, it's pretty likely that that's when they relocated when Madelina was around four years old. Now Diana, who's now 37, married Christopher Pometer, who's now 60. The couple along with Madelina settled into the quaint, suburban town of Cornelius, which is a suburb that sits about 30 minutes north of the city of Charlotte, nestled along the very picturesque Lake Norman. Now speaking about Christopher for a second here, his LinkedIn profile states that he works for Ingersoll Rand, which is in industrial machinery manufacturing company based in North

Starting point is 00:06:40 Carolina. He's spent his career in manufacturing and aerospace and appears to have moved to North Carolina from Michigan, but you know other than that we don't know a whole lot about Christopher. Diana's LinkedIn profile claims that she works as an independent beauty consultant for Mary K. Cosmetics and has since 2016. Now it doesn't appear that Diana and her daughter maintained contact with Madeline's birth father, but if they have, no identifying information has been shared about him as of yet. In the fall of 2022, when this story takes place, 11-year-old Madeline was entering sixth grade at Bailey Middle School in Cornelius, North Carolina. She was known to be a bit

Starting point is 00:07:23 shy at first, but those who knew her said that she was very warm and she was kind. A friend of hers from school recalled, quote, I do remember her just playing alone, so I went to go play with her and we just connected. Madelina had a passion for horses and she loved to ride them when she could, but also really took pride in a collection

Starting point is 00:07:44 of plastic horses that she owned. The FBI actually recently released pictures of her, posing very proudly by the horse that she rode sometimes, whose name was Reyn, and a shot of her showing off her prized plastic pony collection while standing on the beach, which we will share on our socials. She's also known for her love of ice cream. Sounds like Daphne. Yes it does. So neighbors of the family in Cornelius

Starting point is 00:08:09 claim that they mostly kept to themselves, calling them quiet and withdrawn. One neighbor stated, quote, I haven't seen mom quite as much, but I have seen the stepfather out with the daughter just doing normal walks and bikes and stuff. They just seem so normal. It's just nothing stands out, you know?

Starting point is 00:08:28 So that's kind of the more confusing part. An acquaintance of the family that the Kojikari family used to take vacations with went one step further and said that Diana and Christopher Quote had no friends. The two did start to get involved in various gatherings from acquaintances who just wanted them to feel included, and also to make sure that Madalena, who, as we know, was an only child, had friends her age to play with. One attendee of these gatherings in group vacations, who was a woman named Michelle, was interviewed later and explained vacations, who was a woman named Michelle, was interviewed later and explained, quote,

Starting point is 00:09:05 Our friend, whom we know the Kojikari family through, said that to us, like, they had no friends. That's why they would come to this family friend get together. That was really one of their only social times. I'm not close enough to them to have known that, and that just came to light when we spoke to our mutual friend about it. She called Diana quiet and on the outskirts saying they were quote nothing out of the norm, just more of a quiet to themselves kind of family.

Starting point is 00:09:35 They did engage and talk and interact and have conversations with everyone just more quiet. Now obviously there's nothing wrong with being like a quiet more reserved family. There are some people that don't really like hanging out in big groups or being a part of that whole thing, but these are just observations that we're bringing up from what people are saying about them. Now as we're about to get into Madelina did disappear and just to kind of while we're talking about what people are saying about the family, Michelle says that she was absolutely floored when she learned about Madeline as disappearance and explained that her son used to love playing with her and she called Madeline a sweet and normal little girl.

Starting point is 00:10:16 Michelle said, quote, we're pretty shocked. My son would play with Madeline every year when we would have these vacations. They would come hang out and play and do kid things. So yeah, it's pretty shocking. So now let's get into this time frame of Madelina's disappearance. We're going to be talking about a lot of days. We're going to say Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, this Monday, this Monday. So just try to follow along with the days of the week and the dates.

Starting point is 00:10:45 Yes, so on Monday, November 21st, 2022, Madelina headed home on the bus as usual. And she was really excited for this extra long weekend break for Thanksgiving. The last time that she was seen in public was when she was captured on security camera footage, getting off of her school bus at 4.59pm. And I just want to mention that according to a school website, it says that this Bayley

Starting point is 00:11:11 Middle School in Cornelius ends for the day at 4.15pm for grade 6 through 8. And again, Madelina was in sixth grade. So then we can imagine that it would take time to get on the bus for the bus to leave and for the bus to make additional stops before Madelineas at nearly 5 PM, which is 45 minutes after school ended for the day. So it's later than most schools that I'm aware of like ending at 4.15, I remember my school ended at 3.15. Yeah, same.

Starting point is 00:11:40 But it does click, this timing does click, if her school day kind ended out 415. For everybody who's like, why is she only getting home at 5pm? Yeah, we didn't wanna confuse anybody by saying, oh, you know, like people thinking that, oh, that's a long time between like getting out of school and then getting home.

Starting point is 00:11:58 Right, but it does, it does make sense here. Exactly, so the very last time that she was officially seen that we know of was on this security camera footage, on the bus exiting the bus at 4.59 pm with multiple other students. And it's possible that this was the last stop because the bus's seats look completely empty as she and other students get off. Yeah, it's like it seemed like they were the remaining kids on the bus getting off and we're we're gonna post pictures of course. Right. So one week later on Monday, November 28th, we're skipping ahead here. When the students at Bayley Middle School returned from their

Starting point is 00:12:36 Thanksgiving break, Madalena was not one of them. The school made multiple attempts to contact Madeline's family, but all of these attempts were ignored. Exactly two weeks later, on Monday, December 12, 2022, so three weeks after Madeline was lashing on that security camera footage on the school bus. A school resource officer from Bayley Middle School stopped by the house in an attempt to make contact with her or her parents. But nobody answered the door. So she left behind a truancy packet, just basically explaining what can happen to Madelina

Starting point is 00:13:15 and her parents if she continues to be absent from school. Now two days later, on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, Madeline's mother Diana finally called the school back and agreed to come in with Madeline on the following day. But the next day, on December 15, when she arrived at that school, Madeline was not with her. Diana claimed that she had not seen her daughter since Tuesday, November 22,

Starting point is 00:13:48 2022 around noon. So over three weeks prior, the day after she was seen getting off of that bus. The fact that the day before coming into school, Diana says she'll bring in Madelina and then she shows up and says, well, actually, I haven't seen her in weeks. It's so fishy on its own, but then accompanied by the fact that she herself didn't report not seeing her 11-year-old daughter for three weeks. Like, that's fishy on top of fishy. Well, yeah, but finally that day, which again was Thursday, December 15, 2022, Madalina Kojikari was reported missing. Yeah, finally.

Starting point is 00:14:26 And I feel like it's safe to assume that Diana probably wasn't the one to report her missing. Right, or at least the one to instigate that, because clearly, as we've seen just by, just by the information that we have, the school is more concerned about where she is than her mother seems to be. Right. And considering that she was a minor and she had been missing for so long, her house was searched immediately for signs of blood, a struggle, or a possible abduction. But police quickly realized that the perpetrators that they were looking for may in fact be in the house searching alongside them.

Starting point is 00:15:03 Yeah, I mean, right off the bat, Cornelius police were suspicious of Madeline as mother Diana and her stepfather, Christopher. And I just got to say real quick, every time I look at Christopher's face, I just feel like he has this bad aura. Like, he looks like a bad guy to me. Not that looks mean shit, but I know what you mean. You know what I'm talking about. I do know what you're talking about.

Starting point is 00:15:25 So not only did they wait over three weeks to report Madeline as disappearance, but they just couldn't seem to get their stories to align. After telling Madeline a school that she hadn't seen her daughter since November 22nd at noon, Diana then changed her story and said that she'd actually last seen her the day after that. On Wednesday, November 23rd, at 10 p.m. as they both headed to bed. So that's a day and a half later. Yeah, like this makes any sort of difference.

Starting point is 00:15:56 She still has been missing for three weeks. Well, that's true. But it is still weird to say I last saw her one day at noon, but then actually I did see her the next the next day at bedtime. Like this is just very different situations. Yeah. So she claimed that she had gone into Madeline's room the next day, which was Thanksgiving day,

Starting point is 00:16:16 Thursday, November 24th, around 11.30 AM, and just found that she was gone. So no other explanation just she was gone. Diana said she noticed there was clothing and a backpack missing from Madeline as bedroom and this feels like she's trying to hint to police. Oh, maybe she ran away. Right. Still doesn't still doesn't add up with what you're telling us. Now she's 11 years old. And you still didn't report her missing. So everything you're saying just feels very suspicious anyway. And hard to trust.

Starting point is 00:16:51 So when asked why she did not report her daughter missing at that time, she claimed that she was worried it would quote, start conflict between her and Christopher. What kind of bullshit is that, though? It's heavy bullshit. Oh, God. So her family reportedly urged her to go to the police, but she told them the same thing. Christopher. What kind of bullshit is that, though? It's heavy bullshit. Oh, God. So her family reportedly urged her to go to the police, but she told them the same thing she

Starting point is 00:17:09 told the school and the police later that she was worried that it would cause conflict between her and her husband. Now Christopher, on the other hand, gave a very different account entirely for when he had last seen Madalena, although they had supposedly all been in a house together. Both Diana and Christopher mentioned having an argument on the evening of Wednesday, November 23rd, but did not disclose what it was about or if Madalena was involved. They also both mentioned that Christopher had just returned from a trip home to visit his family in Michigan.

Starting point is 00:17:46 Diana stated that, quote, she and her husband Christopher Palmer argued that night and the next morning he drove to his family's house in Michigan to recover some items. One thing I want to say really quick. So they're saying, oh, we got in a fight on Wednesday, November 23rd, and that was just when he had gotten home from a trip. But then it turns out he took a trip after this. Yeah. This is very different.

Starting point is 00:18:14 And we're also going to get into the details and why this just seems so damn suspicious. Well, also, I mean, people leave town all the time, obviously, especially around the holidays. Well, also, I mean, people leave town all the time, obviously, especially around the holidays, but as we always say, it just looks extra suspicious if you leave town or take a long drive around the time that someone you know goes missing, especially when you're thought to possibly be involved in that. And this would have been the day or two days after, when I say this would have been, I mean, Christopher going to Michigan would have been the day or two after Madalena was apparently last seen by them. So and he went to recover some items, whatever the hell that means.

Starting point is 00:18:53 Well, yeah, let's talk about why that's so sketchy. Okay, so neither he nor Diana have elaborated on the purpose of the trip to Michigan, except that he was visiting family. And like I said, needed to pick up some items. So he left early on the morning of Thanksgiving, which was of course Thursday, November 24th, 2022, and returned about 48 hours later. Now, police found this incredibly suspicious. Not only the timing, because, you know, he had left the same time that Diana claims to have last seen her daughter,

Starting point is 00:19:28 but also the fact that he departed on a national holiday instead of spending it with his family. And on top of this, the drive from Cornelius, North Carolina to Holland, Michigan, which is where he apparently traveled and had some family living at the time, is about 12 hours one way. So for a two day trip,

Starting point is 00:19:47 he spent only one day at his destination and one full day in the car. I mean, if not more time, considering stops and such. Yeah, I mean, that would mean that he spent more time in the car than he did with his family in Michigan, even though he drove all that way.

Starting point is 00:20:04 Like, it's about 12 hours from LA to where your parents live in Oregon. Imagine driving all the way up there and just staying for one day and then coming all the way back. You know how intense that drive is. It's a long drive, yes. And it feels like way more than 12 hours.

Starting point is 00:20:21 It feels like days. Yeah, I mean, it really does. And to go all the way there just to recover some items or get some items or whatever he said, it just feels weird. Yeah, and I know we keep saying that quote of recover some items, but it's because we don't know what the hell that means, which just feels even more bizarre. Well, Christopher told police that he left later in the evening on Wednesday, November 23rd, after the couple's argument. He also said that he had left alone and

Starting point is 00:20:50 had not known where Madalena was at that time, let alone, you know, brought her with him. Well, and what we know is that Diana said that he had left on the morning of Thanksgiving. And I know if she had been living in the States for about six years, she probably would have gotten more and more used to the Thanksgiving holiday, which she would not have had in Moldova, obviously. But I do feel like it's easier to remember things that happen on a significant day. Like, for example, a holiday, you remember what you did last Christmas, but you might not remember what you did last December 18th, right? Sure. So even though this wouldn't have been a holiday she had celebrated too too many times, she had been for years. So to say he left that morning, whereas he's

Starting point is 00:21:34 saying he left the night before, that's very different. Yeah, it is. It absolutely is. And you know, for anybody who's wondering about Christopher and, if he has any sort of criminal background, it appears that he does not and he only has a few traffic interactions. Right. Or infractions, sorry. Well, in an even stranger twist, Diana also went on a solo trip around this time. Now she claimed that she was by herself, but some have now wondered whether she brought Madelina with her and that something happened to her daughter along the way,

Starting point is 00:22:10 or that she did something with her daughter's possible remains along the way. Especially since Diana, like Christopher, was totally hushed on the details of the trip for whatever reason. So she had driven to the Asheville area of North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is in Madison County, and it's about a two-hour trip from Cornelius. And due to this, police put out a notice asking for assistance and information that read, quote, one of the family members was in the Madison County area of North Carolina. We are seeking firsthand eyewitness information from anyone who may have seen this Prius

Starting point is 00:22:50 or White Female in the Madison County area. The notice showed two selfies taken by Diana with the mountains in the background and also contained a picture of her green 2008 Prius. And the family member that police are talking about was later identified as Diana Kojikari. But get this, allegedly Diana had a run-in with the police in the Prius along the way. She was reportedly stopped on the side of the road, claiming she was tired and just taking a break from driving. And this was believed to have taken place on or around Wednesday, November 23rd, and she had been alone in the car.

Starting point is 00:23:35 So let's talk about this. We've got the stepfather making a trip 12 hours to Michigan. We've got the mother taking a two-hour trip north to Asheville. At the same time, like if this happened on Wednesday, November 23rd, that would have been the time that she claimed that she had gotten in that fight with Christopher, but even if it was just around this time, it's still right in the middle of the days that Madeline went missing, and Christopher took a drive of his own. Like, it's just like this, it's so jumbled.

Starting point is 00:24:06 Yeah, the timing just, the timing makes no sense for the two of you to go on two separate trips when your daughter is now missing. Yeah, and we're actually gonna bring her up right now regarding like, oh, by the way, where is she? So, one internet sleuth pointed out that Diana had uploaded multiple pictures of herself in the mountainous landscape to an album on Facebook and that in one of the pictures, it may have appeared as if Madelina was in the background.

Starting point is 00:24:34 However, aside from the fact that she went to Asheville, those claims are just all conjecture and have not been confirmed by law enforcement and we do not have those photos. And when Diana and Christopher returned from their respective trips, they apparently asked each other where Madeline was and if the other had seen her, and they both said no, and So, before that quick break, Daphne told us that Diana and Christopher both went on solo trips and had apparently asked each other where 11 year old Madelina was, to which they both said that they hadn't seen her and then they didn't report her missing.

Starting point is 00:25:43 Also I mean this isn't your cat that like sleeps outside sometimes and comes and goes, this is your minor child. So to supposedly say, oh yeah, have you seen her? Like that's such negligence. But I don't even think I believe that conversation took place because I believe they know exactly where she is. Yeah, and this is just our opinions at this point, but I feel like there's probably a lot of you that agree with this.

Starting point is 00:26:08 Yeah, this is like common ground for the most part. So leading up to the end of that year, with more and more time elapsing between the investigation and when Madelina was last seen, the Cornelius Police Department attempted to put together the pieces of Diana's and Christopher's personal lives that may have led Madelina to this fate. So several states, including North Carolina, have enacted what's come to be known as Kay Lee's Law, named after Casey Anthony's deceased daughter Kay Lee Anthony, which makes

Starting point is 00:26:39 it a felony to fail to report when a child is missing. So, on December 17, 2022, Diana Kojikari and Christopher Pometer were arrested for failing to report Madeline's disappearance when she originally went missing. Within just a week of beginning their investigation, the Cornelius Police Department contacted both the FBI and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for Assistance. But the law enforcement agencies have managed to keep most of the details about this ongoing investigation private, and Diana and Christopher have yet to give them any new or revelatory information while in custody.

Starting point is 00:27:22 The family's house on Victoria Bay Drive in Cornelius was searched multiple times. By the way, to give you guys a bit of a visual, this house is a beautiful four bedroom home and a residential neighborhood with houses almost all around it. So it's very visible to the neighbors. Yeah, we're going to post photos too because I think that is important to note that this isn't some like secluded house. It's very visible. Exactly. So, according to some reports, after searching the home, they showed a particular interest in the fire pit in the backyard. One officer also said that he noticed that it

Starting point is 00:27:56 appeared that they were doing some construction on the kitchen. His account explained, quote, while in the residence, I noticed an area blocked with plywood off the kitchen. They had planned to make a separate apartment. Very interesting timing. Again, maybe a coincidence? Maybe not. Possibly, yeah.

Starting point is 00:28:15 So among the items taken from the home were three cell phones, which was strange because Diana claimed that Madelina did not have a cell phone, so there were three between Diana and Christopher alone, and police have not explained who's belonged to who, like if Diana had two, if Christopher had two, or what the situation was there. Now, send dogs were brought through the house and also employed to search Diana's Prius, which was parked out front.

Starting point is 00:28:43 These canines indicated to there being narcotics in one of the passenger side doors, so Diana's car was seized for further inspection. Reportedly, the car contained evidence of drug paraphernalia and potential evidence of human trafficking, we're not sure what the evidence was, in addition to the possible narcotics. Still, the investigation was slow, which was a major frustration to the community, those investigating, and anyone who knew or advocated for Madalena. Cornelius Police Captain Jenny Thomas said, quote, this is a serious case of a child whose parents are clearly not telling us everything they know.

Starting point is 00:29:29 The search then extended to nearby Lake Norman, searching for a potential location where a body may have been discarded. The Cornelius Police Department announced quote, as part of the normal investigative process, we are expanding our search to include Lake Cornelius as a precautionary measure. I just want to mention, they did say Lake Cornelius. When I look up Lake Cornelius, it's like Lake Norman comes up, so I feel like maybe people call it that too, does not to confuse you guys.

Starting point is 00:29:58 So while most of the search warrant was redacted by a judge to prevent the public from gaining access to pertinent details about this case, the details that were released were alarming and pointed to multiple possible scenarios. One new revelation was the potential involvement of a member of Diana's family, the man whom Diana initially called a distant relative and seemed to try to downplay was actually her nephew and he had lived with them at the house in Cornelius. Octavian Chobano stayed with Diana, Christopher and Madelina at their home for multiple months in 2019, so three years before Madelina went missing.

Starting point is 00:30:40 The woman who started the Madelina Kojikari Missing Facebook group wrote of him, quote, "'Octavian Chobano is now married and lives in his own home in Florida and has ties to both Orlando and St. Cloud." In view of the fact that law enforcement has confiscated both of Madalena's passports, there is a possibility that she is being hidden somewhere, possibly in Florida. Now while this sounds pretty far-fetched, it actually aligns with something that Diana allegedly said herself. The search warrant apparently details that Diana asked Octavian if he would help smuggle both her and Madalena away from North Carolina and away from Christopher.

Starting point is 00:31:23 She explained that her marriage was, quote, a bad relationship and that she wished to seek a divorce. On December 2, 2022, so a couple weeks after Madelina was last seen, investigators gleaned from her phone records that Diana had extensive contact with Octavian. When they searched Octavian's phone and records, they found calls and communication with, quote, phone numbers belonging to unidentified targets involved in ongoing drug and narcotic trafficking investigations.

Starting point is 00:31:59 So this could point to a number of possible conclusions. For example, Octavian could be hiding Madalena somewhere like maybe in an attempt to keep her safe, or Christopher could have found out about her plans to take Madalena away and gotten ahead of her by taking her somewhere himself. But these are just speculative theories. Now many have also posited that trafficking is involved instead of murder. It could be familial trafficking, which is where a member of the victim's own family, such as Octavian, takes or sells the child.

Starting point is 00:32:36 Or it could be that Diana, Christopher or Octavian were involved in a illicit drug and trafficking activity, and Madalena was tragically caught in the crossfire somehow. While this may provide absolutely no connection to what happened to Madalena, many have pointed out that Eastern Europe, which remember is where Madalena and Diana come from, is struggling with human trafficking. So basically, Moldova is a relatively new country.

Starting point is 00:33:04 It declared its independence in 1991 after the Soviet Union dissolved. And Moldova has faced economic and social hardships, which obviously have just worsened because of the war in neighboring Ukraine, and actually has one of the weakest economies in Europe second only to Ukraine. And because of this, human trafficking is sadly rampant. And while the government has reported that about a few hundred people are trafficked every year there, the actual number is believed to be much higher. So a lot of people wonder if there is somehow a connection here. Yeah, and it's definitely a possibility and should not be overlooked in this case.

Starting point is 00:33:48 I definitely agree, and I know that some of these theories include Diana trying to keep Madelina safe in that there might be evidence that she was trying to do this and was giving this information to Octavian, but I just have a hard time getting behind that theory because even if she was trying to escape her relationship like and didn't report Madeline a missing because she knew that she wasn't actually missing, then for her to like go on a trip to the mountains at this time and have a really complicated version

Starting point is 00:34:22 of events and then for her to even get arrested in the swing of it, instead of finally just telling police what's going on, I just have a hard time believing that she's a victim in this. Though to be fair, we really have no evidence of anything. These are all just total theories. But like if Madeline is alive and her mom was just trying to keep her safe, like I will eat my words, but until then, I'm just trying to keep her safe. Like I will eat my words, but until then, I'm just very skeptical about her behavior.

Starting point is 00:34:48 Well, and the reason why I'm skeptical about this as well is because she and Christopher are still in jail to this day, and she is still not mentioned to investigators that, hey, my daughter is safe. Even if she just said, hey, my daughter is safe, I'm not telling you where she is, because I don't want Christopher to find out, she's still in jail.

Starting point is 00:35:08 Like, this is your opportunity to say if you know where she is, say it. Yes, that's what I mean. Like, I don't know what it's like to be in her shoes if those are the shoes that she's in, but it also just feels like you are in the position where you can probably explain this, but maybe she's also in the position where she is a part

Starting point is 00:35:26 of something, or her maybe Octavian, or somebody else is involved in trafficking or illicit drug activity, and maybe she can't say what she wants to say because it could backfire in other ways. Sure, I mean, there are definitely different scenarios and possibilities that would allow her to keep this information quiet,

Starting point is 00:35:49 but it just doesn't feel that way. I agree, no, I just don't think it does. So reporters managed to get in touch with Diana's father, Madeline's grandfather, Victor, back in Maldova, and they spoke with him. He said that the last time he spoke to his daughter and his granddaughter was in October of 2022, so the month prior to Madelina's disappearance.

Starting point is 00:36:13 Madelina speaks almost exclusively in English these days, but still knows a bit of Romanian and they would communicate in their native tongue. Victor said that they both seemed happy although he thought that Christopher seemed controlling as they would only call when he was away from the house. Victor remembers Diana saying that Christopher discouraged her from talking to her family back in Maldova. When asked what he thought happened to his granddaughter, he guessed that Christopher had kidnapped her. In a heartbreaking letter pinned to the FBI, an anonymous member of Madeline's family expressed their heartbreak at the situation and the subsequent lack of answers and accountability

Starting point is 00:36:53 from her parents. The handwritten letter was released by the FBI to the public, hoping to garner sympathy and subsequent answers. The Cornelius Police Department stated, quote, please read it and put yourself in their shoes. And the letter reads, quote, we as a family are devastated and absolutely heartbroken to learn that Madalina is missing. We love Madalina and are shocked by these circumstances. This is something no child or family should ever have to

Starting point is 00:37:23 endure. Our family is doing everything we know to do to support the efforts to find Madelina and bring her home. We are and continue to have hope and positivity in this difficult time and pray that she is found safe very soon. We know and greatly appreciate that the local state, national and online communities have come together to share flyers and offer positive support, hold prayer vigils, support law enforcement, and are doing everything possible to find and bring Madeline home safely.

Starting point is 00:37:58 We are also appreciative of all the efforts, the endless hours, and boots on the ground at the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies with the same goal. Madelina is a beautiful, smart, kind, and loving, 11-year-old girl with greatness in her future. We are desperate to find her right now. She needs all of our help. We ask for your continued positive support and sharing far and wide the posters and pictures of Madalina.

Starting point is 00:38:29 Each and every share may be one step closer to finding her. If you believe you have seen Madalina or have any information related to her whereabouts, please contact your local law enforcement agency or the Cornelius North Carolina Police Department and come forward with this information. Anything may help. Our family would like to express sincere gratitude to each and every one of you for your support. Our family will continue to do everything we know and learn to do for Madelina's safe return home. Blessings. And remember that letter is from an anonymous member of Madeline's family so we don't know who wrote that. As of March 24th, 2023, when we're releasing this episode, Diana Kojikari and Christopher Pometer are still being held in prison, awaiting sentencing for their felony charges.

Starting point is 00:39:26 Christopher is being held on a $200,000 bond with Diana's set at $250,000. So far, in the months since their arrest, neither have been able to come up with the money necessary to post bail, but if they did, they would have to surrender their passports to ensure that they wouldn't flee the country. It also appears that they have not secured attorneys. At the time of her disappearance, Madalena Kojikari stood at about 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed about 90 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt under a jacket, jeans, and pink

Starting point is 00:40:06 purple and white Adidas brand tennis shoes. If you have any information about the disappearance of Madeline Akoujikari, please call the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892-7773. 9, 2, 7, 7, 7, 3. You can also submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode, and on Tuesday we'll have an all-new case for you guys so much for listening to this episode, and on Tuesday we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. As was said in that family letter,

Starting point is 00:40:49 and as we said in the beginning of the episode, please do not forget to share this as of when we're releasing this episode, sorry, it has been pretty much exactly five months that Madelina disappeared or since Madelina disappeared. So please, please share her photo, share this case, share this episode, whatever you choose to do.

Starting point is 00:41:11 More people need to know about this and really to put the pressure on the investigation. So hopefully answers are uncovered soon. Yeah, we need to bring that baby home. I mean, she's a beautiful 11 year old girl and she's got family that year old girl and, you know, she's got family that are still waiting for answers. And a long life ahead of her if she is still with us.

Starting point is 00:41:30 Yes, so please again, like Daphne said, just make sure that you share. And we really appreciate every single one of you guys that listens to going west. And we just love the hell out of you. Yes, we do. If you guys want bonus episodes, that means more than our usual two episodes of Going West a week, we do have bonus episodes. We have 86 now. We actually just released an episode, sorry, about Paige Dockerty. She was murdered in Scotland in 2016.

Starting point is 00:41:58 That case is so devastating and unbelievable just the way that the story unravels and how they caught her killer because of surveillance footage like- Just so senseless. devastating and unbelievable just the way that the story unravels and how they caught her killer because of surveillance footage like just so senseless. It's insane. So we just released her story on Apple subscriptions and Patreon. If you want to subscribe either place, that would be awesome if you want to listen to those. But if not, we will see you next week. Alright guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. Thank you.

Starting point is 00:43:03 you

Going West: True Crime - Madalina Cojocari // 290

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.