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This is Jessica Knoll, host of the new series Back in Crime. If you're a follower of true crime, you're probably familiar with some of the most shocking stories from our history. Horrific tragedies like the Columbine Massacre. He turned the gun straight at us and shot. Oh my God, the window went out. And the kid standing there with me, I think he got hit. Okay. Oh God. And notorious criminals like cult leader Charles Manson.
In a scene described by one investigator as reminiscent of a weird religious rite, five persons, including actress Sharon Tate, were found dead at the home of Miss Tate and her husband, screen director Roman Poliansky. But what if we were to turn back the hands of time and relive these events as they unfolded? Follow along each week as we take a fresh look at crimes from the past. Back in Crime is available now.
Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics, including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney, and this is Voices for Justice.
Today, I'm discussing the disappearance of 11-year-old Madalena Kojikari. On December 15th, 2022, Diana Kojikari reported her 11-year-old daughter Madalena missing in Cornelius, North Carolina.
She told investigators that she hadn't seen her daughter since the night of November 23rd. But investigators would find that no one, aside from Diana and her husband Christopher Palmiter, had seen Madalena since November 21st, two days prior to when Diana said she last saw her daughter, and nearly 24 days before she was reported missing.
Investigators have searched Madalena's home and property multiple times, along with Lake Cornelius, but she has yet to be located. This is the case of Madalena Kojikari.
In November 2022, Madalena Kojikari was a 6th grade student at Bailey Middle School in Cornelius, North Carolina. This is about 20 miles north of Charlotte. At this time, she lived at home with her 37-year-old mother, Diana Kojikari, and her 60-year-old stepfather, Christopher Palmiter. On Monday, November 21st, 11-year-old Madalena attended classes as normal, then rode the bus home.
She exited the bus just before 5 p.m. at her regular stop. None of her classmates or teachers have seen her since. By December 12th, staff members from the school were worried about Madalena. Thanksgiving break had come and gone, but she never returned. That day, a school resource officer and a counselor went to Madalena's home to speak with her mother, but there was no answer at the door. They dropped off a truancy packet and left.
Two days later, on December 14th, Diana called the counselor and asked to meet with her about the packet. She said she'd bring Madalena to the meeting. On December 15th, Diana went to the school to meet with the counselor and the resource officer. Madalena wasn't with her. During the meeting, Diana officially reported Madalena missing, stating that she hadn't seen her daughter since November 23rd. Here's what Diana says happened.
On the night of Wednesday, November 23rd, she and Christopher got into an argument. At around 10 p.m., while the argument was still going on, Madalena went to her room to go to bed. Christopher then decided to drive to Michigan to see some family members and to, quote, recover some items, end quote. He was gone until the 26th. The following morning, around 11.30 a.m., Diana went to Madalena's room to check on her, but she wasn't there.
Diana told the officer that she waited until Christopher arrived home on November 26 to ask if he knew where Madalina was. He told her he didn't know. Diana said that she and Christopher never figured out where Madalina was. She explained that Madalina doesn't have a phone, and she doesn't have friends or family that she'd likely be staying with since she's from the European country of Moldova.
At some point after November 23rd and before December 15th, Diana even called her family in Moldova and told them Madalena was missing. They urged her to call the police, but she didn't. The resource officer asked Diana why she hadn't reported Madalena missing until now, and she responded that she was worried it might start a quote, conflict, end quote, between her and her husband. At this point, the officer called in Cornelius police detectives who questioned Diana further.
According to court documents, Diana told them, quote, she believed her husband put her family in danger, but did not know what happened to Madalena, end quote. Next, Christopher was asked to go to the school and speak with detectives. He said he last saw Madalena on November 16th.
When Christopher returned home on the 26th, Madalena still wasn't there. So he asked Diana if she had hidden Madalena, but she said no. Christopher told detectives Diana asked him the same question, and he also responded no. He added that over the next three weeks, he and Diana spoke several times about Madalena's whereabouts, both always stating they didn't know where she was. He admitted that neither called police to report her missing.
Following these interviews, the FBI and State Bureau of Investigation were brought in to work the case. Investigators set out to verify the last time Madalena had been seen by anyone other than Diana and Christopher. They were able to determine that no one had seen her since November 21st. Investigators found video footage of Madalena exiting the bus at her stop at 4.59 p.m. on November 21st.
At that time, Madalena's brown hair was in a ponytail. She was wearing a white or light gray t-shirt and had a backpack with black straps on. Finding this video evidence was key to the case, because remember, Christopher said he hadn't seen Madalena since November 15th, while Diana said the last time she saw her daughter was on the night of November 23rd. Obviously, neither one of those days is November 21st.
Investigators have searched Madalena's home multiple times. This is a new case and not a lot has come out, but it was found that her backpack and some clothes were missing. During the search, investigators also discovered an area in the kitchen that was blocked off with plywood. Christopher said that they were planning on building a separate apartment. Investigators also dug up areas in the backyard of the home.
When Madalena wasn't found in the home or on the property, investigators spread their search to the surrounding areas, which included Lake Cornelius as a precaution. As of this recording, the searches are still ongoing.
On December 17th, Diana and Christopher were arrested and charged with failing to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement. At both of their bond hearings, prosecutors told the judge that neither had any information on where Madalena could be, or a reason for why she hadn't been reported missing for nearly 22 days.
At Diana's bond hearing specifically, prosecutors said that she reported Madalena missing, quote, begrudgingly, end quote, and has hindered the investigation into her disappearance. The prosecution said that they have grave concerns that if Diana is released on bond, she will continue to hinder the investigation and the search. After the prosecution made their arguments, Diana's bond was set at $250,000, while Christopher's was set at $200,000.
They aren't due again in court until December 28th. We don't know what happened to Madalena, but we have a missing 11-year-old, and the FBI has stated that they haven't ruled out classifying the case as suspicious. On December 22nd, Cornelius Police released a letter written by unnamed relatives of Madalena's. We don't know who these relatives are, only that they are not Madalena's mother or stepfather.
The letter read, in part, quote, We as a family are devastated and absolutely heartbroken to learn that Madalena is missing. We love Madalena and are shocked by these circumstances. Madalena is a beautiful, smart, kind 11-year-old with greatness in her future. We are desperate to find her right now. She needs all of our help. End quote.
Which brings me right to our call to action. Authorities have asked that people share Madalena's FBI poster with everyone you know. They are also looking to pinpoint exactly when Madalena disappeared, so they want to speak to anyone who may have seen her after November 21st.
As a reminder, the last verified independent sighting of Madalena was on November 21st, 2022, in Cornelius, North Carolina. She was not reported missing until December 15th, 2022. Madalena is 11 years old, white, 4 feet 10 inches tall, 90 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Cornelius Police Department.
at 704-892-7773. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.
Voices for Justice is hosted and produced by me, Sarah Turney, and is a Voices for Justice media original. This episode contains writing and research assistance by Haley Gray. If you love what we do here, please don't forget to follow, rate, and review the show in your podcast player. It's an easy and free way to help us and help more people find these cases in need of justice. And for even more content, check out my other podcast, Disappearances, only on Spotify.