UNNERVING

Missing 11-Yr-Old’s Fam Reportedly Seen Setting Furniture Ablaze

Madalina Cojocari’s family had a bonfire in their backyard days after she vanished, but three weeks before they reported her missing, according to neighbors.

A North Carolina family held a large bonfire in their backyard mere days after their 11-year-old daughter went missing on Nov. 21—and three weeks before they reported her disappearance to local authorities, neighbors told the Daily Mail. Madalina Cojocari’s mother Diana Cojocari, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, were arrested on Dec. 17 for failing to report the disappearance sooner, with investigators claiming Diana “hindered” the investigation. Neighbors recall the family throwing couch cushions and household items into the blaze, fueling it for days. “It's a gross feeling to know something like this happened in your neighborhood,” said an unidentified neighbor, who witnessed the police searching the yard earlier this week. “They took all kinds of samples from the fire pit area. I guess they were trying to figure out if they burned anything of substance there.” Federal agents are still searching for Madalina, who was last seen exiting a school bus at her usual stop.