Missing North Carolina girl possibly spotted in California
(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A possible sighting of Madalina Cojocari in California has sparked a new round of hope for people who want to see the North Carolina girl found safely.
"I'm a parent, and my daughter went to Madalina's school, and my son played with kids in her neighborhood, and it was just heartbreaking to see that she's missing," said Kristin Clement, a resident of Cornelius, North Carolina.
It's been nearly eight months since Cojocari was last seen in public, getting off a school bus back in November.
Eight months later, a post on the "Find Madalina Cojocari" Facebook group is getting some attention after a woman shared her belief that she saw the Cornelius girl in California.
In the post, the woman, who did not want to be interviewed, shared an encounter with a young girl who appeared to be alone, asking for a ride at a gas station in Weaverville in Northern California.
"Aware of the tip and detectives are following up"
Concerned about her personal safety, she did not give her a ride, but did report the sighting to the Cornelius Police Department (CPD) after she stumbled onto Cojocari's missing report.
CPD say they are "aware of the tip and detectives are following up" on the information. In the meantime, former FBI Agent M. Quentin Williams says the best thing people can do is share Cojocari's photo.
"We have social media, and everybody is empowered. As long as you're on the platform, you are empowered to get the word out, so at the very least, everybody can blast it on the internet," Williams explained.
He applauds the woman's effort to report the incident because he says all information is important in cases like these.
"We have about 850,000 law enforcement officers in America, but we have over 330 million people. The way we're going to solve crime is if those 330 million people are involved with the solutions of these cases," Williams detailed.
Glimmer of hope
The post has sparked a glimmer of hope for local residents.
"It does bring it back up to the surface, which is important because we do...we get busy, and we forget, and it's, you know, really important to keep her name in the forefront of our minds," Clement shared.
