Authorities arrested the mother and stepfather of a missing North Carolina girl after they allegedly waited more than three weeks to report her disappearance.

FBI Madalina Cojocari© Provided by People

According to the Cornelius Police Department, Diana Cojocari and her husband Christopher Palmiter have been charged with failure to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement, after Diana’s daughter Madalina Cojocari vanished on Nov. 23.

Madalina, 11, was last seen at her home in Cornelius, N.C., about 20 miles outside of Charlotte, a news release reads. Her mother and stepfather allegedly reported her missing to a school resource officer at Bailey Middle School on Dec. 15.

Diana, 37, and Palmiter, 60, were arrested Saturday.

It was unclear if the pair entered a plea to the charge or if they retained attorneys who can comment on their behalf.

An update on the Cornelius PD Facebook page Monday said the agency is expanding the “search area outside of the home where Madalina was last seen and that now includes Lake Cornelius. We are conducting additional land and water searches as a precautionary measure.”

According to police, Madalina is a 6th grader who loves horses.

She is described as 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 90 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, and last seen wearing jeans, a white t-shirt and jacket, and pink, purple, and white Adidas shoes, authorities said.

The FBI is assisting with the investigation.

Anyone with information on Madalina’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Cornelius Police Department at (704) 892-7773. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.

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