By Marlene Lenthang -
NBC News
The North Carolina police released a video this week showing the 11-year-old girl Madalina Cojocari, who disappeared just a month ago, in the place where she was last seen.
The recording shows the girl, a sixth grader, getting off the school bus at her designated stop on November 21 at 4:59 p.m., 20 miles north of Charlotte.
"This is the last time we had independent confirmation of his whereabouts," local authorities said.
In the video, the girl is wearing a gray T-shirt and her hair is tied up in a ponytail.
She also carries a black strap backpack on her shoulders.
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Local authorities had previously reported that the girl's mother and stepfather said they last saw her on November 23.
Now the investigators are looking for witnesses, outside the family, to clarify those last hours.
Police learned of the girl's disappearance three weeks later, when her mother, Diana Cojocari, reported it to the school after she was contacted "on multiple occasions" about her absences.
Police arrested Cojocari, 37, and the girl's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, 60, on Saturday, accused of failing to immediately report a missing minor to police.
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Both are in custody at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center.
The FBI and the state's Bureau of State Investigation are assisting local authorities in their search for the girl.
Police reported Monday that they have expanded the search to areas surrounding the family's home, including Lake Cornelius, with land and underwater searches.
The girl is 4 feet 10 inches tall, has brown hair and eyes and weighs 90 pounds, according to authorities, who ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact the Cornelius Police Department at 704-892- 7773.
