Human remains uncovered in North Carolina mountains

MARSHALL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Hunters in the Pisgah National Forest made a grisly discovery Saturday when they happened upon some human remains.

The hunters immediately notified Madison County Sheriff's Office, which then contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Agents and deputies hiked to the site of the discovery in the North Carolina mountains Sunday and began their investigation.

The FBI said Monday the remains were found in a rural area near Stackhouse Road, which is northwest of the town of Marshall.

Stackhouse Road is not far from Lonesome Mountain Road, which is a spot deputies previously saw Diana Cojocari, the mother of missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari.

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Missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari's parents "clearly" know more than they've told investigators, local police said on Tuesday.

Madalina was last seen in November 2022. Diana was arrested along with Madalina's stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, for failing to report Madalina's disappearance.

Neither Diana or Palmiter have been charged with directly harming Madalina. After this report of human remains found near an area connected to the Cojocari case, speculation began running wild online.

ABC affiliate WSOC reached out to Cornelius Police Department, which is the agency leading the search for Madalina, to see if there was any connection. A spokesperson for the police department said that while the newly uncovered remains had not yet been identified, early indications pointed to them belonging to an older man.

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The parents of a missing North Carolina girl did not go to the police to say she had disappeared for weeks, officials said.