Diana Cojocari, seen in a mug shot at left, failed to report her daughter Madalina Cojocari missing, police said. (Mug shot: Mecklenburg County Jail; image of Madalina: Cornelius Police Department)

The mother of a long-missing young girl refused to attend an arraignment Friday for allegedly failing to report her disappearance. The defendant, Diana Cojocari, has already served more than half her possible maximum sentence while the whereabouts of her daughter, Madalina Cojocari, remains unknown.

And yet prosecutors said in court that she refused to show up, according to Charlotte Fox affiliate WJZY. Her defense reportedly asked to reschedule.

“And if it’s being said on part by the defense that the defendant chooses not to come, we can’t force her to be here,” Superior Court Judge Donald Cureton said.