The family of 26-year-old Madeline Kingsbury, the Minnesota mom missing for two months confirmed the remains found along a highway this week are her.
The young mother went missing on March 31 after dropping off her kids at daycare, sparking a massive manhunt.
The children’s father, Adam Fravel, 29, was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, according to charges listed by Winona County Detention Center.
‘We’re relieved that Madeline has been found after months of intensive searching and grateful for the extraordinary efforts by law enforcement, other first responders and volunteers,’ said Megan Kingbury, Madeline’s sister, according to KTTC.
‘We’re certain that the correct person has been arrested, will be appropriately charged, and convicted of his crimes. Things are moving in the right direction there and we look forward to getting justice for Madeline. For right now we will mourn as a family and properly and respectfully lay her to rest.’
The body of Madeline Kingsbury, 26, a mother of two that has been missing for almost two months has been confirmed by her devastated family members on Thursday
Human remains were found on the side of a highway in the hunt for missing the Minnesota mom as the father of her two children, Adam Fravel, 29, is arrested on suspicion of murder
Adam Fravel, 29, was in custody and booked for suspicion of second-degree murder and is being held in Winona County Jail
During a Thursday press conference, Winona Minnesota Police Chief Tom Williams announced that the human remains found on the side of the highway in Mabel was Madeline ‘Maddie’ Kingsbury.
‘This morning the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy law enforcement confirmed that those remains are of Maddie Kingsbury,’ Williams said.
As he announced the young mother’s name an unidentified woman was overheard wailing in the background.
‘Unfortunately, while this discovery is not what we had hoped for we are thankful that we are able to bring Maddie home to her family.’
The police chief said Kingsbury’s body was found in a wooded area off of a gravel road around 1:30pm Wednesday by an investigator, who was following up on an electronic tip.
He said the area had been previously searched but it has been covered and concealed in such a manner that she was not visible.
‘To say the least, the last 69 days have been frustrating, full of heartache and pain for the family, law enformcement and the community, but during this time the family never gave up, law enforcement never gave up and the community never gave up.’
‘We are asking everyone to respect the family and give them the time to grieve to mourn Maddie,’ he said
Law enforcement personnel have arrested Adam Fravel on probable cause in connection to her disappearance.
Search crews and volunteers searched for the 26-year-old mother of two
Kingsbury had dropped her children at daycare in March prompting a frantic search that began with her panicked mother.
Last month, special prosecutor, Phil Prokopowicz, pulled out of retirement to investigate her disappearance Kingsbury’s sister confirmed to local outlets.
The children were staying with Kingsbury’s father and a custody hearing was scheduled in Winona County for June 6. It remains unclear what Fravel’s arrest will mean for the ongoing case.
Fravel, the father of the Minnesota woman’s children, was the last person to see her alive on the morning of March 31.
In April, through the help of his attorney, Fravel released a statement proclaiming his innocence.
He said at the time: ‘Over the course of the last 12 days my family and I have been subject to a myriad of accusations regarding the disappearance of the mother of my children, Maddi Kingsbury.
‘During these last 12 days I have cooperated with law enforcement at every turn, including sitting down for multiple interviews with Winona County law enforcement.
‘I did not have anything to do with Maddi’s disappearance. I want the mother of my five-year-old and two-year-old to be found and brought home safely. I want that more than anything.
He went on to say that law enforcement had advised him not to attend press conferences or assist in searches ‘due to safety concerns.’
‘However, my non-attendance and silence has been inferred by many as a sign of apathy, or worse,’ he continued.
‘That could not be further from the truth. I want Maddi home and for her to be able to be with our two children. God Bless the Kingsbury family and please bring her home safely.’
Megan Kingsbury said there was very little detail about the whereabouts of her sister. In a court filing, Kingsbury’s family argued that concerns were sparked over Fravel having been the last person to see Madeline alive
This is Kingsbury’s home in Winona, Minnesota, she hasn’t been seen in two months
Kingsbury disappeared after dropping her kids off at daycare and a massive search for the missing mom quickly ensued
Fravel proclaimed his innocence in a statement that he made through his attorney in April
Fravel, who is also the father of the Minnesota woman’s children, was the last person to see Kingsbury alive the morning of March 31
The family previously spoke of the mental toll losing their loved one had been having on them.
‘Eating is a mechanical act we force ourselves to do in order to keep our strength up so we can continue to advocate and search for Madeline,’ the statement continued.
‘Sleep, if it comes, is fitful and fleeting. I have to think that the only thing that could come close to what we experience is the stress of combat, day after awful day.
‘Initially, we were so overwrought that we couldn’t bear to look at each other but couldn’t bear to look away.
‘There were no words we could say to comfort each other and we felt alone and frantic. In the days since the family has circled the wagons and gathered from near and across the world. We will find Madeline. This is our mission and we will not falter.’
The family said being thrust in the ‘national limelight’ during a ‘traumatic time’ was only made worse by having little to no detail about Kingsbury’s whereabouts.
‘Members of our family and close friends coordinate closely with law enforcement and send out search teams day after day, every day,’ they said in the statement.
‘From time to time and as we see the need we use social media to encourage and inform the large groups of volunteers helping us search for Madeline.
‘We’re overwhelmed by the dedication and tangible expressions of love demonstrated by the huge circle of warriors she unknowingly gathered around her – her sorority sisters, coworkers at Mayo Clinic and other places, fellow students from her days at Winona State, other moms and her many, many friends, acquaintances and people whose lives she’s touched.’
