Going West: True Crime - Madeline Kingsbury // 302

Starting point is 00:00:00 What is going on True Crime fans, I'm your host S.E.T. and I'm your host, Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody, today's case is happening right now and it has been recommended by over 30 of you. So thank you to each and every one of you who has sent this in. We've been following her story for weeks and wanted to make sure that we highlighted it as soon as possible. So please do not forget to share this one.

Starting point is 00:00:38 Yeah, this one is very important to share. Also since we don't know exactly what happened to Maddie, we are going to be referring to her in the present tense. Yes, just out of respect for her and her family, so let's dive into the details now. That's not waste any time. Alright guys, this is episode 302 of Going West, so let's get into it. 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc

Starting point is 00:01:12 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc 1 tbc Hensifying efforts to find a missing mother, it's been more than two weeks since Madeline Kingsbury was last seen, police calling her disappearance suspicious and say they are

Starting point is 00:01:43 getting many leads. 26 year old mother from Winona has been missing now for more than two weeks and searches for Madeline Kingsbury continue. Tonight the search continues around Winona for missing 26 year old mother Madeline Kingsbury. She was last seen March 31st and tonight we're learning new details about the father of her children. There's like zero chance that she would have just walked away. We believe Maddie's disappearance is involuntary, suspicious, and we are all concerned for her safety. Tonight, a missing mother of two in Minnesota, thousands searching for any sign of her,

Starting point is 00:02:22 while her ex-boyfriend, official say the last person to see her alive, finally breaking his public silence, saying he had nothing to do with her disappearance. Inside the residence investigators located Maddie's phone, the jacket she had been wearing earlier in the morning, along with her wallet and ID. Is there anything you'd like to say to whoever might be responsible for her disappearance? We feel like something like this doesn't stay hidden forever, you know, all the all the details and all the truths in there. So we would just, you know, ask this person or person to just come forward and tell somebody where she's at or what happened to her. You know, it's what we're going to call

Starting point is 00:03:36 her today, was born on June 2, 1996 to parents Christa and David in Farmington, Minnesota, which is a suburb of Minneapolis located just 30 minutes south of the city. The youngest of three, Maddie joined an older brother named Stephen and a sister named Megan, who she was especially close with. As a teen, Maddie was a gifted student at Farmington High School. She was a cheerleader and, according to Megan, very involved in her school and its extracurricular activities. She loves books and movies, particularly

Starting point is 00:04:11 of the fantasy genre. Her Facebook timeline is filled with like tons of jokes, memes, and posts about Harry Potter, the Avengers and Lord of the Rings. After graduating from high school, Maddie moved about two and a half hours away to attend Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota, which is where the story takes place, and Winona hosts about 25,000 people and it's nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River just across the border of Wisconsin. Now Maddie graduated from Winona State with a Bachelor degree of Science in Public Health and Healthcare Administration, which really helped her

Starting point is 00:04:50 land a job at the very esteemed Mayo Clinic. She works as a clinical research coordinator in the Department of Public Health, Infectious Disease, and Occupational Medicine Research. While she was still in school, she met and started dating a guy named Adam Fraville, some say Adam Fraville, but I think it's Adam Fraville, and not long after in 2018, the two welcomed a daughter named Eliana, and then in 2021, a son named Noah. A working mom from a very young age, Maddie has remained fiercely independent and an incredibly hard worker. So more than anything else, Maddie really loves being a mom.

Starting point is 00:05:32 On her most recent Mother's Day in May of 2022, she wrote on Facebook, quote, �Being a mother has been my greatest adventure. I could have sworn that they were both little newborns on my chest yesterday. Happy Mother's Day to all of you mamas out there. So while balancing her busy work schedule, Maddie relished in taking Aliana, who was nicknamed Ellie, and Noah to activities, lessons, and also the library. She loves reading to them and taking them on various road trips and adventures, and Maddie's been working what's called a hybrid schedule, meaning that

Starting point is 00:06:05 some days of the week she drives into the Mayo Clinic to work, and others she can work from home and can spend more time with her kids. And by the way, this clinic is actually located in Rochester, Minnesota, which is about an hour drive west of her home in Winona. But she really enjoys being able to work from home, and Megan remembers that they would sometimes face time and co-work from home together. And actually, just days before she went missing, Maddie posted on LinkedIn hoping to secure a full-time remote position.

Starting point is 00:06:34 But for the time being, she made it work between the kids' schedules and her own, as Eleona was in preschool a couple of days a week, but otherwise, she and Noah would be dropped off for daycare together. In January of 2023, Maddie began grad school at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health pursuing her master of Public Health Administration and Policy. From an outsider's perspective, Maddie seemed to be balancing work, school, and her home life exceptionally. Just five days before she was last seen, she posted

Starting point is 00:07:06 in honor of her daughter's birthday, which included a picture of Eliana eating mac and cheese in a hotel bed and wearing a tiara, writing, quote, 5 years with Bub, thank you for everything you bring to our lives. However, according to Megan, Madden Adams' relationship was really faltering. So while they still lived together and shared the time and responsibilities of their children, Adam had recently had his custodial rights over the children revoked, meaning that he had no legal right to care for them or make decisions regarding their care. Now the public details regarding why this is the case are super sparse. Really all we could find is that he was caught doing something illegal with or in front

Starting point is 00:07:50 of the children. So that could mean like literally anything. Yeah, we have no idea. Yeah, like no idea. So Maddie and Adam broke up and Maddie was looking at new homes to move herself and her children into and she was really pushing that she and the kids moved to Minneapolis. But being as gracious as she is, she didn't want to take them too far away from their dad or his family. So Minneapolis was kind of, you know, not fully off the table, even though

Starting point is 00:08:17 it's what she really wanted to do. She was kind of thinking maybe she should stay closer to Adam. Yeah, but in these days after they had broken up, they were still living in the town home together while Maddie was kind of trying to figure this out. Exactly, because she's, she wants to find a new job so she can fully work from home and be around the kids all the time and live with them separately from Adam, but not too far away so that he still can see them. But again, she and Adam are no longer in a relationship. On Friday, March 31, 2023, Maddie was really looking for it

Starting point is 00:08:50 to taking her daughter into Minneapolis for the weekend to visit her sister, Megan. That morning, she was planning on dropping Ellie and Noah off before heading to work as usual. And around 8am, Maddie and Adam dropped the kids at daycare together, which Megan said was not uncommon. After doing so, the two returned to their town home in Maddie's dark blue 2014 Chrysler

Starting point is 00:09:16 town and country minivan, which even had a bumper sticker on the back that she put it says, please don't honk, I'm sensitive. After arriving home at 8.15am, Maddie shot a quick response to a text that her sister Megan had sent the night before, which was just a funny picture of the two of them on a girls' trip to Rhode Island in the summer of 2022. So last summer, and this was just a memory

Starting point is 00:09:41 that they both really cherished. Maddie just texted back LOL, and that was the last confirmed contact that anyone has had with Madeline Kingsbury. Now according to Adam, everything was normal between the couple that morning. Maddie was getting ready for work, and he left in her minivan to run a few errands around 10 a.m. So almost two hours after they both got home from dropping the kids at daycare? Exactly. And it's not been explained how she was supposed to get to work again,

Starting point is 00:10:12 which, you know, this clinic was about an hour away in Rochester when Adam had her car, although it's possible that she was planning on working from home that day. Around 1.30 p.m. that afternoon, Adam returned home to an empty house. So he claimed that he expected Maddie to be there, but she was nowhere to be found. When pickup time for the kids's daycare rolled around, Adam picked them up himself, which is something that Maddie usually did, and had been planning on doing that evening. So this was kind of, you know, uncharacteristic. She is usually the one that picks up the kids.

Starting point is 00:10:47 Well, especially because of what we're gonna say that Adam thought about this whole situation, it is weird that he just went to go pick them up on his own when that was not what he usually did. Again, he's not supposed to be with the kids by himself. Yeah, and he's not trying to figure out where Maddie is. He's not like, wait, she usually picks them up. Like maybe I should try to locate her in some way, he's just like, I'm just gonna go do it.

Starting point is 00:11:09 Exactly. Important to note. And she also hadn't shown up or called in for work that day, which her employer said was totally uncharacteristic of her. Neither her family, friends, nor Adam heard from her all day. Hours later, around 6 p.m., Megan received a text from their mom, Krista, that she wasn't hearing back from Maddie, and so she was getting really concerned here. So Megan reached out to Maddie, expecting that she was just preoccupied with work, and

Starting point is 00:11:37 asked that she text their mom back to put her mind at ease. But when Megan wasn't hearing back either, the whole family began to worry. Megan checked in with their dad, who also had not heard from her, and then, around 8 p.m. touched base with Adam to see if he knew it was going on. Adam seemed calm and unaffected, saying that he hadn't heard from her, but that he hadn't thought twice about it. Yes, so you're not thinking twice about it, even though this is what I meant when I said, what's coming up is you went to go pick the kids up

Starting point is 00:12:09 from day care, which is not your usual routine. You're not even really supposed to be doing that. Right. And yet you didn't think twice about where Maddie was this entire day. Yeah, now it's 8 p.m. and he still is not thinking twice about the situation. It's just weird.

Starting point is 00:12:24 But Megan, knowing that this was alarming behavior for her usually responsible and very punctual sister, began to panic. Missing pickup, dinner time, and bedtime with the children was unheard of for Maddie, and she would have never missed a day of work without making prior arrangements. So by the late evening, still, no one had heard

Starting point is 00:12:44 from her even Megan, who's arguably the person that Maddie's the closest with, and who she was supposed to be visiting the following day. In fact, Maddie kept in close communication with the entire family at all times, so this was caused for immediate concern. But even stranger, Maddie's cell phone, wallet, ID, purse, and coat were all still inside the home. So with that, Madeline Kingsbury was officially reported missing.

Starting point is 00:13:13 When police questioned her ex-Adam about his whereabouts that day, he stuck to a story that he had simply been running errands without Maddie in her car. However, based on security camera footage and witness sightings, the car had quite a journey for such a short window of time. Yeah, this is really odd. So her minivan was first spotted heading south on both Highway 43 and County Road 12,

Starting point is 00:13:39 and it should be noted that this is in the direction toward a Mabel, aka Adam's hometown, and where his family still resides, and it's about an hour south of Winona, so that's a bit interesting. After that, the van was seen traveling back toward Winona on Highway 43 at one point stopping at a quick trip gas station in Rushford, Minnesota, which is about 30 minutes south of Winona. This whole trip took place in the three and a half hours during which he took Maddie's van. It's kind of weird that you're like, oh, I'm going to go out and run a few errands, and

Starting point is 00:14:15 then you come back three and a half hours later, and you also drive like an hour south to your hometown. And obviously we don't have any idea what these errands were, but it does seem a little suspicious here. I think just with the context of her going missing and him making this longer trip is what is kind of like triggering us because- Yeah it is. Because we've covered so many cases where it's like oh you took a long drive after somebody goes missing that's weird right? But it's like, was he planning, was he just wanting to go see his parents that day?

Starting point is 00:14:47 Like, we don't know, he just, all we know is that he was quote, running errands. So, what the hell were the errands? Absolutely, and you know, when we get into more details about Adam, that also, you know, kind of aids in this feeling that this trip was suspicious. Well, also, police would not confirm whether or not Adam was driving the not confirm whether or not Adam

Starting point is 00:15:05 was driving the vehicle or whether or not Maddie was believed to have been with him in the van at the same time. Maddie's brother, Steven, was overseas serving in the military at the time she disappeared. But when he heard what was going on, he rushed home to be with his family and aid in the search for his sister.

Starting point is 00:15:24 In a letter to the press, Stephen explained, quote, �Madeline is always in constant communication with family. I came home to support my family and contribute in any way possible in efforts to locate Madeline and bring her home. Working in small and large teams with a variety of personality types and talent levels for this long has also given me the tools necessary to manage individual and collective skill sets and utilize them effectively to achieve a shared common goal.

Starting point is 00:15:53 The community surrounding our family from the volunteer searchers on ground and event organizers to the offered prayer has been indescribable, humbling and awe-inspiring. It's hard to imagine how it could ever be reciprocated. Our gratitude for all involved in our efforts to bring our sister, daughter, mother home, will never fade. The search has and will continue on multiple fronts. Law enforcement, volunteer organizations, and private citizens of the area have been out and active with a common goal. Bring Madeline home.

Starting point is 00:16:29 Every bit counts. Be it walking your properties, scanning terrain as you commute, and reporting to law enforcement if something doesn't seem right. I want to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude. We have, in a short period of time, rallied for Madeline and created and maintained a group of passionate and motivated folks from across the state who care for and love Madeline was such an intensity that I have no doubt in the steadfastness of our mission. Meanwhile, as the rest of Maddie's family came in from different parts of Minnesota to aid in

Starting point is 00:17:01 the search and join forces to find Maddie and offer support for her children, it really seemed to be business's usual for, you guessed it, Adam. Now according to his LinkedIn, Adam works as a software engineer, and like Maddie was in graduate school at this time. In fact, he just wrapped up his studies this month. He continued to maintain that he had nothing to do with Maddie's disappearance, had no knowledge of her whereabouts, and that he had not noticed anything out of the ordinary about the last few hours before she disappeared. However, it struck Maddie's family and friends

Starting point is 00:17:34 as shocking and sad that he seemed to want nothing to do with the search efforts. He never once showed up to look for her, nor volunteered any of his time beyond being questioned by the police. Instead, he hired a lawyer to put a barrier between himself and the growing amount of press regarding the case. All the while, he continued to reside in the townhome that he shared with Maddie, and maintained contact with the kids when he was not legally supposed to have unsupervised access to them. Before that quick break, we learned that Adam was still living in the home he shared with

Starting point is 00:18:27 Maddie and taking care of their children, although he was barred from being around them unsupervised. On April 12, 2023, Adam released a statement finally that read, quote, Over the course of the last 12 days, my family and I have been subjected to a myriad of accusations regarding the disappearance of the mother of my children, Maddie Kingsbury. During these last 12 days, I have cooperated with law enforcement at every turn, including sitting down for multiple interviews with Winnona County Law enforcement. I did not have anything to do with Maddie's disappearance.

Starting point is 00:19:08 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. Law Enforcement invites me on April 2nd that they would not recommend that I attend the press conferences or that I assist in the searches due to safety concerns. However, my non-attendance and silence has been inferred by many as a sign of apathy or worse. That could not be farther from the truth. I want Maddie home and for her to be able to be with our two children.

Starting point is 00:19:40 God bless the Kingsbury family and please bring her home safely Adam's lawyer echoed in a statement to the press quote Investigators within that agency told Adam that they did not believe he should attend the news conferences or searches for Madeline citing safety concerns Yeah, but here's the thing so law enforcement Completely contradicted this saying that this claim was totally untrue, and that they had in fact not given him any instruction one way or the other about attending vigils or search efforts from Adi. Right.

Starting point is 00:20:16 So it's just their word against his, which is not helpful, but... It seems like he's lying, though, you know? Yeah, I mean, it's just weird that he said on April 2nd, like he had a date, and then his, you know, I'm not saying that I believe him. It's just, I just don't know why he would claim that if it wasn't true. Like, why would you go out there and say, the police told me this when the, you know, if that's not what happened. I mean, I guess if he's trying to make an excuse and make it sound like, oh, well, the police didn't want me to do it. So that's why I didn't do it.

Starting point is 00:20:45 But it also seems really specific. Well, that's kind of what I feel like is going on here. And you know, it's like, well, can law enforcement lie? Sure, but why would they have any reason to lie about like not telling him to attend a search parties? I don't know. Maybe they didn't want to look bad.

Starting point is 00:21:01 I have no idea. Like this is just, this is a difficult part of the story to me. Yeah, I find it a bit strange, but at the end of the day, it's also not a huge deal. This is not a huge part of the story, so who the hell knows? Very true. So the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension asserted that they were, quote,

Starting point is 00:21:19 not aware of any law enforcement advising Mr. Fraville to not attend news conferences or searches for Madeline. So it appeared that Adam was just kind of like clumsily covering his tracks with this claim, but again, we don't really know. He absolutely could have been. One critic of Adams involuntary in the search for Maddie had a conversation via Facebook messenger with Ryan Fraville, who's a family member of Adams. So Ryan seemed to have multiple explanations, all of which seemed to find excuses for Adam, or to blame Maddie for her own disappearance,

Starting point is 00:21:51 which obviously does not look good. And this is just, this part is so weird to me because the fact that somebody in his family is giving all these details and talking to some random person like, yeah, why would you do that? I don't know, it's weird. In any way, tell us what he said. So yeah, so in this exchange, Ryan wrote, yeah, why would you do that? I don't know, it's weird. In any ways, tell us what he said. So yeah, so in this exchange, Ryan wrote, quote,

Starting point is 00:22:07 coincidentally, a young Winona man attempted suicide the same day that Matty went missing. He passed away a couple of days afterwards in the hospital. And then Ryan went on to blame someone completely new in Matty's life. He said, quote, Matty's boyfriend has had very little interrogation. His name is Spencer Sullivan. Maddie announced to us family members the week before that she was officially dating Spencer. There are lots of scenarios that could have happened.

Starting point is 00:22:37 We desperately need to find clues to lead us in the right direction. And then in another message, Ryan wrote that Maddie's mental health was declining, something that she had allegedly been concealing from her family, and he said quote, we believe that she may have wandered off. Coincidentally, she stopped taking meds by Polar earlier that week that she went missing. We believe she's alive and we want to find her. When asked where he thought that she might be, Ryan said, quote,

Starting point is 00:23:05 Gilmore Valley, Bulls Lake, and Prairie Island are hot search areas. Weirdly, we did find an item of interest on Prairie Island. We found a clean white men's sock right along the marsh. Very odd. Very open for scenarios. Authorities did not feel the items were of interest. But at least to the public's knowledge, Maddie was not suffering from nor medicated for bipolar disorder. So whether this is true or just completely fabricated is very unknown to us. But again, just weird that just somebody in Adam's family is talking to some random searcher and telling them about Maddie's mental health, about her boyfriend, about what they found in this search, like what are you doing?

Starting point is 00:23:49 I completely agree with that because it just feels like this Ryan person is going from one excuse to another. He's saying, oh, well, it could have been, you know, a boyfriend. It could have been a medication that she was, you know, not taking her bipolar medication. Also, I kind of think that bringing up a new boyfriend is doing the opposite. It's like, why wouldn't a brand new boyfriend kill her? I'm not, or not kill her,

Starting point is 00:24:12 but have something to do with what happened to her. I'm not saying that's not possible, but I think it would actually fuel the opposite theory. That Adam was jealous. Yeah, absolutely. And they raged by the fact that she had somebody knew in her life if she even did. Like, so I don't know.

Starting point is 00:24:27 Well, you got to think about the position that Adam's currently in, where, you know, the courts are saying like, you can't see your children unsupervised. Now your wife is basically saying like, I don't want to live with you anymore. I want to move the kids out. And then if there is potentially a new boyfriend involved,

Starting point is 00:24:42 yeah, I could easily see how Adam would be enraged. But it's just so silly too, because it's not Maddie's fault. Right, not that I'm trying to justify if Adam did do something. I'm just saying, this type of position leads people to do crazy things. Oh no, no, I totally, you're just, you're discussing a potential motive here. for sure that totally meant and that's

Starting point is 00:25:07 important to discuss because but it's just so frustrating from the other end of like it's not maddies fault that you did something illegal whatever it is with or in front of the children that made it so that you cannot be around them unsupervised anymore that's not hurtful and you guys broke up so naturally she who does not have that same situation with the kids can move and should move away

Starting point is 00:25:32 since you have broken up. And she's even being considerate enough to say, well, I'm not going to move too far so that you can still see them. But let's talk more about Spencer and what we know about what was going on between them. So he was a very new presence in Maddie's life, and he might not actually have even been her boyfriend at all.

Starting point is 00:25:52 So on April 1st, 2023, the day after Maddie was last seen. Spencer posted this on Facebook, quote, "...Attention everyone in the Winona, Minnesota area. This is my friend Madeline. She goes by Maddie. Nobody has been able to get in touch with her since roughly 7 a.m. yesterday morning, the 31st. She isn't responding to any phone calls or texts from family or friends, and we're

Starting point is 00:26:15 all very worried about her. If anyone sees her or knows anything, please reach out. So he hasn't commented publicly on her disappearance beyond that post in which he referred to her as a friend and his status is still set to single on Facebook. Yeah, so we have no idea if they were even involved romantically at all. Yeah, I mean, many people have speculated that maybe this was like a brand new relationship and the fact that it could have been a brand new relationship coupled with Maddie moving out of the house that she shared with Adam like we're just

Starting point is 00:26:49 talking about could have caused a lot of friction between Adam and Maddie and that Adam could have been jealous potential motive yes so worsening the tension between Adam and those who are advocating for Maddie was the incident that occurred on April 4th, which one article described as a volatile standoff. Police and social workers arrived at Maddie and Adam's home to take Ellie and Noah due to the stripping of Adam's custodial rights. So they basically described him as uncooperative initially, but the situation only escalated from there.

Starting point is 00:27:26 The report from the Winnona County Health and Human Services alleged quote, at one point, fravel took the younger child into the residence and locked the door, despite being told that the children were in the care and custody of Winnona County. That's so dangerous. Yeah, so he's basically like, no, you're not taking these kids. So while fravel was in the home with the younger child a Social worker could hear fravall shouting Explosives so he was like cussing them out through the door. Sorry that was still part of a quote that I just interrupted

Starting point is 00:27:53 I'm so sorry. No, it's okay. So while this confrontation has not yet been publicized or reported upon further Megan addressed it by saying in an interview quote I'm not able to comment too much on the kids, but they're safe and they're doing well. While the police handled Adam, and you know, he hid behind his attorney, Maddie's family tried to stay out of the drama and focus on bringing her home,

Starting point is 00:28:16 of course, because that's the, you know, the main goal here. So, back at the house, authorities took Maddie's Chrysler into custody and they had it searched and forensically processed, but they've declined to comment on what they found. And this would be important to know because if Adam is involved in any way and this trip that he took that day had something to do with possibly disposing of her, if it's leading in that direction, then the processing of her car would be a really important piece to this investigation. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:28:48 I mean, they're looking for any sign of any sort of evidence that could lead to Maddie's whereabouts. Yes, still, we're into May now. And this was one month ago, but we still have no idea if they found anything and if they did what it is. Well, I could be potentially still being processed at this time.

Starting point is 00:29:06 Absolutely. It does take a while for sure. It takes like weeks, if not months. Right. So volunteer efforts and ground searches came together swiftly as search parties set out on foot, on horseback and ATVs looking for any sign of Maddie. Within two weeks of Maddie's disappearance,

Starting point is 00:29:24 over 2,600 people had volunteered to assist in the search, and over 120,000 acres had been combed. Canine recovery teams, divers, and submersible drones also covered some of the more remote landscapes in the area. By April 3rd, when known a police had announced that they believed Maddie to be a quote, endangered missing person, and an official investigation was launched by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. On Wednesday, April 5th, the Police Chief held a press conference in which he announced that the police force believed her disappearance to be both involuntary and also suspicious. Thank God they're not going with that age old thought of, oh, she just voluntarily left

Starting point is 00:30:09 on her own free will. They also unveiled a $50,000 reward for information leading them to Madeline. Exactly one week later on April 12, 2023, Winona police issued a statement that read, quote, as the investigation into Madeline Maddy, Kingsbury's disappearance continues, we are updating the public on what is being done to find her. Evidence to date suggests Maddy's disappearance was involuntary and suspicious.

Starting point is 00:30:38 We remain extremely concerned for her safety. Multiple law enforcement agencies have been searching for Maddie from the beginning of the investigation. On Friday and Saturday of this past weekend, it is estimated that more than 2,000 people volunteered to search for Maddie. Since the end of the large organized searches on Saturday, April 8, law enforcement has continued to conduct targeted searches in Winona and Fillmore counties over the course of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Over 100 law enforcement and public safety personnel search these

Starting point is 00:31:15 additional targeted areas based off information that we have received via tips or via investigative discovery. We have drafted and served numerous search warns as part of our search efforts. We appreciate the continued support of the many agencies helping us look for Maddie. We are receiving dozens of tips a day through Crime Stoppers. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to share information with us.

Starting point is 00:31:42 Every tip helps. If you know something you think could be valuable and you haven't shared it, please do. You can call 1-800-222-TIPS or go online to CrimeStoppers.mn.org. Many of you have asked what happened to Maddie's van. It has been taken and processed for evidence. Throughout the investigation, we have worked closely with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to identify and process any available forensic evidence. We are following up on leads and paths of inquiry trying to get answers in this case. We have had two goals since we learned Maddie was missing. Bring her home, and if warranted,

Starting point is 00:32:21 hold accountable the person or person's responsible for her disappearance. Releasing certain information about the investigation would jeopardize our ability to achieve these goals. We understand just how much the community wants answers, and we are asking everyone to be patient as the investigative process unfolds. We remain confident we will find Maddie and bring her home to her family. That same day, Maddie's family also released a statement that read QUOTE, Nothing in Life prepares you for this. The disappearance of our daughter and sister has been a waking nightmare with no respite. In the days and nights since Madeline disappeared, the immediate family and extended family have, collectively and individually, been experiencing emotions and trials that

Starting point is 00:33:11 someone who's never been suddenly thrust into this horrific situation could ever imagine. Eating is a mechanical act we force ourselves to do in order to keep our strength up so that we can continue to advocate and search for Madeline. 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 that we could say to comfort each other, but couldn't bear to look away. There were no words that 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

Starting point is 00:33:58 mission, and we will not falter. We're private people, finding our lives thrust into this national limelight at the most traumatic time in our lives. We don't seek to draw attention to ourselves, but of course, want everyone everywhere to know about Madeline so that we can reunite her with her children. Members of our family and close friends coordinate closely with law enforcement, and send out search teams day after day every day. From time to time, and as we see the need,

Starting point is 00:34:27 we use social media to encourage and inform 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 that she unknowingly gathered around her. Her sorority sisters, co-workers at the Mayo Clinic and other places, fellow students from her days at Winona State, other moms, and her many, many friends and acquaintances. We will continue to search for Madeline. We will not give up, and our family will come out on the other side of this forever changed, but forever grateful for the tireless dedication of so many helpers, friends,

Starting point is 00:35:06 and relatives, people in law enforcement, other first responders, social workers, case workers, legal professionals, child advocates, and many, many more. Volunteers continue to conduct searches of the area, but sadly, multiple searches had to be called off due to inclement weather and even flooding. Police have begged all residents and property owners in and around Winona to comb their land for any sign of her or something out of place or a disturbance in the ground. Megan has become the designated family spokesperson and has taken the TikTok to give updates on the case.

Starting point is 00:35:44 On Tuesday, May 2nd, over a month since Maddie went missing just the other day from when we're recording this, Megan detailed how she and her family finally cleared out the home that Maddie left behind. She explained, quote, yesterday in my family and I spent a lot of time cleaning out Madeline's town home. Grabbed her stuff, kids' stuff, donated a lot of stuff, we were surprised at the state of the townhome. Really messy, just not typically how Madeline

Starting point is 00:36:12 would keep her living area. So that was a chore. The landlord told us not to worry about necessarily cleaning and stuff, but we felt bad leaving it, so we cleared out as much of it as we could, and we'll kind of go through things later more thoroughly. Not much else is going on. She's still missing. It's crazy that it's been over a month now and we still don't know where she is. One commenter asked, quote, where was her ex during all of this? To which Megyn replied,

Starting point is 00:36:40 hiding out at his parents. In the previous video recorded on April 1st, Megan spoke with heartbreaking candidness online and described feeling numb, saying quote, want to do this summer, I usually go camping, I just can't even think about stuff like that. We still have hope that we're going to find her. In what condition we don't know. It's hard to wait, it's hard to be patient. There are really no words to describe it. It's horrific and traumatic.

Starting point is 00:37:17 This has been the worst month of our lives. On Friday, May 5, 2023, the day that this episode comes out, Madeline's family is holding a vigil in Winona Park to raise awareness about her disappearance. A prayer ceremony and candlelight vigil will be followed by speeches made by Madeline's family and friends. Megan announced that the mayor of Winona, Scott Sherman, will also be making a speech. Madeline Kingsbury is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds. She has hazel eyes and curly brown hair. She has multiple tattoos including one on her ribs, one on her back, and one on her

Starting point is 00:37:58 shoulder. At the time of her disappearance, she's believed to have been wearing black pants and a black tank top along with fuzzy winter boots. If you'd like to donate to assist in the search efforts, you can contribute to the Families Go Fund Me or Venmo Megan directly. And her Venmo username is at MGMLIC. If you're local and you'd like to help in the ground search, follow the Families Facebook page at Finding Madeleine Kingsbury for more information.

Starting point is 00:38:28 Megan is also posting frequent updates on her TikTok, which is at M-E-G-S-M-P-L-S. And if you have any information about Maddie's disappearance, please call the Winona Police Police Department at 507-457-6302, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and on Tuesday we'll have an all-new case for you guys to dive into. Please make sure that you share. We of course posted photos of Maddie on all of our social media accounts, including her missing posters so you guys can go ahead and just repost that if you would like.

Starting point is 00:39:20 All the links for the donation as well as like Megan's, Venmo and the family's Facebook and the TikTok. And the TikTok, those are all gonna be linked in the description of this episode. If you would like to help alongside us, of course we can't be there in the search, but we can help virtually with donations and just sharing. It's so, so important.

Starting point is 00:39:39 It takes nothing to just press share on a post or tell somebody about this podcast or just her story in general. It could really make a difference. We're only a month in. This is the time to act. Absolutely. And if you guys want more updates on this case and other cases, make sure you go follow

Starting point is 00:39:57 our socials. We're on Instagram at going west podcast, Twitter at going west pod, and we also have a Facebook discussion group where you guys can talk about these cases. Absolutely, thank you guys so much for tuning in, and we will see you next week. Alright guys, so for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5%

Starting point is 00:40:32 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% you

Going West: True Crime - Madeline Kingsbury // 302

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