Law&Crime Sidebar - Missing Mom Madeline Kingsbury’s Sister Tells All: ‘She Wouldn't Have Just Left'

Episode Date: April 18, 2023

Minnesota mother Madeline Kingsbury vanished after dropping her kids off at daycare on March 31. Kingsbury was reportedly planning on leaving the father of her children, Adam Fravel, before her disappearance, which investigators described as “involuntary and suspicious.” The missing woman’s sister, Megan Kingsbury, tells the Law&Crime Network’s Jesse Weber everything she knows about the investigation so far.LAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokePodcasting - Sam GoldbergWriting & Video Editing - Michael DeiningerGuest Booking - Alyssa FisherSocial Media Management - Vanessa Bein & Kiera BronsonSUBSCRIBE TO OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Court JunkieObjectionsThey Walk Among AmericaCoptales and CocktailsThe Disturbing TruthSpeaking FreelyLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. The search is on for a young mother who suddenly disappeared in Minnesota two weeks ago. We break down what we know and speak with her sister. This is the story of Madeline Kingsbury. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm Jesse Weber. All right. So we want to get into a story right now out of Winona, Minnesota. And at the time of this recording, 26-year-old Madeline Jane Kingsbury, a mother of two, hasn't been seen since March 31st. No contact whatsoever with her friends. No contact whatsoever with her family. It is very, very

earring. And the search efforts have been quite extensive. But let's actually start with going through what we know so far. So back on March 31st, Madeline or Maddie, drops off her two kids, two-year-old and a five-year-old at daycare with their father, Adam Fraval. This happens at around 8 a.m. She then returns home. Her sister, Megan Kingsbury, says that she receives a final text message from Maddie, basically laughing at a photo that Megan sent her. And Megan says that that is the last time anyone has heard from Maddie Kingsbury. Now the father of the kids says he left home at around 10 a.m. And when he returned back home later on in the day, Maddie wasn't there. She doesn't show up for work. She doesn't show up to pick up the kids. This is all being told that

this is all extremely out of character for Maddie Kingsbury. Now here is something interesting. Police go to her home and they find her cell phone. They find her wallet. They find her ID. And they find her jacket. These are all things that you would take if you were leaving. And there's no evidence that she just left home on foot or was driving a different car. So of course, the question is, was she taken? But there's something else I have to mention. Fox 9 reporting that according to police, in the late morning, early afternoon on the day she went missing, a vehicle matching the description of Maddie's car, a 2014 blue Chrysler town and country, is seen on County Road 12 and Highway 43 in Winona County and then southbound on Highway 43 through the eastern part of

Fillmore County. The van then travels back towards Winona on Highway 43 and remains in the driveway of Maddie's home from 1.30 p.m. onward. Now, police haven't said who is driving the van, but we do believe authorities have the van and have processed it. Family members are offering a $50,000 reward for information about her whereabouts as police and volunteers scour fields, woods, waterways, in and around Winona, Minnesota. Police have enlisted the help of residents in and around the counties, asking them to walk their properties, check out buildings, look for any signs of a disturbance. Chief of police asking residents to check any property cameras, including doorbell and security cameras covering the time period from 8 a.m. on March 31st to

4 p.m. on April 1st. Contact law enforcement. If the van that we've been describing, you've seen on any of your footage. The Winona Police Department has classified Maddie's disappearance as suspicious and involuntary, and they continue to conduct targeted searches based on tips and information. Winona PD saying in the last week there have been foot, aerial, and water searches conducted. We are using all available resources in the search, including sonar, submersibles, and dog teams. Madeline Kingsbury is five foot four inches tall, weighs 135 pounds, has brown hair and hazel eyes. If you have any information, please contact law enforcement.

You can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2-2-2-2 tips or online at crimestoppers mn.org. So that's the background. But as of right now, authorities are refusing to ID a suspect or any person of interest at this time. But let's talk about the elephant in the room, the kid's father, Adam Fraval, who has been the subject of online speculation that he is behind what happened to Madeline, reporting indicating he may have been the last person to see her.

So reporting indicates that at the time of Madeline's disappearance, she was no longer in a relationship with Adam Fraval. And while the two were still in the same home, she was looking to find a new place. Now, Fraval didn't have custodial rights to the children. And a judge ordered the kids to be kept with social services. It's been alleged that Fraval and his family were not cooperative with social workers when they showed up to take the kids, refused to turn over their belongings, even yelled profanities. A statement from Adam Fravel through his lawyer has been released, and it says in part, quote, 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, Maddie 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 Maddie'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. As for Madeline's family, they have issued a statement as well. The Kingsbury family statement says in part, quote, Nothing in life prepares you for this. The disappearance of our daughter and sister has been a walking 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 someone who has never been suddenly thrust into this horrific situation could ever imagine. imagine. It goes on to state, quote, we will continue to search for Madeline. We will not give up and our family will come out the other side of this forever changed, but forever grateful for the tireless dedication of so many helpers, friends, and relatives, people in law enforcement,

other first responders, social workers, caseworkers, legal professionals, child advocates, and many, many more. As we continue the discussion into Madeline Kingsbury's disappearance, I want to bring on a very special guest right now. Maddie's sister, Megan, Kingsbury. Megan, thank you so much for coming on. I know this is a difficult time for you and your family. I can't imagine what you're all going through, but we really do appreciate it. You're taking the time to talk a little bit more about the case. Yeah, anything we can do to spread the word even further, more we're happy to do. Of course. So if you can tell us, what is the current status of the search for Maddie? Because it seems like there are developments every day.

this has been happening for the last two weeks. Where are we right now in the search efforts? Yeah. So, you know, obviously haven't located her yet. But there's various search efforts happening every day, like you said. There were the mass searches with all the volunteers a couple weekends ago that had about 2,000 people, actually more than that. And since then, law enforcement has been working with some more specialized teams. I know they've got a lot of drone activity. they've been searching the Mississippi River. Winona's right on that. And if you're not familiar with the area or anyone watching listening, there's tons of little inlets and channels and ponds and lakes. So there's a lot of actual hard ground to cover and then water to cover as well. So they've been

in, out and around the water multiple times. There was flooding over this past weekend. So that could be seen as a good and a bad thing. Flooding, it tends to kind of shake things up in in and under the water so they're looking at that besides drones aerial searches have been done the civil air patrol has been flying down in that area we have some family members who are pilots and they've been down flying around to mounted police canine units have been used so they're really pulling out all the stops here in order to try to locate madeline how much is law enforcement actually communicating with you their developments or even tips that they're getting because i understood that they're targeting their searches based on information they're getting from people.

Yeah, so we are in communication with them every day. My dad in particular corresponds with them every day. And at least once a day, they're kind of given us a rundown of what they've done during that particular day. But yeah, as far as any like particulars on where they're looking, they kind of keep that kind of close to the vest there. So yeah, any specific locations, I don't have that information. And her car, Maddie's car, has become a particular interest.

You know, I was understanding that the car was processed. I think there was a reporting that the police were able to track the location of the car during the day. I don't know if they actually confirmed who was driving it at what point. What should we know about Maddie's car? Because I know that also law enforcement has made an effort to say, hey, if you have surveillance footage and you see the car between this time frame and this time frame, let us know. what should we be knowing about that? I mean, right now, so it's trying to piece together where her car was in between the time that it left her home and when it returned.

So I think it's between like 10 and 1 on that day of March 31st. So, yeah, and it's not clear who was driving the vehicle. You know, there is, as far as I know, some surveillance video of the van. at a gas station in Rushford, Minnesota, just kind of driving by, but you can't see who is driving it. So, yeah, and any footage that they are able to get that has even a glimpse of the van would be extremely helpful. Do you have a theory on what happened to your sister as we're all trying to figure it out? I think, yeah, everybody does, myself and my family included, but at this point, we don't want to jeopardize any sort of current or future investigation, so we're just not

speculating publicly at this time. And I won't push you at that at all. I do have some questions, though, because as you can imagine, the target of a lot of online speculation and theories is centered around Adam Frable. This is the father of Maddie's children. He has released a statement saying he has nothing to do with this. He said that he wants Maddie a safe return. I was curious because there was this back and forth where he claimed that he was told by

authorities not to help in the search efforts. or attend news conferences, but the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said they're not aware of him being told that. I was curious if you can give me your thoughts on that. You know, I guess I don't really have any because I wasn't aware that he had been told that either. So, I mean, we're just in agreement with the rep. I think her name is Bonnie from the BCA. Just, you know, we weren't aware of that either. What should we know about his relationship with your sister you know that also we're not commenting too much on except for what's already out there you know they were no longer in a romantic relationship and you know the plan was to co-parent they were going

to be living separately but stay within the vicinity of each other for the kids you know they had struggles like everybody else but um they were no longer romantically involved again you don't have to share this but i do i am curious has law enforcement shared with you at the very least they might not have even identified a name, have they shared that they might have a person of interest or potential suspect, or have they not heard anything about that yet? You know, at this time, we have the same info as the public as far as that is concerned. I know that they're gathering information to try to get to that point, but at this time, they haven't named a suspect or person of interest to us.

And one of the reasons I mentioned, Adam Fravel, is because as we earlier reported, the kids were taken by social services and there was reporting that he was not cooperative and he wouldn't give the kids over. What is the status of the children right now, if you can tell us? All I can say about them is that, you know, I can confirm they're no longer with Adam, but they're in good hands and they're safe. Myself and my family, we've seen them and they're doing really well considering. Yeah.

And talking about the last time you spoke to Maddie, I know that there was a text message that it was exchanged, correct, where she actually laughed at a message. But if you want to amplify that, but also the last time you actually spoke to her on the phone and what maybe that conversation was about. Yeah. Yeah, the last text I got from her was 815 that morning of the 31st. And, yeah, I had just sent her a funny picture the night before. and she was just chuckling at it the next day, and that was the last I heard from her. As far as the last, sorry, the last phone call, I had face-timed with her actually the previous evening with her daughter, Ellie.

You know, they were in good spirits. They were about to be out the door on their way to gymnastics. It was recently Ellie's fifth birthday. I've gotten her a new gymnastics leotard, so she wanted to show me. But yeah, everything, everything was fine at that point. They were both normal, happy. So this literally came out of nowhere because we know that her wallet, her ID, her jacket, were all found in the house, literally came out of nowhere.

I mean, for anybody who's not familiar with this, if you can briefly explain why it is very unlikely that she just picked up and walked away and left her life. If you can tell us, I know you were close with her. If you can, I are close with her, if you can explain why that's just not. really a realistic possibility. Yeah, I mean, since Maddie had kids, you know, she's hardly been away from them for any length of time. I think the longest that she had been away was her and I took a long weekend trip together last summer. You know, that was like four days and that that was

the longest, but she'd never gone off on her own. I've never been without communication with her even even for a day for years, you know, and she, she had plans for the near future and for years into the future as well. You know, she, uh, she was supposed to come to my house the next day with her daughter. If plans change in any type of way, I know like immediately from her. And then as far as, you know, her future plans, I mean, she was in a, um, a rigorous grad student program at the of M for public health, you know, she was, she was looking for a new place to live. So she had plans and things that she wanted to do in the future. So she wouldn't have just left. I said this before. I can't imagine what you're going through, what your family's going through

right now. How is everybody coping with this? Because this is that time where there's such uncertainty. And, you know, there's been a tremendous effort to search for Maddie. I think that's pretty incredible. And again, if there's anything that we can do here, our podcast has a very large reach. Earlier in the program, I actually laid out the number for crime stoppers and a number to call if anybody has any information. But this point, how are you and the family coping with what's happening? Every day is different. Every day is hard. You know, we all have our moments where we're breaking down and we're inconsolable. And we all have our moments of strength. We're just kind of all playing to our own strengths here as as far as how we can help like i'm i'm talking you know with

everyone publicly um our older brother who's you know here from um he's active duty army he's on the ground on foot searching every single day but yeah coping i mean it's kind of like we're like zombified just kind of like walking through the days and you know the world is going on around us and we're just kind of frozen in time right now. But we have a really great support system, and the community has been really wonderful. They've been amazing. They've been really amazing.

The search efforts, I've just been reading about it. If you could speak to anybody who has any information right now, you know, and hasn't come forward, what would you tell them if they're listening to this, if they see this, if they see you somewhere else, what would you tell anybody that has information right now? You know, obviously come forward in some way. Maddie doesn't deserve to be a missing person.

You know, we don't want her to be a statistic. You know, we don't want to be questioning years from now, you know, where she is. And I know there's people out there that don't like dealing with law enforcement. There are ways to give tips anonymously. No one has to know who you are. So if that's you and you know something, I would take advantage of that, you know, there's, there's no harm in helping here, essentially. So we just ask that if anyone knows anything that they please just come forward with that information. Megan, listen, I really appreciate you taking the time.

I know I speak for everyone here. Our hearts are with you. Our prayers are with you. We are hoping your family gets answers. We hope that Maddie has found safe and sound. And if there's anything we can ever do to help in any way, you let us know. But again, we're wishing you and your family, the very best of this really difficult and challenging time. Thank you so much.

I appreciate that. And that's all we have for you here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. Please subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time. You can binge all episodes of this long crime series ad free right now on Wondery Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.