At approximately 8:20 pm on Friday, March 31, 2023, a missing person report was filed with the Winona Police Department for 26-year-old Madeline (Maddi) Jane Kingsbury by Maddi’s friend Katie, who hadn’t been able to reach her all day which was very unusual. Katie had gone to Maddi’s townhouse on Kerry Drive in Winona, Minnesota but there was no answer when she knocked on the door. Katie informed police that Maddi had been having issues with her on again, off again boyfriend & the father of her two children, 29-year-old Adam Fravel.
Maddi was born on June 1, 1996 & according to her obituary, she is the baby of her family with an older brother & an older sister. She began talking at a very early age & would follow family around the house, chattering away. She had a big smile & a big heart, she was smart, loving & an amazing mother to her 5-year-old daughter & 2-year-old son. She graduated from Winona High School & Winona State University & was just hitting her stride in life. She loved her job as a clinical researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester & had just started graduate school at the University of Minnesota to pursue her Master’s Degree in Public Health Administration.
When officers arrived at Maddi’s house, her dark blue minivan was on the driveway, but no one answered the door of their home & there were no lights on inside. Officers spoke with Maddi’s dad who also hadn’t spoken to her which was out of the norm. When police spoke with Adam, he said he hadn’t heard from Maddi since earlier Friday morning. He said that she was supposed to pick their two & five-year-old kids up at daycare when she finished work, but she didn’t show up so he went to get them & brought them back to his parent’s house in Mabel, Minnesota about an hour away. After officers gained entry into the home, they confirmed that Maddi wasn’t there & first glance indicated showed no signs of a disturbance.
On April 1, Maddi’s mom & older sister Megan went to the Winona County PD to report that they still hadn’t heard from Maddi which was extremely worrisome & out of character. Maddi grew up with her dad, David Kingsbury & his wife Cathy who helped raise Maddi since 2008 when she was twelve. Megan explained that she had texted Maddi on Friday morning & she replied in a typical way at 8:15 am after Maddi returned home from dropping the kids off at daycare. They were laughing about a photo Megan had sent the night before from a trip they took together to Rhode Island the previous summer. Megan sent a second text at 8:23 am which went unanswered. Megan & Maddi typically communicated multiple times throughout the day, so the lack of response was concerning.
Megan & her mom told officers that Maddi & Adam were in the process of breaking up but still lived together. They said that the first night Adam didn’t stay at their shared home on Kerry Drive was the night of March 31, 2023 when Maddi was reported missing. They also said that earlier that week, Maddi talked with Adam about changes in plans that they had previously discussed. She told him that she no longer wanted to move closer to his parents or change their kids’ daycare center & instead, she intended to stay in Winona with the kids & keep them at their current daycare. She also told Adam that she was in the process of apartment hunting. Adam was also aware of the fact that Maddi was seeing someone else, a man named Spencer Sullivan. The two met on Tinder in December of 2021 but had only recently started talking again.
Maddi’s mom & Megan also told police that Adam was very emotionally abusive & controlling over Maddi & he had insisted that she stop communication with her new boyfriend while he was around. He also demanded that he see all of the text messages she exchanged with him. Maddi had told her sister that Adam threatened her saying, “If you don’t listen, you’ll end up like Gabby Petito.” He apparently had an obsession with Gabby Petitio’s death & was infatuated with the case.
Megan & Maddi had made plans for Saturday, April 1st; Maddi was going to go to Megan’s house near Farmington, Minnesota with her daughter so they could spend time together while Adam took their son to his parent’s house that weekend. Megan indicated that they absolutely would have touched base about the details of their weekend plans, paired with the fact that Maddi never picked the kids up at daycare on Friday, they were immediately concerned.
When police spoke with the daycare provider, Brooke Pelowski, she said that both Maddi & Adam had dropped the kids off that morning, arriving in the van which Maddi typically drove. She explained that Maddi was the one who typically picked the kids up at the end of the day, but it wasn’t unheard of for Adam to do so when Maddi couldn’t make it. She said that Adam arrived at his usual pick-up time that Friday & that no one had been contacted about Maddi not arriving since the pick-up time was normal. Brooke said that when Adam got the kids, they asked where their mommy was & he didn’t answer the question & instead told them that they were going “to Grandma & Grandpa’s house.” She found this as strange since the kids had asked this question before & Adam would normally answer the question & tell them where their mom was, reassuring them that she was fine.
The daycare’s surveillance video shows both Maddi & Adam arriving at 8:03 am to drop the kids off & Adam arriving alone at 4:21 pm to pick them up. He was wearing white athletic shoes at drop-off & boots at pick up. There was no snow on the ground & the temperatures were about 40 degrees that day.
Katie, who first reported Maddi missing, explained that her husband, Sterling, is very close friends with Adam. Adam texted with Sterling about Maddi being missing & it was clear that Adam was frustrated that police got involved so quickly. Sterling shared his screenshots with police:
- Adam 9:37 pm: I talked to the police. Who or what prompted you guys to go check at the house? I’m so confused, she hasn’t been gone for a day yet so I’m not freaking out but everyone else is.
- Adam 9:42 pm: So Katie called the police?
- Adam 9:44 pm: She was leaving for Farmington in the morning.
- Sterling 9:45 pm: Yes she did. Weird that no one can get ahold of her.
- Adam 9:46 pm: Wow, that’s a little out of bounds of Katie. It hasn’t even been 24 hours & I saw her this morning.
- Sterling 9:48 pm: Not really when no one has heard from her most of the day. Apparently no one was able to reach you either to at least know you’ve heard from her. You can’t blame people for being worried, man.
- Adam 10:04 pm: Nobody tried to reach me at all until 7 pm which was Megan so idk what you mean by that.
- Adam 10:04 pm: I get being worried. But nobody asked me anything so it’s like wtf lol.
An officer went back to Maddi & Adam’s apartment & looked at the exterior of the van that Maddi drove & noted a mud mark on the interior door handle & muddy palm prints on the steering wheel. The rear cargo area was clear of any items but the officer noted several pieces of garbage on the ground beneath the tailgate of the van.
When an officer spoke to Maddi’s work supervisor at the Mayo clinic, they were told that she normally works at the office Mondays & Fridays, but she had not shown up to work that Friday, March 31st. Maddi hadn’t called anyone to let them know she wouldn’t be coming in which was very uncharacteristic of her. The IT department at Maddi’s office indicated that she last logged into her work system at 7:44 am that Friday & hadn’t logged back in after it timed out which it would have done in the time she was dropping the kids off at 8:03 am.
An officer spoke to Maddi’s friend Lauren who told them that when Maddi visited her in the hospital thirty days prior, Maddi told her “everything is bad with Adam at the house” and “if anything happens to me, know that Adam did it. I would never leave my kids.” This friend also said that Adam has been “beating the hell out of her for years.” She asked Lauren for advice on how to escape an abusive relationship & indicated that Maddi hadn’t reported it to avoid their children from getting involved. Friends indicated that the abuse started after the birth of their second child. Spencer, who Maddi was dating, indicated that she had to turn the tracking on her phone off when she went to see him, otherwise Adam would text her non-stop. When Adam discovered their relationship, Spencer ended his contact with Maddi. Maddi’s friend Katie said that Maddi was relieved to be with a man that was finally nice to her.
When Spencer learned of Maddi’s disappearance, her dad, David Kingsbury said that he sounded upset & clearly concerned. Adam told police that he was hurt when he found out that Maddi was seeing Spencer but claimed that despite their separation, their relationship was cordial. Six days before Maddi disappeared on March 25, Maddi texted Spencer, “He knows, I’m sorry.” He asked if she had told him & Maddi said that she had since he was asking what was wrong & she didn’t want to keep lying.
Text messages indicated that Maddi & Adam had been going through couple’s therapy since late 2022 or early 2023. On March 22, nine days before she disappeared, Maddi texted her mom that she was committed to therapy & making it work. Apparently, Maddi insisted they go to therapy after a choking incident. The day before Maddi disappeared on March 30, Maddi got a new iPhone & Adam asked, “What prompted you to stop location sharing, just wondering?” Maddi responded, “I just switched everything to my new phone. I don’t know if it’s something that would need to be reset or not.”
Police began looking into Adam’s financial situation as a possible motive to murder. He was unemployed & reportedly spent most of his days playing video games. Bank records showed that every deposit into his account during the month of March was from transfers from Maddi which indicated he was very dependent on her for financial support & their relationship ending was likely distressing to him.
Adam told police that on that Friday, he left their house at 10 am in their van to take some belongings to his parent’s house & when he got home, Maddi wasn’t there. He said that before he left, Maddi said she was going to do some work in her office downstairs & then head to work in Rochester. He said that while he was out, he texted her & she never responded. Police indicated that a van matching Maddi’s was seen on Country Road 12 & Highway 43 in Winona County & then southbound on Highway 43 through the eastern part of Fillmore County. The van then traveled back to Winona on Highway 43 & remained on the driveway of the home from 1:30 pm on. Police didn’t indicate who was driving the van. When he got home, he sent a text message at 1:33 pm saying “I’m back & my car is still here? You get a ride or something?”
When police searched the home, they found Maddi’s cell phone, wallet with ID & the jacket she was seen wearing earlier that day. The van was searched but it’s not clear what was found, if anything.
On April 2, at 8:29 pm, police issues an “endangered missing person” alert for Maddi & described her as 5’4”, weighing 135# with brown hair & hazel eyes. In the meantime, investigators & search teams were canvassing the area & trying to obtain any surveillance video that could help indicate where Maddi had gone. Police asked all local residents to check their own footage for any signs of their 2014 blue Chryster Town & Country or to check for any signs of disturbance or suspicious activities along Highway 43 between 8 am on March 31 & 4 pm on April 1. Maddi’s brother Stephen came back from being overseas in the military to help search for his sister.
On April 4, it was determined that Maddi’s two children needed to be placed on a 72-hour hold because of the fact that their mother’s whereabouts were unknown on suspicious & involuntary circumstances but when authorities went to Adam’s parent’s house to get them, they were not cooperative & wouldn’t allow social workers to meet with the kids & at one point, Adam brought his two-year-old son inside, locked the door & began shouting expletives. When authorities did get the kids, Adam refused to gather their belongings & they left with only the clothing they were wearing.
It was clear that Maddi hadn’t left the house on foot or in another car based on evidence & police specified which areas in several counties should be searched & asked residents of these areas to search their wooded areas & outbuildings. On April 7, an emergency protective care hearing was held before a judge in Winona County indicating the kids were at risk for injury but the judge wouldn’t issue a decision until April 12 & the kids remained in the care of family members. More than 2600 volunteers assisted in searching for Maddi over the weekend of April 7.
Police wouldn’t release certain information but indicated they remained extremely concerned for her safety. Twelve days had gone by & there was still no sign of Maddi when her family released a statement, saying that they were living in a walking nightmare with no respite, forcing themselves to eat, barely sleeping. They indicated that they were private people who had been thrust into the spotlight without warning & did want everyone to know about Maddi so she could be reunited with her children. Megan spoke about how special her sister is & how bright,kind, hard working & giving, a wonderful mother to her two children & someone who never judges others & accepts them for who they are.
Adam also made a statement saying that he & his family have faced many accusations & that he had nothing to do with Maddi’s disappearance & that he’d been cooperative with law enforcement & concluded his statement by saying, “God bless the Kingsbury family & please bring her home safely.”
Meanwhile, on April 9 which was Easter Sunday, a neighbor living just north of Adam’s family’s property caught an image from his trail camera that showed Adam driving a Polaris Ranger UTV through the property with a shovel in the bed with a timestamp of 4:51 pm. He was wearing a dark colored stocking hat, a dark jacket, dark pants & sunglasses despite the warm temperatures with the trail camera showing 71 degrees. The next day, a freeze was placed on the Fravel home because of a burning pit found. This means that those in the home were to be detained while they await the search warrant. Despite the freeze, Adam took off on the Ranger until he was stopped at 180th Street near Highway 43. They seized the Ranger along with the shovel & brought two cadaver dogs along to search the 800 acre uninhabited property. The dogs were alerted to the bed of the Polaris Ranger & to the spade of the shovel. When the property was searched, police noted an area of fresh dirt that appeared to be transported from somewhere else & dumped there.
On April 18, a neighbor spoke with police & indicated that on the day that Maddi went missing, they noticed her minivan had been back into the driveway which was something he had never seen before. Law enforcement had placed cameras in the driveway of the home to monitor the property. They asked property owners in various counties to place a blue checkmark in a visible spot which indicates that they consent to have their properties searched. When the search concluded, a blue ribbon would be placed on their mailbox to indicate it had been checked. Blue was Maddi’s favorite color.
A vigil was held on May 5 as family & friends continued to search for Maddi & pray for her safe return. More than 200 people attended, wearing blue ribbons in her honor. Family encouraged people to place blue light bulbs in & around their homes ahead of her 27th birthday on June 1 to “Light the Way Home for Madeline.” Maddi’s birthday came & went with no updates. Four days later on June 5, Adam was scheduled to go to trial over the custody of his children but the trial was canceled after he filed a new petition to gain sole custody despite the fact that he didn’t have custody of the children even before Maddi disappeared.
As Maddi & Adam’s townhouse was more thoroughly searched after a warrant was obtained & police began searching Adam’s electronic devices, they suspected a great deal of tampering & staging had occurred; his phone had been wiped & certain tracking applications & location services were disabled after March 30, the day before Maddi disappeared which police believe was done to conceal the locations he visited after this time.
Remnants of data on Adam’s phone had access to a network of Wyze brand surveillance cameras at the townhouse he shared with Maddi & his family’s home near Mabel. By the time the search warrant was obtained, police found areas of torn drywall that appeared to have something previously attached. It was clear that all cameras had been ripped down & their SD cards were removed. Adam’s parent’s home was searched on April 7 & found a computer tower & laptop in a dumpster & a burned computer in a fire pit. Data extracted from his phone found a web search from March 31 at 6:51 pm asking, “Are dog scratches on face dangerous?” During the search, police learned that Adam had studied computer science & is very technologically savvy.
When police spoke to Adam on April 1 at his parent’s property, an officer noticed six fresh scratches on his face & neck, each less than an inch in length & all vertical.
Sixty-nine days after Maddi disappeared, on Wednesday, June 7 at 1:30 pm, a Fillmore County deputy was on a remote stretch of Highway 43 just north of Mabel investigating a tip related to electronic evidence & checked a wooded area next to a gravel road & found Maddi’s body in some brush.
The following day, her body was positively identified. This area had been previously searched by law enforcement & volunteers but it was concealed in such a way that it wasn’t visible from the road. Her body had been wrapped in a fitted sheet which was then wrapped with black tape. The medical examiner found a knotted towel around Maddi’s head & neck & her manner of death was ruled homicide.
That evening at 5:20 pm, Adam was booked into the Winona County jail on probable cause of intentional second-degree murder in relation to Maddi’s death.The property where her body was found didn’t belong to his family but was within several minutes of it. As devastated as Maddi’s family was about the outcome, they were thankful that she was found & that the correct person will face justice
Two days later, on Friday, June 9, Adam was officially charged with two counts of second-degree murder & made his first court appearance via Zoom & his bail was set at $1 million with conditions & $2 million without conditions.
Because the Kingsbury family feared that Adam could potentially post the $1 million dollar bail, they filed a motion in court on June 12 to prohibit Adam from having any contact with his children because at the time, he was allowed supervised visits. At that point, the children remained in Winona County’s custody but were living with Maddi’s parents. If he were to post bail, Adam would be a flight risk & there would be every reason to believe he would flee with the children.
A hearing in the case of Adam has been postponed from July 20 to September 22 at the Winona District Court; he is facing a maximum of forty years in prison. The Finding Madeline Kingsbury Facebook page wrote so accurately, “Love shouldn’t hurt.” If you are in an abusive relationship, know that you are deserving of kindness, safety & love. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 & it’s completely anonymous & available 24/7. Maddi’s dad, David recalls hearing a phrase long before his daughter was killed & it struck him as a sad comment on our culture, “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.”
Maddi was said to have a character based on a foundation of love, respect & expecting the best from others. Her friend remembers her as a mother a person who would talk for hours & sing at the drop of a hat. She had a big smile & a big heart & valued letting others live their lives in a way that makes them happy & making the world a better & healthier place, “one recyclable bottle or compost bin or reusable bag at a time.” Maddi’s older sister Megan spoke at her sister’s memorial service & said that she feels broken but because Maddi saw beauty in those that she loved, she wouldn’t want them to remain broken. Maddi’s life ended far too soon & in a violent way that couldn’t have been further from the way she lived.
References:
- State of Minnesota, County of Winona Application for Search Warrant
- Fox 9: Missing Madeline Kingsbury: Family, police provide update on investigation
- Kare: ‘If anything happens to me, know that Adam did it’ – Warrants unsealed in Maddi Kingsbury case
- Fox 9: Adam Fravel’s final text messages to Madeline Kingsbury revealed in search warrant
- Fox 9: Missing Madeline Kingsbury: Timeline of her disappearance
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- Kare: Community celebrates Maddi Kingsbury’s life at public memorial service
- Fox News: Madeline Kingsbury’s parents fear daughter’s suspected killer ‘would flee’ with kids if released
- KTTC: ‘Know that Adam did it’, unsealed documents detail new evidence in Kingsbury case
- Hoff Funeral & Cremation Service: Madeline Jane Kingsbury
