WINONA, Minn. – More than two months after 27-year-old Madeline Kingsbury went missing in southern Minnesota, the father of her two children has been taken into custody following the discovery of human remains.
Adam Fravel, 29, was listed on the jail roster page of the Winona County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday evening, which notes he is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder.
MORE: Father of Madeline Kingsbury’s children denies involvement in her disappearance
The Winona Police Department announced Wednesday evening that human remains were found earlier in the day “in some brush off Highway 43” near the town of Mabel in Fillmore County. As early as April, investigators had zeroed in on that area. The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office is now working to identify the remains.
Kingsbury went missing on March 31 after dropping off her children, ages 2 and 5, at their daycare. All of her belongings, including her phone and wallet, were found in her Winona home, and the van she drove was parked in the driveway.
Early on in the investigation, authorities called his disappearance “suspicious” and “involuntary.”
Winona Police
On April 12, about two weeks after Kingsbury went missing, Fravel publicly denied any involvement. He said after the kids were dropped off, he left her home in a blue minivan, and she was gone when he returned.
“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 5-year-old and 2-year-old to be found and brought home safely. I want that more than anything,” Fravel said in the statement.
MORE: Children of Madeline Kingsbury, missing Winona woman, to remain with maternal grandparents
WCCO News legal analyst Joe Tamburino says real answers in this case may not come for some time.
“The complaint may give us a window into what the evidence might show. The complaint might list a DNA sample. It might list some statements. But basically, the bulk of the evidence really will remain unknown to the public until the case is well into trial,” Tamburino said.
On Monday, Fravel filed for custody of their children, who were first placed in the county’s care until a court moved to have them placed in “relative foster care” with their grandparents. Fravel’s request was denied.
Kingsbury’s 27th birthday was June 1. Her family asked people across Winona, and across the country, to put out blue lights to help “light her way home.”
Read More: Adam Fravel, father of Madeline Kingsbury’s children, arrested after human remains
