In an eye-opening interview, the sister of missing Minnesota mother Madeline "Maddi" Kingsbury revealed new details surrounding her sister's mysterious disappearance now entering its third week without answers.
Speaking to NBC affiliate station KARE 11, Kingsbury's sister, Megan Kingsbury, explained what happened in the hours after her last text message from the young mother of two the day she went missing.
Kingsbury, a 26-year-old clinical researcher at Mayo Clinic, has been missing since she dropped her children off at daycare on March 31 in Winona, Minnesota, leading to massive searches, nationwide headlines and many unanswered questions.
Megan Kingsbury said her sister was in the process of trying to move out of the home she shared with the father of her two children, whom she was no longer dating.
The morning of her disappearance, Kingsbury and her ex both dropped their children off at daycare, which Kingsbury's family said did not appear to be unusual, based on interviews police conducted with the daycare's owner.
Megan Kingsbury said she last heard from her sister in a text message the morning she went missing.
"I had sent her a funny photo the night before," she told KARE 11 in an interview.
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The image was a memory from a trip the two had been on last summer.
"She didn't see it until that morning. She just kind of sent a response back, 'lol,'" Megan Kingsbury said. "I had responded to it just kind of general chit chat. That was at like 8:15 that she sent me a message and that was the last that I heard from her."
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As the day went on, Megan Kingsbury didn't hear from her sister like she usually does throughout the day, which was particularly concerning given that her sister was scheduled to visit her in Minneapolis the following day with her niece. Then, she received a text from her mother, who was growing concerned.
The family started each reaching out to Madeline Kingsbury in hopes of a response, but by 7 p.m., they had not heard anything.
"There were definitely some alarm bells going off because it was so unlike her," Megan Kingsbury said.
Megan Kingsbury said she sent her sister's ex a text that night, but he also hadn't heard from her, though given their relationship status, many didn't question it.
The family said they wanted to quickly file a missing person report "because it's just such abnormal behavior."
Police said Kingsbury, who often worked from home, didn't arrive for work that morning as she usually does.
The father of Kingsbury's children told authorities he left the home around 10 a.m. in the minivan she normally drives, a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country colored dark blue. When he returned home, he told police Kingsbury was not there.
That same van has been at the center of much of the investigation since.
Police said they believe a similar van was seen on County Road 12 and Highway 43 in Winona County and traveled southbound on Highway 43 through the eastern part of Fillmore County. Later, the van was seen traveling back toward Winona County on Highway 43.
The sightings were reported between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. the day she went missing, though police did not say who was driving the van. The vehicle was parked in the driveway of Kingsbury's home after 1:30 p.m. that afternoon.
"Nothing to date has indicated that Maddi left the residence on foot or in another vehicle," Winona Police Chief Tom Williams said.
In their most recent update, police said Kingsbury's van was taken and processed for evidence.
"We have worked closely with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to identify and process any available forensic evidence," the department said.
Authorities have repeatedly said Kingsbury's disappearance is believed to be "involuntary" and "suspicious," though they have not named a person of interest or a suspect in the case.
Family members said Kingsbury would not have disappeared on her own and had big plans for her future, being in grad school and looking at a possible promotion in her field.
"She definitely had some plans to get to some higher places," Megan Kingsbury said.
While she was searching for a new place to live, family said Kingsbury was looking to stay in the Winona area so her children could still see their dad.
"She didn't want to necessarily take them away from anybody," Megan Kingsbury said.
KARE 11 reports Kingsbury's ex, Adam Fravel, released a statement through his attorney last week.
"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," the statement read. "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. Law enforcement advised 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 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."
Authorities and the community have conducted searches spanning multiple counties in the Winona, Minnesota area, but nothing has been found so far.
"Evidence to date suggests Maddi's disappearance was involuntary and suspicious," Winona police said in a release. "We remain extremely concerned for her safety."
Megan Kingsbury said the most recent searches over the weekend were expected to center on water in the surrounding areas.
Authorities said tips continue to pour in with the case, but they acknowledged information being released is limited.
"We have had two goals since we learned Maddi was missing: bring her home and if warranted, hold accountable the person or persons responsible for her disappearance," police said. "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 everybody to be patient as the investigative process unfolds. We remain confident we will find Maddi and bring her home to her family."
For her family, positivity is growing harder to maintain as each day without her goes on.
"The hope is obviously still there, it's just a struggle to keep positivity about it sometimes," Megan Kingsbury said. "We're definitely keeping up the faith and the hope that we'll find her."
The family released a lengthy message last week as police gave an update on the investigation. (Read more here.)
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Kingsbury's whereabouts.
Anyone with information is being asked to call the Winona Police Department at (507) 457-6492 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers by calling (507) 457-6530 or emailing winonaareacrimestoppers.com.
