After months of searching, police say remains have been discovered in the search for missing Minnesota mother Madeline Kingsbury and her ex has been arrested in connection to her mysterious disappearance.
After 69 days of searching, the body of Madeline "Maddi" Kingsbury has been found, authorities confirmed Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference in Winona, Minnesota, Chief Tom Williams revealed the remains found by deputies Wednesday afternoon in neighboring Fillmore County were positively identified as the missing young mom of two.
"Unfortunately, while this discovery is not what we were hoping for, we're thankful to be able to bring Maddi home for her family," Williams said.
Authorities had previously revealed that an arrest was made in the case following the discovery. Kingsbury's ex-boyfriend, Adam Fravel, was taken into custody "on probable cause in connection to her disappearance." No charges were announced as of Friday morning, but reports indicated he was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.
Police said Fravel was expected to appear in court on charges in the case Friday afternoon.
"To say the least, the last 69 days have been frustrating. All the heartache and pain for the family, law enforcement and the community. But during this time, the family never gave up. Law enforcement never gave up. The community never gave up."
Here's what we know so far about the case:
When and how did Maddi disappear?
Kingsbury, a 26-year-old clinical researcher at Mayo Clinic, has been missing since she dropped her children off at daycare on the morning of March 31 in Winona, sparking weeks of massive searches, a widespread investigation and nationwide headlines.
Police had long said they were unable to name a person of interest or a suspect in the case but said there was not believed to be a threat to the public. Authorities repeatedly said Kingsbury's disappearance was believed to be "involuntary" and "suspicious."
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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.
Speaking to KARE 11, 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 said during the interview.
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."
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, Fravel, 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.
Police have 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.
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.
Where and how was her body found?
The remains were located off Highway 43 in north Mabel, Minnesota - located about 46 miles south of Winona - after police said "digital evidence collected by investigators" led Fillmore County deputies to the area.
Police could not release many details surrounding the tragic discovery, declining to say if Kingsbury's body had been moved, how many people were believed to be involved and the condition the remains were in.
They did, however, stress that her body was found off a public roadway, concealed and hidden.
"It should be noted that the location of Maddi's body was off a low-maintenance public roadway, and was not property owned by the Fravel family or any of their relatives," Williams said. "The area had been previously searched, but Maddi's body was covered and concealed in such a manner that she was not visible."
Though an autopsy has been conducted, a cause of death was not immediately released.
Who is Adam Fravel?
Fravel is the 29-year-old father of Kingsbury's two children, though the pair were no longer dating.
Megan Kingsbury said her sister was in the process of trying to move out of the home she shared with Fravel at the time of her disappearance.
While she was searching for a new place to live, family said Kingsbury was still 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.
Fravel, had previously released a statement through his attorney as the search efforts were underway, NBC affiliate station KARE 11 reports.
"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."
KARE 11 reported that court documents showed Fravel does not have custodial rights to the two children, and on April 4, police and child protection workers took the children from Fravel's home. The records showed authorities cited, in part, the possibility of "exposure to criminal activity in the children's home." Fravel was fighting the child protection case in court and appeared in Winona County Court seeking custody of the two children he shared with Madeline during her disappearance, the station reported.
"Law enforcement I hope is keeping an open mind in the investigation, and Adam has been cooperative with law enforcement and will continue to be so," his attorney Zach Bauer told the station at the time.
Police said Fravel was arrested in Kingsbury's case in Mabel, Minnesota, without incident. The Fravel family has property located "within several minutes" of where the body was found, police said.
Bauer could not immediately be reached for comment surrounding the arrest.
KARE 11 reports Kingsbury's parents will continue to serve as the foster parents for her two children.
What does Kingsbury's family say?
Megan Kingsbury released a video on social media Thursday afternoon confirming that her sister's body had been identified.
"They did publicly confirm that the remains that were found belong to my sister Madeline," she said, adding that "we don't know a lot yet."
Megan Kingsbury had also previously released a video on social media surrounding Fravel's arrest.
"The whirlwind is just starting all over again," she said. "This is definitely a silver lining. We're glad he's in custody and he's not walking around as a free man anymore."
Megan Kingsbury added that her family "from the beginning thought that Adam had something to do with this."
"We think that the right person is in custody and we're confident that he will get the punishment that he deserves for what he did," she said.
