The sister of a young mother who mysteriously disappeared in Minnesota last month says that her family is in pain, but they're holding out hope as searchers continue to comb waterways along the Mississippi River for clues.
Madeline Jane Kingsbury, 26, is believed to have disappeared at around 8 a.m. on March 31 after dropping her young kids off at daycare with their father. On Tuesday, her sister Megan Kingsbury told Law&Crime's Jesse Weber that it's unusual for her sister not to have been in contact.
"She was looking for a new place to live," Megan Kingsbury said on the "Sidebar" podcast. "So she had plans and things that she wanted to do in the future. So she wouldn't have just left."
She said the children's father, Adam Fravel, was no longer in a romantic relationship with her sister, and the plan was to co-parent. He has not been named as a person of interest in the disappearance, and no suspects have been named in the case.
"They were going to be living separately but stay within the vicinity of each other for the kids," she said. "They had struggles like everybody else, but they were no longer romantically involved."
She said the children were not with their father and were safe.
"They're doing really well considering," she said.
In a statement through his lawyer, Fravel denied he had anything to do with Madeline Kingsbury's disappearance. He said he's been cooperating with law enforcement and has spoken with officials multiple times. Fravel has told authorities that he left home at 10 a.m. on the day his wife disappeared, and that she wasn't there when he returned.
Police said they found Madeline Kingsbury's cellphone, wallet, ID and jacket at the home. There is reportedly no evidence that she left on foot.
"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 said. "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."
The Kingsbury family said in a statement her disappearance has been a "waking nightmare," but they weren't giving up.
"Nothing in life prepares you for this," the statement said. "The disappearance of our daughter and sister has been a waking 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."
Megan Kingsbury said police are "pulling out all the stops" to locate her sister. Searchers are combing inlets, channels, ponds and lakes along the Mississippi River by air using drones and a civilian air patrol. On the ground, police dogs and mounted police units have been enlisted in the search, she said.
She said they're trying to piece together where her sister's minivan was on March 31 between 10 a.m. when it left the home and 1 p.m. when it returned.
Megan Kingsbury also said there is surveillance footage of the van driving by a gas station.
"But you can't see who is driving it," she said. "Any footage that they are able to get that has even a glimpse of the van would be extremely helpful."
She would not speculate on what she thinks happened to her sister.
"We don't want to jeopardize any sort of current or future investigation," she said. "So we're just not speculating publicly at this time."
She spoke about her last communication with her sister, a text at 8:15 the morning of her disappearance.
"I had just sent her a funny picture the night before, and she was just chuckling at it the next day," she said. "And that was the last I heard from her."
Megan Kingsbury said she had FaceTimed with Madeline Kingsbury and her daughter the night before.
"They were in good spirits," she said. "They were about to be out the door on their way to gymnastics. Everything was fine at that point. They were both normal, happy."
The missing woman's sister said coping is hard.
"Every day is different. Every day is hard," she said. "We all have our moments where we're breaking down, and we're inconsolable. And we all have our moments of strength."
She urged anyone with information about her sister to come forward to the police.
"Maddi doesn't deserve to be a missing person," she said of her sister, who is described as being around 5 feet, four inches tall and weighing 135 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. "We don't want her to be a statistic. We don't want to be questioning years from now where she is."
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