Winona authorities confirm body found in SE Minnesota is Madeline Kingsbury
Updated 2 p.m.
Authorities in southeastern Minnesota on Thursday confirmed that a body found in Fillmore County is that of Madeline Kingsbury, a Winona woman missing since late March.
Police on Wednesday night said Adam Taylor Fravel, 29, had been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder in the case. Fravel is the biological father of Kingsbury’s two children.
Winona Police Chief Tom Williams told reporters at a news conference Thursday that the case had been “frustrating, full of heartache and pain for the family, law enforcement and the community.”
He said a Fillmore County investigator had found the remains Wednesday afternoon on a remote stretch of road north of Mabel, Minn., about an hour south of Winona.
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He noted it was not land owned by the Fravel family or relatives. The area had been previously searched but the body had been covered, he said, adding that “digital evidence” helped lead them to the remains. He did not elaborate or say how Kingsbury died.
Kingsbury, 26, had been missing since March 31, when she didn’t pick up her children from child care. Several searches failed to turn up any sign of her.
Fravel, who is being held in the Winona County Jail and had not been formally charged as of early Thursday afternoon, had previously said that he had nothing to do with her disappearance. He has tried to seek custody of their children.
Authorities on Thursday declined to discuss any possible charging decisions or what evidence led to Fravel’s arrest.
Watch: Authorities confirm Madeline Kingsbury’s body found in Fillmore County (via Fox 9):