Missing Minnesota mom Madeline Kingsbury’s ex arrested for murder as human remains are found
More than two months after Minnesota mother Madeline Kingsbury vanished, police have arrested her ex-boyfriend and father of her children on suspicion of murder after discovering human remains.
Adam Fravel, 29, was taken into custody on second-degree murder charges Wednesday night — weeks after he insisted that he had nothing to do with her disappearance, authorities said.
Kingsbury’s aunt, Rebecca Jacobson, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the “family believes the right person is in custody and holding out hope that we’re going to find Madeline.”
Police said human remains were found in some brush off Highway 43 north of Mabel, Minnesota — about 45 miles south of where Kingsbury was last seen alive.
The body was located using information generated during its investigation, according to the Winona Police Department.
“Because of this, law enforcement personnel have arrested Adam Fravel on probable cause in connection to her disappearance,” the department said in a statement.
The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office is working to confirm whether the remains are Kingsbury’s.
Kingsbury, 26, vanished on March 31 after dropping off her two kids, ages 5 and 2, at their daycare in Winona with Fravel.
Police described her disappearance as “involuntary and suspicious.”
Fravel told police he left their house at 10 a.m. and Kingsbury wasn’t there when he returned, but her phone, wallet, and jacket were.
He was the last person to see her alive, according to authorities.
More than 2,000 people have volunteered to help find the missing mom since the search began.
Authorities also said they have served “numerous search warrants” as part of the effort.
Last month, a special prosecutor, Phil Prokopowicz, the former chief deputy attorney in Dakota County, was yanked out of retirement to help with the case.
Kingsbury’s family is also in the middle of a bitter custody battle over her children with Fravel, who petitioned for custody after their mother vanished.
The two kids are living with Kingsbury’s parents, although they are technically in the custody of Winona County, KARE11 reported.
The missing mom’s sister, Megan, previously told Fox News Digital that Fravel and his family kept silent despite their attempts to talk to them.
At the time Kingsbury disappeared, she and Fravel were no longer in a relationship.
They were still living together, although she was looking for a new place to live without him, according to her sister.
The Winona Police Department said it will host a news conference regarding the latest developments on Thursday in the Winona City Council Chambers.
The city of about 25,000 people is roughly 120 miles southeast of Minneapolis.
