The ex-boyfriend of Madeline Kingsbury, and the father of her two children, now faces charges in connection with her murder after her remains were found following months of searching.
Adam Fravel, 29, now faces charges of second-degree intentional murder and second-degree unintentional murder, prosecutors announced Friday afternoon, just two days after the case saw its first big break.
"Some of you may be wondering why my office did not charge first-degree murder against Mr. Fravel at this time," said Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman "Let me explain the law in Minnesota. In order to charge first-degree murder, a prosecutor must present the case before a grand jury and a grand jury decides whether there is probable cause to support an indictment for first-degree murder. Because this case remains an active and ongoing investigation we may seek additional charges in the future."
She noted that she charges are "based on the evidence we felt we could prove with some certainty from our perspective."
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"She had a bright future and Mr. Fravel took that from her," Sonoman said. "By charging him today with her murder we intend to hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
An attorney representing Fravel could not immediately be reached for comment.
Many questions still remain after Kingsbury's body was discovered earlier this week and her remains identified.
Speaking at a press conference in Winona, Minnesota, Thursday, Chief Tom Williams revealed the remains found by deputies Wednesday afternoon were in fact identified as Kingsbury's.
"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.
"To say the least, the last 69 days have been frustrating," he added. "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."
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."
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.
Kingsbury's remains were located 69 days after her disappearance 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.
Before being charged in her murder, Fravel had released a statement saying he "did not have anything to do with Maddi's disappearance."
"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, according to NBC affiliate station KARE 11. "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."
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.
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.
Sonneman said the two children will remain in the care of Kingsbury's father "for the time being," but that custody cases remain "open and active."
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 Kingsbury during her disappearance, the station reported.
"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.
Fravel was ordered held on $2 million unconditional bail, or a $1 million conditional bail, prosecutors said, but should he post that he could be eligible to continue supervised visits with the children. He is next scheduled to appear in court on July 20.
