GUILTY MN - Madeline Jane Kingsbury, 26, mother of 2, Winona, 31 Mar 2023 *arrest* #2

[youarentsilly]

As stated, it's the OP's belief, not a conclusion.

The case has moved forward, which has coincided with the arrival of the special prosecutor, so a fairly reasonable comment to make.

My question is whether there is anything tangible, so to speak, to lead to such a belief or if its just a correlation that is being interpreted as a causation? Did the OP, who is the person that I asked the question to, have some insight that others of us did not? But thanks for stating the obvious.

Also, the word "believe" doesn't translate to opinion or hope or speculation. One can have a belief based upon actual information and evidence.

 

[Allabouttrial]

TRANSCRIPTION OF PRESS CONFERENCE

9TH JUNE

CHIEF - Good afternoon. I'm Winona Police Chief, Tom Williams. We are here today to announce that human remains were found yesterday in Fillmore County. This morning, the southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy. Law enforcement has confirmed the the remains are those of Madeline Kingsbury.

Unfortunately, while this discovery is not what we were hoping for, we are thankful to be able to bring Maddie home to her family. Her body was found by a Fillmore County investigator, on a remote stretch of road, off highway 43 North of Mabel at approximately 1:30pm, yesterday afternoon. Digital evidence collected by investigators led us to this area.

It should be noted that the location of Maddie's body was off a low maintenance public roadway and was not property owned by the Fravel family or any of their relatives. The area had been previously searched, but Maddie's body was covered and concealed in such a manner that she was not visible.

To say the least, the last 69 days have been frustrating, full of 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.

We want to recognise that the support from volunteers, public safety professionals and all the media outlets, were instrumental in keeping the blue light shining, in order to bring Maddie home.

We have said that we will hold anyone involved in Madeline's disappearance accountable, and we are here to tell you that we will hold steadfast on that commitment.

We are asking everyone to respect the family's privacy and allow them the time to grieve and mourn the loss of Maddie.

SHERIFF - Good afternoon everyone, my name is John DeGeorge, I'm the Fillmore County Sheriff. On behalf of the Fillmore County Sheriff's Office, we offer our deepest condolences to the family of Madeline Kingsbury.

As Chief Williams stated, this is not the outcome we had hoped for, but we are grateful to help bring the search for Madeline to a close. After the conclusion of the large scale searches led by law enforcement, Fillmore County Sheriff's Office investigators and deputies have continued to search specific areas and follow up on investigative leads, on a daily basis. Hundreds of tips have come in to our team, from many different sources, and each one of them was thoroughly explored.

We are thankful for the partnership and the professionalism of the Winona Police Department, the Winona County Sheriff's Office, the Minnesota BCA and all of the other supporting agencies. I am proud of our team of investigators and deputies, who have kept focus and stayed committed and determined throughout this investigation. Our focus now, is to continue to assist the Winona Police Department, with every resource available to us, to ensure that an accurate and complete investigation is prepared. Thank you.

AGENT - Good afternoon. My name is Michelle Fresco and I'm the Special Agent in Charge at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. We want to express our gratitude for the incredible partnership, that has been allowed by this team, to successfully find Maddie. The Winona Police Department invited the BCA to help with this case from day one, and since then, every homicide agent throughout the state has helped investigate this case. We want to also acknowledge the forensic scientists and the analysts, who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, through mountains of evidence, to generate leads. We are grateful for the more than 450 tips that have been sent to us; law enforcement had evaluated each one of them and followed up on as many leads as possible. It's this kind of collaborative effort that brought us here today, able to bring closure to Maddie's family. Thank you.

REPORTER - Would there have been enough evidence to arrest Adam Fravel if Maddie's body had not been found?

CHIEF - Unfortunately, I can't comment to that aspect, that would be a charging decision by the prosecution.

REPORTER - Where was Adam arrested and (inaudible)?

CHIEF - Adam was arrested at a residence in Mabel and yes, he was arrested without incident.

REPORTER - What led to Adam's arrest? Why was he arrested in this case?

CHIEF - It was a probable cause arrest that we felt we had enough evidence to make a probable cause referral.

REPORTER - Can you tell us any more about that?

CHIEF - Not at this time.

REPORTER - Do you believe that Maddie's body was in the same place this entire time? or had it potentially been moved at some point?

CHIEF - I can't comment on that.

REPORTER - Do you have a preliminary cause of death?

CHIEF - Not at this time, that was one of the reasons for the delay.

REPORTER - Can you tell us more about the digital evidence that led you there?

CHIEF - We actually... to be specific on the digital evidence and all - we've had mountains of digital evidence that's related to phone data as well as computer data.

REPORTER - Do you think the crime occurred in Winona County or Fillmore County?

CHIEF - I can't comment on that, that will be a charging decision by the prosecution.

REPORTER - And why 2nd degree murder and not 1st degree murder?

CHIEF - Again, I can't comment on charging decisions, as Bonnie had stated early on, we will not comment on any charging decisions.

REPORTER - Do you believe anybody has helped Adam Fravel?

CHIEF - It's still under investigation and I'm not willing to comment on that.

REPORTER - Can you describe what concealed and covered means?

CHIEF - She was in a wooded area off of a gravel road that's all I'm prepared to say.

REPORTER - You said that there was a delay in cause and manner of death; Are they able to determine that?

CHIEF - Again, I can't comment on that, that would have to come from the medical examiner's office.

REPORTER - You said Maddie's body was found in a public area, but you mentioned that it was not found on any land owned by Fravel or his relatives - How close is Fravel's property to where Maddie was found?

SHERIFF - The Fravel property is within the same area of Fillmore County, I would say within several minutes of where this is. I think that's about as specific as we want to get.

REPORTER - And can you just re-iterate how the body was found yesterday afternoon?

SHERIFF - An investigator was following up on an electronic tip, related to electronic evidence, and checked the area and located Madeline's body.

REPORTER - Can you describe the previous searches that had taken place there and how thoroughly that area had been looked at?

SHERIFF - Specifically, I can't tell you how thoroughly that area has been looked at; what I can tell you is that we have searched with volunteer teams and with law enforcement in that general area, as well as most of the rest of that part of the County. But as indicated earlier, there were efforts made to conceal the location of the body and it was not visible from the roadway.

REPORTER - Was it something that you could walk right by this and not see it? Was it something that required very close inspection?

SHERIFF - I don't think that we're prepared to comment on that right now.

REPORTER - Sheriff, you talk about the emotional toll that this has been on all of law enforcement - can you talk about that moment yesterday, around 1:30, when the deputy called in when the body was discovered - What was that like for all the department?

SHERIFF - Well, our focus always remains on the job at hand. So, our focus is always going to be, and was, in that case, 'what do we need to do next?' We certainly recognise that this is emotional and it is for us, as well as everyone else, but our priority no. 1 is - we've got a job to do and maintain professionalism.

REPORTER - You mentioned that the remains are found at 1:30 - What time was Adam Fravel arrested?

SHERIFF - I think he was arrested; I would say later in the afternoon. I don't know that off the top of my head... (in background - Chief says 5:20).

REPORTER - By police officers or sheriff's deputies?

SHERIFF - Sheriff's deputies.

REPORTER - What was his demeanor like when you took him into custody?

SHERIFF - I don't think we're prepared to comment on that right now. It went without incident.

REPORTER - Was the deputy alone?

SHERIFF - No, the deputy was not alone.

(some confusion on the initial response by the Sheriff. PIO asks for clarification from reporter)

SHERIFF - During the search the investigator that found Maddie was by himself.

REPORTER - A special prosecutor was brought in to kind of help on this case - what's his role going to be moving forward?

CHIEF - Again, the response on that is, relating to anything with the prosecution, is that we're not prepared to comment on that at this time.

REPORTER - How has this case affected law enforcement, with such high emotions attached to it?

CHIEF - As Sheriff DeGeorge said, it's taken a lot of effort by everybody; and not just law enforcement but volunteers as well. We know what the task at hand is, we know that we have a job to do. Everybody stepped up and we did what we were required to do and we will continue to do that through the trial stage of this as well.

REPORTER - Was this the biggest (inaudible) in most of your careers? If you can just comment on the scope of the last couple of months.

CHIEF - In my career, I do not recall a search of this magnitude. We had, probably, in excess of 2000 searchers after the initial weekend, where the volunteers came out; which was coordinated by Winona County Emergency Management Director Ben Clinger, in coordination with other emergency management directors. But, in my 36 years in law enforcement, this has been one of the largest searches that I've ever been a part of.

REPORTER - I know you received a lot of tips - Were there tips that ultimately were helpful in finding what you (inaudible)?

CHIEF - I can't comment on that, at this stage.

REPORTER - And what is next in this case?

CHIEF - We have to continue to follow up on all of the evidence that we have collected to date, as well as evidence that was collected yesterday. And we still have to review all witness statements and wait for the results from the medical examiner's office, to see if there's any further follow up from that office as well.

REPORTER - So what happens with Madeline's two children? Who gains custody?

CHIEF - That would be a child protection.. Winona County venue, and I'm not prepared to speak to that.

REPORTER - Is the delay with the Medical Examiner also leading to the delay in the charging decision, or does that fall under charging?

CHIEF - That falls under charging.

REPORTER - Has Fravel talked to law enforcement?

CHIEF - I'm not prepared to speak to that. It's still an active and ongoing investigation.

REPORTER - I know there are a lot of long hours and many many agencies helping with this to date - Does that change at all going forward?

CHIEF - We still are dedicated, as Sheriff DeGeorge mentioned, all agencies are dedicated to continue to do what it needs to do to bring this to a successful conclusion.

REPORTER - Will the benefit being held for Maddie still continue?

(family in audience says 'yes')

CHIEF - Thank you everyone.

PIO - Also, just to clarify the reason we are not prepared to comment on charging decisions is not in an effort to conceal anything. It's because our primary focus is to protect this case and protect the prosecution, and so that is the reason we are not prepared, today, to speak on any charging decisions or any information related to that. I just wanted to be clear as to our motivations for not sharing any of that information. Thank you again all for being here today. We appreciate your continued coverage and support, as we work through this case. Everyone behind me, BCA, the local police and the local county sheriff's are all here till the end of this case. Thank you.

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 8, 2023

Madeline Kingsbury’s body confirmed to be found, Ex-boyfriend arrested

Police say Maddi’s body was found in rural Mabel near a gravel road Wednesday afternoon.

www.northernnewsnow.com

• During the news conference, friends and family can be heard bursting into tears moments after Winona Police Chief Tom Williams identified the remains as Madeline.
• The body was found covered and concealed in a wooded area just minutes from the Fravel family property.
• This is an area police have searched several times before.
• Police say it was an electronic tip that eventually led a Fillmore Co sheriff’s deputy to her.
• Fravel is being held on a second-degree murder charge and has not yet been officially charged. Authorities would not comment on the scope of the charges Thursday, but say they are still sorting through evidence and want to protect this case and the prosecution.

 

[ilovewings]

JUN 8, 2023

Madeline Kingsbury’s body confirmed to be found, Ex-boyfriend arrested

Police say Maddi’s body was found in rural Mabel near a gravel road Wednesday afternoon.

www.northernnewsnow.com

• During the news conference, friends and family can be heard bursting into tears moments after Winona Police Chief Tom Williams identified the remains as Madeline.
• The body was found covered and concealed in a wooded area just minutes from the Fravel family property.
• This is an area police have searched several times before.
• Police say it was an electronic tip that eventually led a Fillmore Co sheriff’s deputy to her.
• Fravel is being held on a second-degree murder charge and has not yet been officially charged. Authorities would not comment on the scope of the charges Thursday, but say they are still sorting through evidence and want to protect this case and the prosecution.

When I read her body was discovered I felt terribly sad but not surprised. I am glad her ex has been arrested for 2nd degree murder. That is no surprise either. I think we all knew this story was not going to have a good ending. She was a lovely person and I feel absolutely devastated for her children.

 

[JennieM]

Sorry everyone, another transcript from the Winona Police conference, but as I spent a long time preparing it, I'll share it.

Winona Police Department​

Starts at 12:11.


Bonney Bowman: Thank you all so much for being here today. I am Bonney Bowman, I’m a Public Information Officer for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), we have been assisting the Winona Police Department in investigating this case. Today we will hear from Chief Tom Williams, Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge and BCA Special Agent in Charge Michelle Frascone.

We will have time for questions after they give their prepared remarks, however, I do want to let you know that as of today we will not be able to comment on any charges or charging decisions. That is something we will be able to discuss at a later date but that is not something we will comment on today. I appreciate you respecting that and also respecting the family as we continue moving through this process.

At this time, I am going to invite up Chief Tom Williams.

Chief Tom Williams: Good afternoon. I’m Winona Police Chief Tom Williams. We are here today to announce that human remains were found yesterday in Fillmore County. This morning the Southern Minnesota regional Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy. Law Enforcement has confirmed that the remains are those of Madeline Kingsbury. Unfortunately, while this discovery is not what we were hoping for, we are thankful to be able to bring Madeline to her family. Her body was found by a Fillmore County Investigator on a remote stretch of road off Highway 43 north of Mabel at approximately 1:30pm yesterday afternoon.

Digital evidence collected by investigators led us to this area. It should be noted that the location of Maddi’s body was off a lone maintenance public roadway and was not property owned by the Fravel family or any of their relatives. The area had been previously searched but Maddi's body was covered and concealed in such a manner that she was not visible.

To say the least, the last 69 days have been frustrating, full of 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. We want to recognize that the support from volunteers, Public Safety professionals, and all the media outlets were instrumental in keeping the Blue Light shine in order to bring Maddi home.

We have said that we will hold anyone involved in Madeline’s disappearance accountable and we are here to tell you that we will hold steadfast on that commitment. We are asking everyone to respect the family’s privacy and allow them the time to grieve and mourn the loss of Maddi.

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Good afternoon everyone, my name’s John DeGeorge, I am the Fillmore County Sheriff. On behalf of the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, we offer our deepest condolences to the family of Madeline Kingsbury. As Chief Williams stated this is not the outcome we had hoped for but we are grateful to bring the search for Madeline to a close. After the conclusion of a large-scale search led by Law Enforcement, Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office investigators and deputies continue to search specific areas and follow up on investigative leads on a daily basis. Hundreds of tips have come in to our team from many different sources and each one of them was thoroughly explored. We are thankful for the partnership and the professionalism of the Winona Police Department, the Winona's County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota BCA, and all the other supporting agencies.

I am proud of our team of investigators and deputies who kept focus and stayed committed, and determined, throughout this investigation. Our focus now is to continue to assist the Winona Police Department with every resource available to us to ensure that an accurate and complete investigation is prepared. Thank you.

BCA Special Agent in Charge Michelle Frascone: Good afternoon. My name is Michelle Frascone, I am a Special Agent in Charge of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. We want to express our gratitude to the incredible partnership that has been allowed by this team to successfully find Maddi. The Winona Police Department invited the BCA to help with this case from day one. And since then, every homicide agent throughout this […] has helped to investigate this case. We want to also acknowledge the forensic scientists and the analysts who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes through [months / mountains] of evidence to generate leads. We are grateful for the more than 450 tips that have been sent to us. Law Enforcement had evaluated each one of them and followed up [inaudible]. It’s this type of collateral effort that's brought us here today, able to bring closure to Maddi’s family. Thank you.

Bonney Bowman: That concludes our prepared remarks. I would like to invite questions.

Question 1: Would there have been enough evidence to arrest Adam Fravel if Maddi's body had not been found?

Chief Tom Williams: Unfortunately, I can’t comment to that […].

Question 2: Where was Adam arrested and was he arrested without incident?

Chief Tom Williams: Adam was arrested in a residence in Mabel and, yes, he was arrested without incident.

Question 3: What led to Adam’s arrest, why was he arrested in this case?

Chief Tom Williams: He was a probable cause arrest, we felt we had enough evidence to make a probable cause referral.

Question 4: Can you tell us any more about that?

Chief Tom Williams: Not at this time.

Question 5: Do you believe that Maddi’s body was in the same place this entire time or had it potentially been moved at some point?

Chief Tom Williams: I can’t comment on that.

Question 6: Do you have a preliminary cause of death?

Chief Tom Williams: [Looks to the side for a few seconds, seems to seek confirmation from someone on how to proceed]. Erm… not at this time, it was one of the reasons for the […] wait.

Bonney Bowman: Is there any other questions?

Question 7: Can you tell us more about the digital evidence that led you there?

Chief Tom Williams: Er, we actually used specific digital evidence and we had mountains of digital evidence that's related to phone data, as well as computer data.

Question 8: Do you think the crime occurred in Winona County or Fillmore County?

Chief Tom Williams: I can’t comment on that, that would be a charging decision by the prosecution.

Question 9: And why second degree murder, and not first degree murder?

Chief Tom Williams: Again, I can’t comment on charging decisions, as Bonney has stated earlier we will not comment on any charging decisions.

Question 10: Do you believe anybody has helped Adam Fravel?

Chief Tom Williams: Still under investigation and I am not willing to comment on that.

Question 11: Can you describe what “concealed and covered” means?

Chief Tom Williams: She was, er, in a wooded area off of a gravel road [inaudible].

Question 12: You said that there was a delay in cause of manner of death. Are they able to determine that?

Chief Tom Williams: Again, I can’t comment on that, it will have to come form the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Question 13: You said Maddi's body was found in a public area but you then mentioned that it was not found on any area owned by Adam Fravel’s relatives. How was close is the property or Fravel’s property or Fravel's relatives’ property from where Maddi was found?

[Chief Tom Williams motions to Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge to go answer the question].

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: The Fravel property is within the same area of the [Mabel?] county, I’d say within several minutes of were this is [inaudible].

Question 14: And can you just recount how the body was found yesterday afternoon?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: An investigator was calling up on an electronic tip, trying to gather evidence and checking the area, and located Maddi’s body.

Question 15: Can you describe the previous searches that had taken place there […] that area had been looked at?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Specifically, I can’t tell you [if] that area’s been looked at, what I can tell you is that we’ve searched with volunteers teams and with Law Enforcement in that general area as well as most of the part of that county. But as indicated earlier, there were efforts made to conceal the location of the body. It’s not visible from the road.

Question 16: Was it something you could walk right by this and not see it? Had there been searchers there? Is it something that was fairly close […]?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: I don’t think that we are prepared to comment on that right now.

Question 17: Sheriff, […] about the emotional toll this has been on all Law Enforcement, can you talk about that moment yesterday around 1:30 when you’d been called in, what was that moment like for all of you?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Our focus always remains on the job… and so our focus is always going to be and was on that case what to do next. We certainly recognize this is emotional […] but we are the ones who’ve got a job and have to keep it professional.

Question 18: You mentioned that the remains were found at 1:30. What time was Adam Fravel arrested?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: I think he was arrested I’d say later in the afternoon [Chief Tom Williams talks over him and then John DeGeorge answers, mentions time, but inaudible, 5 o’clock?].

Question 19: By police officers or sheriffs?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Sheriff deputies.

Question 20: What was his demeanor like when you took him into custody?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: I don’t think that we are prepared to comment on that right now [inaudible].

Question 21: Was the deputy alone or was this part of any kind of …?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: No, he was not alone.

Question 22: Who was he with?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: He was with other deputies.

Question 23: How many?

Bonney Bowman: Do you mean during the arrest or during the search?

Question 24: During the search.

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: During the search? I don’t … [looks to the side]. During the search the investigator who found Maddi was alone.

Question 25: A few weeks ago, a special prosecutor was brought in to help with this case, what’s his role going to be moving forward?

[Chief Tom Williams returns and Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge leaves.]

Chief Tom Williams: Again, […] anything relating to the prosecution, we are not prepared to comment on that, so …

Question 26: And how has this case affected Law Enforcement with such high emotions […]?

Chief Tom Williams: As Sheriff DeGeorge said, it’s taken a lot of effort by everybody, erm, and not just Law Enforcement, the volunteers as well. Erm, we know what the task at hand is, we know that we’ve got a job to do, everybody stepped up and erm we did what we were required to do, and we will continue to do that […].

Question 27: Was this the biggest man search in most of your careers? Can you just comment on the scope of the last couple of months here?

Chief Tom Williams: In my career, I do not recall a search of this magnitude. We had probably an excess of 2,000 searchers, erm after that initial weekend we had the volunteers […] which was […] by Winona County Emergency Management Director Ben Klinger in coordination with other emergency management directors, but in my 36 years of Law Enforcement this has been one of the hardest searches that I’ve ever been part of.

Question 28: I know you received a lot of tips. Were there tips that ultimately were helpful in finding what you needed to find?

Chief Tom Williams: I can’t comment on that.

Question 29: And what is next in this case?

Chief Tom Williams: We have to continue to follow up on all of the evidence that we have collected to date, as well as evidence that we collected yesterday, erm and we still have to review all the witness statements and wait for the results from the Medical Examiner’s Office to see if there’s any further follow-up from that office as well .

Question 30: So what happens with Madeline’s two children, who gains custody of them?

Chief Tom Williams: That would be a child protection of Winona County […] and I am not prepared to [speak to them?] .

Question 31: Is the delay with the Medical Examiner’s Office also leading to the delay in the charging decision?

Chief Tom Williams: [Laughs] I can’t comment on that.

Question 32: Or does that fall under charging decision.

Chief Tom Williams: That falls under charging decision.

Question 33: Has Fravel talked with Law Enforcement or is he refusing?

Chief Tom Williams: I’m not prepared to speak to that. It’s still an active and ongoing investigation.

Bonney Bowman: We’ve got time for a couple more.

Question 34: I know there are a lot of long hours and many many agencies helping with this to date, erm does that change it all going forward?

Chief Tom Williams: We still are dedicated as Sheriff DeGeorge mentioned, all agencies are dedicated to continue to do what needs to do, to bring this to a successful conclusion.

Bonney Bowman: One more?

Question 35: Will the benefit being held for Maddi continue this weekend?

Chief Tom Williams: [Looks to the side, many voices: "Yes, Yes, the family said yes”].

Chief Tom Williams: OK, thank you everyone.

Bonney Bowman: Also just to clarify, the reason we are not prepared to comment on charging decisions is not in an effort to conceal anything, it’s because our primary focus is to protect the case and protect the prosecution, so that is the reason we are not prepared today to speak on any charging decisions or any information related to that. I just wanted to be clear as to our motivations for not sharing any of that information. Thank you again all for being here today, we appreciate your continued coverage and support as we work through this case. Everyone behind me, the BCA, the local police, and the local county sheriffs are all here to the end of this case. Thank you.

 

[JennieM]

Winona Police Department​

1 h ·
Maddi is home.

 

[PommyMommy]

Winona Police Department​

1 h ·
Maddi is home.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=632264578778004

 

[Allabouttrial]

Sorry everyone, another transcript from the Winona Police conference, but as I spent a long time preparing it, I'll share it.

Winona Police Department​

Starts at 12:11.


Bonney Bowman: Thank you all so much for being here today. I am Bonney Bowman, I’m a Public Information Officer for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), we have been assisting the Winona Police Department in investigating this case. Today we will hear from Chief Tom Williams, Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge and BCA Special Agent in Charge Michelle Frascone.

We will have time for questions after they give their prepared remarks, however, I do want to let you know that as of today we will not be able to comment on any charges or charging decisions. That is something we will be able to discuss at a later date but that is not something we will comment on today. I appreciate you respecting that and also respecting the family as we continue moving through this process.

At this time, I am going to invite up Chief Tom Williams.

Chief Tom Williams: Good afternoon. I’m Winona Police Chief Tom Williams. We are here today to announce that human remains were found yesterday in Fillmore County. This morning the Southern Minnesota regional Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy. Law Enforcement has confirmed that the remains are those of Madeline Kingsbury. Unfortunately, while this discovery is not what we were hoping for, we are thankful to be able to bring Madeline to her family. Her body was found by a Fillmore County Investigator on a remote stretch of road off Highway 43 north of Mabel at approximately 1:30pm yesterday afternoon.

Digital evidence collected by investigators led us to this area. It should be noted that the location of Maddi’s body was off a lone maintenance public roadway and was not property owned by the Fravel family or any of their relatives. The area had been previously searched but Maddi's body was covered and concealed in such a manner that she was not visible.

To say the least, the last 69 days have been frustrating, full of 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. We want to recognize that the support from volunteers, Public Safety professionals, and all the media outlets were instrumental in keeping the Blue Light shine in order to bring Maddi home.

We have said that we will hold anyone involved in Madeline’s disappearance accountable and we are here to tell you that we will hold steadfast on that commitment. We are asking everyone to respect the family’s privacy and allow them the time to grieve and mourn the loss of Maddi.

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Good afternoon everyone, my name’s John DeGeorge, I am the Fillmore County Sheriff. On behalf of the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, we offer our deepest condolences to the family of Madeline Kingsbury. As Chief Williams stated this is not the outcome we had hoped for but we are grateful to bring the search for Madeline to a close. After the conclusion of a large-scale search led by Law Enforcement, Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office investigators and deputies continue to search specific areas and follow up on investigative leads on a daily basis. Hundreds of tips have come in to our team from many different sources and each one of them was thoroughly explored. We are thankful for the partnership and the professionalism of the Winona Police Department, the Winona's County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota BCA, and all the other supporting agencies.

I am proud of our team of investigators and deputies who kept focus and stayed committed, and determined, throughout this investigation. Our focus now is to continue to assist the Winona Police Department with every resource available to us to ensure that an accurate and complete investigation is prepared. Thank you.

BCA Special Agent in Charge Michelle Frascone: Good afternoon. My name is Michelle Frascone, I am a Special Agent in Charge of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. We want to express our gratitude to the incredible partnership that has been allowed by this team to successfully find Maddi. The Winona Police Department invited the BCA to help with this case from day one. And since then, every homicide agent throughout this […] has helped to investigate this case. We want to also acknowledge the forensic scientists and the analysts who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes through [months / mountains] of evidence to generate leads. We are grateful for the more than 450 tips that have been sent to us. Law Enforcement had evaluated each one of them and followed up [inaudible]. It’s this type of collateral effort that's brought us here today, able to bring closure to Maddi’s family. Thank you.

Bonney Bowman: That concludes our prepared remarks. I would like to invite questions.

Question 1: Would there have been enough evidence to arrest Adam Fravel if Maddi's body had not been found?

Chief Tom Williams: Unfortunately, I can’t comment to that […].

Question 2: Where was Adam arrested and was he arrested without incident?

Chief Tom Williams: Adam was arrested in a residence in Mabel and, yes, he was arrested without incident.

Question 3: What led to Adam’s arrest, why was he arrested in this case?

Chief Tom Williams: He was a probable cause arrest, we felt we had enough evidence to make a probable cause referral.

Question 4: Can you tell us any more about that?

Chief Tom Williams: Not at this time.

Question 5: Do you believe that Maddi’s body was in the same place this entire time or had it potentially been moved at some point?

Chief Tom Williams: I can’t comment on that.

Question 6: Do you have a preliminary cause of death?

Chief Tom Williams: [Looks to the side for a few seconds, seems to seek confirmation from someone on how to proceed]. Erm… not at this time, it was one of the reasons for the […] wait.

Bonney Bowman: Is there any other questions?

Question 7: Can you tell us more about the digital evidence that led you there?

Chief Tom Williams: Er, we actually used specific digital evidence and we had mountains of digital evidence that's related to phone data, as well as computer data.

Question 8: Do you think the crime occurred in Winona County or Fillmore County?

Chief Tom Williams: I can’t comment on that, that would be a charging decision by the prosecution.

Question 9: And why second degree murder, and not first degree murder?

Chief Tom Williams: Again, I can’t comment on charging decisions, as Bonney has stated earlier we will not comment on any charging decisions.

Question 10: Do you believe anybody has helped Adam Fravel?

Chief Tom Williams: Still under investigation and I am not willing to comment on that.

Question 11: Can you describe what “concealed and covered” means?

Chief Tom Williams: She was, er, in a wooded area off of a gravel road [inaudible].

Question 12: You said that there was a delay in cause of manner of death. Are they able to determine that?

Chief Tom Williams: Again, I can’t comment on that, it will have to come form the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Question 13: You said Maddi's body was found in a public area but you then mentioned that it was not found on any area owned by Adam Fravel’s relatives. How was close is the property or Fravel’s property or Fravel's relatives’ property from where Maddi was found?

[Chief Tom Williams motions to Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge to go answer the question].

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: The Fravel property is within the same area of the [Mabel?] county, I’d say within several minutes of were this is [inaudible].

Question 14: And can you just recount how the body was found yesterday afternoon?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: An investigator was calling up on an electronic tip, trying to gather evidence and checking the area, and located Maddi’s body.

Question 15: Can you describe the previous searches that had taken place there […] that area had been looked at?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Specifically, I can’t tell you [if] that area’s been looked at, what I can tell you is that we’ve searched with volunteers teams and with Law Enforcement in that general area as well as most of the part of that county. But as indicated earlier, there were efforts made to conceal the location of the body. It’s not visible from the road.

Question 16: Was it something you could walk right by this and not see it? Had there been searchers there? Is it something that was fairly close […]?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: I don’t think that we are prepared to comment on that right now.

Question 17: Sheriff, […] about the emotional toll this has been on all Law Enforcement, can you talk about that moment yesterday around 1:30 when you’d been called in, what was that moment like for all of you?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Our focus always remains on the job… and so our focus is always going to be and was on that case what to do next. We certainly recognize this is emotional […] but we are the ones who’ve got a job and have to keep it professional.

Question 18: You mentioned that the remains were found at 1:30. What time was Adam Fravel arrested?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: I think he was arrested I’d say later in the afternoon [Chief Tom Williams talks over him and then John DeGeorge answers, mentions time, but inaudible, 5 o’clock?].

Question 19: By police officers or sheriffs?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: Sheriff deputies.

Question 20: What was his demeanor like when you took him into custody?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: I don’t think that we are prepared to comment on that right now [inaudible].

Question 21: Was the deputy alone or was this part of any kind of …?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: No, he was not alone.

Question 22: Who was he with?

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: He was with other deputies.

Question 23: How many?

Bonney Bowman: Do you mean during the arrest or during the search?

Question 24: During the search.

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge: During the search? I don’t … [looks to the side]. During the search the investigator who found Maddi was alone.

Question 25: A few weeks ago, a special prosecutor was brought in to help with this case, what’s his role going to be moving forward?

[Chief Tom Williams returns and Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge leaves.]

Chief Tom Williams: Again, […] anything relating to the prosecution, we are not prepared to comment on that, so …

Question 26: And how has this case affected Law Enforcement with such high emotions […]?

Chief Tom Williams: As Sheriff DeGeorge said, it’s taken a lot of effort by everybody, erm, and not just Law Enforcement, the volunteers as well. Erm, we know what the task at hand is, we know that we’ve got a job to do, everybody stepped up and erm we did what we were required to do, and we will continue to do that […].

Question 27: Was this the biggest man search in most of your careers? Can you just comment on the scope of the last couple of months here?

Chief Tom Williams: In my career, I do not recall a search of this magnitude. We had probably an excess of 2,000 searchers, erm after that initial weekend we had the volunteers […] which was […] by Winona County Emergency Management Director Ben Klinger in coordination with other emergency management directors, but in my 36 years of Law Enforcement this has been one of the hardest searches that I’ve ever been part of.

Question 28: I know you received a lot of tips. Were there tips that ultimately were helpful in finding what you needed to find?

Chief Tom Williams: I can’t comment on that.

Question 29: And what is next in this case?

Chief Tom Williams: We have to continue to follow up on all of the evidence that we have collected to date, as well as evidence that we collected yesterday, erm and we still have to review all the witness statements and wait for the results from the Medical Examiner’s Office to see if there’s any further follow-up from that office as well .

Question 30: So what happens with Madeline’s two children, who gains custody of them?

Chief Tom Williams: That would be a child protection of Winona County […] and I am not prepared to [speak to them?] .

Question 31: Is the delay with the Medical Examiner’s Office also leading to the delay in the charging decision?

Chief Tom Williams: [Laughs] I can’t comment on that.

Question 32: Or does that fall under charging decision.

Chief Tom Williams: That falls under charging decision.

Question 33: Has Fravel talked with Law Enforcement or is he refusing?

Chief Tom Williams: I’m not prepared to speak to that. It’s still an active and ongoing investigation.

Bonney Bowman: We’ve got time for a couple more.

Question 34: I know there are a lot of long hours and many many agencies helping with this to date, erm does that change it all going forward?

Chief Tom Williams: We still are dedicated as Sheriff DeGeorge mentioned, all agencies are dedicated to continue to do what needs to do, to bring this to a successful conclusion.

Bonney Bowman: One more?

Question 35: Will the benefit being held for Maddi continue this weekend?

Chief Tom Williams: [Looks to the side, many voices: "Yes, Yes, the family said yes”].

Chief Tom Williams: OK, thank you everyone.

Bonney Bowman: Also just to clarify, the reason we are not prepared to comment on charging decisions is not in an effort to conceal anything, it’s because our primary focus is to protect the case and protect the prosecution, so that is the reason we are not prepared today to speak on any charging decisions or any information related to that. I just wanted to be clear as to our motivations for not sharing any of that information. Thank you again all for being here today, we appreciate your continued coverage and support as we work through this case. Everyone behind me, the BCA, the local police, and the local county sheriffs are all here to the end of this case. Thank you.

I wonder if it may be a good idea in future to check to see if anyone else is doing one as they do take some time and effort to transcribe as you probably noticed!

I don't mind sharing the workload, I just don't want either of us to waste our time and clog up the thread.

 

[ACG2x]

Lifelong MN resident here and have two close family members that went to college in Winona at WSU and are very tied to the community. Winona is your quintessential Midwest town. In fact, there isn't much in the 5-10 miles that surround the city - it's all farmland. I've driven the road from the Twin Cities to Winona more times than I can count and used to go there weekly to visit. The restaurants are almost all family-owned for generations like ZaZa's Pizza (delicious!) and Bub's Brewing. The largest employer in the town is the university.

This is going to shatter the community because everyone knows each other and most families who live in the town have lived there for eons. It's a good group of people who are very friendly and welcoming. Just a horrible outcome and may justice be done.

EDIT: Fixed spelling typo.

 

[Joe Friday]

The delay in formally charging AF must be due to the medical examiner has not yet made the determination of the manner and cause of death. Hard to charge someone with murder, when it has not been determined yet if the victim died by homicide. If the cause of death ended up being a gun shot, stabbing or blunt force trauma inflicted by something such as a bat or pipe, the charges brought against AF might be first degree murder, since going to get a gun, knife or object to beat someone could show premeditation. If AF strangled Maddi, then perhaps second degree murder.

JMO

 

[Sadi]

What makes you believe this? What information is there to suppose this conclusion? What did he do or would he have done?

Perhaps I should have added MOO. As stated earlier, he is highly regarded and came out of retirement to assist with this case. I do not have anything specific to add, just that it’s my belief and opinion his experience was helpful.

 

[Sadi]

The delay in formally charging AF must be due to the medical examiner has not yet made the determination of the manner and cause of death. Hard to charge someone with murder, when it has not been determined yet if the victim died by homicide. If the cause of death ended up being a gun shot, stabbing or blunt force trauma inflicted by something such as a bat or pipe, the charges brought against AF might be first degree murder, since going to get a gun, knife or object to beat someone could show premeditation. If AF strangled Maddi, then perhaps second degree murder.

JMO

I was wondering about this, thank you for providing more details.

 

[Gardenista]

1st degree murder in MN

Sec. 609.185 MN Statutes

2nd degree

Sec. 609.19 MN Statutes

 

[Gardenista]

The delay in formally charging AF must be due to the medical examiner has not yet made the determination of the manner and cause of death. Hard to charge someone with murder, when it has not been determined yet if the victim died by homicide. If the cause of death ended up being a gun shot, stabbing or blunt force trauma inflicted by something such as a bat or pipe, the charges brought against AF might be first degree murder, since going to get a gun, knife or object to beat someone could show premeditation. If AF strangled Maddi, then perhaps second degree murder.

JMO

Seems like strangulation would always be 1st degree because it takes so long.

 

[Pursula]

Seems like strangulation would always be 1st degree because it takes so long.

While that's true it's the premeditation part (planning it beforehand) that makes 1st degree stick. Unless they have proof he was planning on killing her rather than acting "in the heat of the moment" it would be hard to get a conviction for 1st.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

First-Degree Murder​

In Minnesota, first-degree murder is the most serious form of murder. It is charged as first-degree in cases that have aggravating factors such as:

• Premeditation — If the killing of another is planned before it was committed or if it was planned to cause another person harm in such a way to cause their death
• Sexual assault – If someone was killed during a sexual assault by using force or violence that results in their death
• Burglary – If someone is killed in an attempt to commit burglary or committing burglary occurs
• Aggravated robbery – If the actions were taken during a robbery result in the death of another
• Arson – if someone dies as the result of a fire that was set on purpose
• Terrorism – If someone dies during an act of terrorism
• Illegal sale of a controlled substance – If a person dies during the illegal sale of a controlled substance

Examples of first-degree charges for murder include:

• The killing of a child
• The killing of a judge
• The killing of a partner our spouse after domestic abuse
• The killing of a police officer
• The killing of a witness in a crime

The strictest sentence that can be received for first-degree murder in Minnesota is life in prison since there is no death penalty in the state.

Second-Degree Murder​

Second-degree murder is charged when a killing happens with intent, but the killing was not planned before it occurred. Often, people who kill due to an intense emotional outburst or as an emotional response get charged with this degree of murder.

The penalty if found guilty of second-degree murder is up to 40 years in prison.

Minnesota's Five Types of Homicide

In Minnesota, someone who is charged with homicide can be charged in varying degrees. In fact, Minnesota has five different types of homicide that someone can be charged with. Learn how Minnesota defines each type, what crimes fall under

www.keyserdefense.com

 

[kittycat3]

Does anyone know if there were prior incidents of domestic abuse bw Maddie and Adam? Either documented by police /court system or anything shared by her family?

 

[bizzle2]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1667190914853249024

 

[FrazzledNoodle]

a knotted towel... Poor Madeline. She must have been so scared.

 

[Sadi]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1667190914853249024

Oh my goodness, how sad, poor Maddie.