Ex-Partner Faces Life In Prison In Killing Of Madeline Kingsbury

WINONA, MN — Winona resident and mother of two Madeline Kingsbury was killed by an abusive ex-partner, according to police.

Adam T. Fravel, 29, was charged this week with first-degree and second-degree murder. Under Minnesota law, a first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison.

Kingsbury, 26, was last seen dropping her kids off at daycare on the morning of March 31. She did not show up for her job as a research coordinator at the Mayo Clinic.

A massive multi-county, multi-agency search ensued, which was aided by thousands of volunteers. However, Kingsbury's body was not discovered for more than two months.

A Winona County grand jury moved to indicte Fravel on Tuesday.

On the evening of March 31, the Winona Police Department was contacted by someone who said she was concerned about the safety of her friend, identified as Madeline Kingsbury. Kingsbury was not responding to her phone, which was uncharacteristic, investigators were told.

Police discovered that no one was at Kingsbury's home, but her minivan was parked in the driveway.

When police spoke with Fravel, he said Kingsbury was supposed to pick up their children at their Winona daycare after her work, but she did not, according to investigators.

The daycare provider confirmed that both Kingsbury and Fravel were present when they dropped their children off at daycare on the morning of March 31, but Fravel was alone when he picked the children up at the end of the day, the criminal complaint states.

Fravel said he met Kingsbury at college in Winona and that they have had an on and off again relationship for the past seven years, authorities said. They had two children together, ages two and five.

Kingsbury was the primary income producer for the family, and she would forward him money electronically to pay the family bills, according to investigators.

However, the two had recently decided the relationship wasn't working and agreed to separate. Kingsbury was looking at different apartments in the area for her and the children to live in.

Fravel also told police that about two weeks ago, Kingsbury told him that she had begun a relationship with another man, according to the criminal complaint

On April 1, investigators obtained a search warrant for the Kingsbury's residence in Winona. Police found her cell phone, jacket, purse, and work laptop.

On June 7, a deputy with the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office was searching an area near the residence of Fravel's parents. The deputy found human remains in a culvert near a gravel road.

The remains had been wrapped in a grey fitted bed sheet that had been closed with black “Gorilla” tape. During a previous search of the Madeline/Fravel Winona residence, officers observed a roll of black Gorilla tape and a set of grey sheets with the fitted sheet missing.

The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains as Kingsburg and noted that a knotted towel had been wrapped around her head and neck. She died by "homicidal violence," the examiner ruled.