How did Madeline Kingsbury die? Unsealed warrants reveal frightening details about accused boyfriend Adam Fravel
WINONA, MINNESOTA: Newly revealed warrants in the case of Madeline Kingsbury, a 26-year-old mother of two from Minnesota whose life ended tragically, have brought to light the events leading up to her enigmatic disappearance and eventual discovery. The warrants offer a glimpse into the investigation that captivated the nation as authorities searched for answers.
Kingsbury went missing in March, and her body was found 69 days later. Her ex-boyfriend, Adam Fravel, now 29, faces charges in connection with her murder. The warrants reveal crucial information regarding Fravel's actions leading up to Kingsbury's disappearance.
What did Adam Fravel do to Madeline Kingsbury?
Investigators noted that Fravel seemingly wiped his phone of location tracking and took down surveillance cameras just one day before Kingsbury was last seen. Additionally, days before her disappearance, Kingsbury confided in a friend at Mayo Clinic, where she worked. She shared distressing details about her relationship with Fravel, stating that "everything is bad with Adam at the house" and that he had been “beating the hell out of her for years."
She issued a chilling warning, saying, "If anything happens to me, know that Adam did it. I would never leave my kids." The warrants also revealed text messages from Kingsbury in December, where she expressed concern about Fravel telling her she could "end up like Gabby Petito" if she didn't "learn to mind." This was a reference to Gabby, an aspiring social media influencer, who tragically disappeared on a cross-country trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie in the summer of 2021. She was later found dead on September 19, 2021, in Wyoming and the cause of her death was ruled a homicide as she died by “manual strangulation," a coroner said.
During questioning, Fravel explained that his comment about Gabby Petito was intended as a joke, but it raised eyebrows given the context of Kingsbury's disappearance. Kingsbury's remains were found off Highway 43 in north Mabel, Minnesota, concealed and hidden. Investigators claimed the Fravel family has property located "within several minutes" of where the body was found.
'I did not have anything to do with Maddi’s disappearance!'
Fravel was subsequently charged with second-degree intentional murder and second-degree unintentional murder. "Some of you may be wondering why my office did not charge first-degree murder against Mr. Fravel at this time," Winona County Attorney Karin Sonneman said at the time of his arrest. "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." "She had a bright future and Mr. Fravel took that from her," Sonneman said. "By charging him today with her murder we intend to hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
Fravel has denied any involvement in Kingsbury's disappearance and cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation. He expressed, "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."
