Madeline Kingsbury: Minnesota mom, 26, sent ‘goofy’ last text to sister before she disappeared
WINONA, MINNESOTA: Madeline Kingsbury, a 26-year-old mother of two young children, has been missing since March 31 in Winona, Minnesota. Her family is offering a $50,000 reward for any information about her disappearance.
Madeline's sister, Megan Kingsbury, detailed that the last communication they had was a "goofy" text message that morning. "We were chuckling about a funny photo exchange between us, and that was the last communication with me, or with any of my family or her other friends," said Megan to Fox News.
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'If she had a problem and wanted to get away, she would come to my house'
Madeline typically shares every detail of her life with her family, and they talk on a regular basis, Megan said. However, on the evening of March 31, Megan's mother messaged her, asking if she had heard from Madeline because her messages had gone unanswered. This was "concerning" because Madeline is not the type of person "to disappear without telling anyone." Megan stated, "If she had a problem and wanted to get away, she would come to my house."
All of Madeline's friends were contacted by her family, but they all reported not hearing from her. Madeline usually calls the day before to finalize plans with the sisters, but that never happened, according to her. The sisters had planned to hang out the next day. "This is very unlike her," Megan said in an interview on the station.
She dropped off her two children at school and never got back
The police chief called Madeline's disappearance "suspicious" and "involuntary." The last confirmed sighting of Madeline was around 8 am on March 31 when she dropped her kids off at daycare with their father, but she did not pick them up that afternoon or report to work. Madeline's phone, wallet, ID, and jacket were found later that day, but police have not found any other clues.
The 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm three-hour window has drawn the attention of the authorities. Madeline's car left her house around 10 am and returned at 1:30 pm in order to pick up her children from daycare at 4:30 pm Nothing suggests Maddie left on foot or in another car, according to Williams, the report mentioned. Everyone in the neighborhood has been urged by police to check their security cameras and save any video taken between March 31 and April 1 and store it.
'The children need their mother'
A massive search effort that included law enforcement, family, friends, and over 700 volunteers has been searching the 120,000 acres mapped out by the police. The search includes nearly every type of geographical terrain, including several lakes, swaps, flat farmland, hills, mountainous areas, and woods.
Megan said, "There's a lot of speculation, of course, with people coming up with theories and asking us a lot of questions that we can't answer. We just want to keep the focus on finding her. We're asking people to keep their eyes and ears open." The family is desperate to find Madeline and offers a reward of $50,000 for any information. "The children need their mother. We need our daughter, our sister, our aunt, our best friend back," Megan said.