"Her children need their mother. We need our daughter, our sister, our aunt, and our best friend back."
A Minnesota community is racing to search for a mother of two who has been missing for almost a week under what police are calling "suspicious" circumstances.
Madeline Jane Kingsbury, 26, was last seen on March 31 when she and the father of her children, ages 5 and 2, dropped them off at daycare and then went back to their Winona home around 8 a.m., Winona Police Chief Tom Williams told KARE 11 News. The family claims that Kingsbury's failure to pick up her children from daycare, and not showing up for work that morning are all "extremely out of character for her. She also did not return multiple calls and texts from loved ones.
"We believe Maddi's disappearance is involuntary, suspicious and we are all concerned for her safety," Chief Williams said, per ABC News. "We are very hopeful we will find her," Williams said.
Megan Kingsbury, Kingsbury's sister, described her sister as a "hard-working and dedicated mother" who works as a clinical research coordinator at the Mayo Clinic. She begged for her sister's safe return during a news conference. "Please help us find Madeline," she said, per ABC News. "Her children need their mother. We need our daughter, our sister, our aunt, and our best friend back."
The Winona Police Department is receiving assistance with the investigation from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and other local authorities. "Our hearts go out to Kingsbury's family and we are asking everyone to bring her home safely," police said in a statement.
26-year-old Minnesota mother Madeline Kingsbury has not been seen or heard from since she dropped her young children off at daycare last Friday. https://t.co/lJYacH9Xkx
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) April 6, 2023
Police stated they are looking into a van that matches the description of Kingsbury's car, per KTTC. A similar vehicle can be seen on surveillance film traveling from Winona to the eastern portion of Fillmore County between the key hours of 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., although it is unclear who was driving at the time. Later, Kingsbury's van was discovered parked in her driveway, and the house also had her phone, wallet, and jacket.
Minnesota | Search is intensifying for Madeline Kingsbury, the mom of two failed to pickup her two children at daycare last Friday; her wallet and phone were left behind at home. $50k reward now for info on her whereabouts, FBI assistance likely to follow. pic.twitter.com/xyKo2J6PLI
— Ｎｅｒｄｙ 🅰🅳🅳🅸🅲🆃 (@Nerdy_Addict) April 6, 2023
Detectives have started a thorough search for the woman after her disappearance. In a Facebook post, they request that locals start looking for anything that may help the investigation. “We are asking residents in this area to check their properties, including any video cameras, doorbell cameras, game cameras, etc. for a dark-colored Chrysler Town and Country van, signs of a disturbance, or any other suspicious activity,” Fillmore County Sheriff John DeDeorge said in a statement Monday.
Kingsbury has brown hair, hazel eyes, and a 135-pound weight. She is 5 feet, 4 inches tall. Kingsbury's whereabouts are unknown, therefore anyone with any information is urged to contact the Winona Police Department at 507-457-6302.
Madeline Kingsbury was last seen on the morning of March 31, 2023 at her home in Winona, Minnesota. She did not show up for work that morning or the daycare to pick up her children that afternoon. Looks like her 2014 dark blue Chrysler Town and Country van was found. #Missing pic.twitter.com/SO49IfVSJf
— Rose (@901Lulu) April 5, 2023
References:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=606393864868272&set=pb.100064929901191.-2207520000.
Cover Image Source: Facebook | Winona Police Department
