It's been a week since anyone has seen Madeline Kingsbury. The 26-year-old mother didn't show up for work and failed to pick up her children from day care on March 31. She was last seen with her children's father early Friday morning when the pair dropped them off at day care in Winona, Minnesota. Today, police, family, and friends are trying to piece together the events leading up to the young mom's disappearance.
Winona Police Chief Tom Williams held a press conference April 5 and shared what little information investigators have about Kingsbury's last known location. Williams said she returned to her home on Kerry Drive around 8:15 a.m. Friday. He explained that the father of her children told police he left home around 10 a.m. in Kingsbury's van, but when he returned, she was not home. Today there's a pressing question: Where did she go?
More From CafeMom: Young Mom's Remains Found in Remote Area of Tennessee Days After She Vanished From Walmart
Police believe they have footage of her van.
According to police, surveillance footage from the morning of March 31 picked up a van similar to Kingsbury's 2014 Chrysler Town and Country on County Road 12 and then on Southbound Highway 43 in Winona County. Later that day, a van matching the description was spotted on Highway 43 in Filmore County traveling back to Winona County. Police say the vehicle was spotted between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. It was parked at her home after 1:30 p.m.
At the news conference, Williams said investigators do not believe the missing mother left home on foot. Authorities searched the van and the home, and her phone, ID, and the jacket she wore earlier in the day were all in the house.
Police declined to give details about the van's driver.
The mother's disappearance is out of character.
Williams said Kingsbury's family and friends tried to contact her during the day March 31 but could not. They agreed that it was "unlike her not to respond." Due to the circumstances surrounding her disappearance, the police chief said he believes it was "involuntary, suspicious, and we are all concerned for her safety."
Investigators from several law enforcement agencies and volunteers have searched for Kinsgbury for nearly a week, unable to locate her. Law enforcement planned a mass search party on April 7, canvassing the area between Winona and Filmore counties.
Megan Kingsbury, Madeline Kingsbury's sister, addressed the media.
Megan Kingsbury spoke on behalf of her family, pleading for help finding her younger sister. She tearfully spoke of her sister and her children, 5-year-old Eliana and 2-year-old Noah, calling her sister an impressive and beautiful young woman.
"Madeline is a hardworking and dedicated mother as well as a grad student at the U of M and works for the Mayo Clinic," she said.
Megan Kingsbury stated that she would not discuss the details of the case; instead, she wants her sister home.
The family has put up a $50,000 reward for any information leading to Kingsbury.
Details in the case remain vague.
During the press conference, police declined to give much information about the van, driver, or suspects, focusing more on the search for the missing mother.
Public Information Officer at Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Bonney Bowman said she could not share information about the van driver. Still, as she explained, "We are examining all possibilities as to what could have happened to Maddie, including hopefully getting her back safely or also investigating possible foul play."
She said there was no suspect or person of interest at this point. Williams confirmed that the children are safe.
More From CafeMom: Missing Texas Teen Found in Nebraska After Crashing Car With Mother's Dead Body in Trunk
Friends and family are using social media to spread the word about their missing loved one.
Several Facebook groups and pages dedicated to Kingsbury's case have shared details about the missing woman, from photos of her car and tattoos to what clothes she was wearing the day she disappeared. Friends want her home safely.
A post dedicated to Kingsbury reads as follows:
"When a mother of 2 young children doesn't clock in for work or pick her babies up at daycare it's definitely going to shake the small town community!! Especially when her van is at home in the driveway when they are supposed to be picked up! This is so scary and heartbreaking and it hits way to close to home if you know anything, hear anything, see anything, or have a camera in the area that was on and recording please do all you can to
help find her!! Please share this and help get the word out!"
"Have to keep generating awareness until my little sister is found, everyone who's stepped up and pitched in has been phenomenal, keep the fire burning, it's plain to see how greatly loved Madeline is by so many" Steven Kingsbury wrote on Facebook.
Friends established a GoFundMe page to aid in expenses related to the search for Madeline Kingsbury.
Police ask anyone with information to call 507-457-6288 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers online.
