WINONA, Minn. — The ex-boyfriend of missing Winona woman Maddi Kingsbury was in court Monday, seeking custody of the two children they share while the investigation into her disappearance continues.
Adam Fravel was in Winona County Court seeking to get his young daughter and son back after the county took custody of them, alleging they were children in need of protective services. There was a hearing Monday before the actual trial in the matter, which is currently scheduled for June 6.
Fravel is listed as the biological father of 5-year-old Elliana and 2-year-old Noah, but has no official custodial rights. The kids are currently placed with Maddi's parents while the matter is being decided.
KARE 11's Lou Raguse was the only reporter in the courtroom for the hearing and says both Fravel's legal team and attorneys for the county talked openly about "the elephant in the room" — the fact Fravel is being investigated for his possible involvement in Maddi's disappearance.
Kingsbury was last seen on March 31 after dropping off the children at daycare while in the company of Fravel. He told investigators that the two of them went up to their apartment before he left to do errands, and when he returned, she was gone.
Her sister told Raguse that Maddi was breaking off the relationship and looking for a new place to live at the time she went missing. Fravel has steadfastly denied he has anything to do with Maddi's disappearance, and he has not been criminally charged in the case.
Fravel's attorney Thomas Braun complained in court that the county has provided only redacted police reports and no audio interviews or body camera videos that are important for building a case.
"I'm left to guess what's in these," Braun said while holding up one page that appeared to be blacked out in its entirety.
Rebecca Church, the assistant county attorney arguing the case, maintains that even she doesn't have access to law enforcement information due to a firewall policy in their office, and told the court Fravel doesn't need to go on a "fishing expedition" to learn what police have.
In the hearing, the guardian ad litem reported to the judge that Maddi's children are very well provided for and are receiving mental health support. She also noted that it doesn't appear they are in an environment where their father is poorly spoken about, something that concerned Fravel's attorney.
"They have significant disdain for my client," Braun said, noting that they think Fravel caused Maddi's disappearance.
Maddi's father David Kingsbury didn't comment on anything regarding Fravel after the hearing, noting that he and his family have two objectives: to find Maddi and to make sure her children are well cared for and protected.
"All she really wanted was to have a happy family," David Kingsbury said of his daughter.
Cathy Kingsbury helped David raise Maddi from a young teen after the couple got married.
She describes the last 45 days as a "nightmare."
But David and Cathy say the support in the Winona area has been positively overwhelming and is helping them get through each day.
"She's around here someplace. Don't give up. We're going to find her. We're not going to give up," David Kingsbury said.
Barring any major breaks in the case, the child protection trial is scheduled for June 6.
Winona police and the Winona County Sheriff's Office have been tight-lipped about potential suspects or theories in Maddi's disappearance, but are conducting targeted searches in remote parts of Winona and Fillmore Counties and running down potential leads.
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