Adam Fravel, father of Madeline Kingsbury's children, arrested 2 days after judge denied custody petition
WINONA COUNTY, Minn. -- A Winona County judge has ordered the two children of a missing Minnesota woman to stay with their maternal grandparents, denying their father's petition for custody.
Madeline Kingsbury, 26, disappeared at the end of March after dropping off her kids at daycare in Winona. The children's father, 29-year-old Adam Fravel, filed for custody on Monday. The children are 2 and 5 years old.
RELATED: Timeline: Major developments in the case of missing Winona woman Madeline Kingsbury
On Wednesday, two days after Fravel's petition was denied, he was arrested. He is being held at the Winona County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, but has not yet been charged. Police said the discovery of human remains in a town south of Winona prompted his arrest.
The children were placed in custody of Winona County at the beginning of April. The court determined that it was in the children's best interest to remain in "relative foster care" with their grandparents.
Two weeks after Kingsbury vanished, Fravel issued a statement denying involvement in her disappearance. He said he left their house in a blue minivan after the daycare dropoff, and when he returned, she was gone.
"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," Fravel said in a statement through his attorney April 12.
Authorities previously offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Kingsbury's return.
WCCO has reached out to Fravel's attorney for comment, as well as Kingsbury's family.
