People have been looking far and wide for Madeline Kingsbury, a 26-year-old woman from Winona who went missing on Friday, March 31st. She was last seen in her home in Winona after dropping her two kids off at daycare at 8:15 a.m. But, she never showed up for work or to pick up her children at the end of the day, which is said to be “extremely out of character for her” according to local police. The children thankfully have been reported as safe, but that leads us to wonder where their mother has gone. 

Kingsbury’s vehicle, a 2014 dark blue Chrysler town & country minivan, has been parked at her home since 1:30 p.m., so police are not looking for the van. Though there are reports that a van with similar description was driving on County Road 12 in Winona County and headed south on Highway 43 through the eastern part of Fillmore County, before later heading back to Winona. This took place between the timeframe of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on March 31st.

Every attempt made to contact her through family and friends have failed. Her phone, jacket from that morning, wallet, and ID were found left in her home. There is no sign that Kingsbury left her home by any other means, whether that be on foot or in another vehicle. All of this lead to her sudden disappearance to be labeled as suspicious and involuntary, according to Winona Police.

The Winona Police Department had a press conference on Wednesday, April 5th, at 11 a.m. to give an update on the case, but sadly there wasn’t much to report. The father of Madeline’s children told the police that he had left the house in her van around 10 a.m., but when he returned later that same day that she was not there. 

On Friday, April 7th, almost 2,000 people showed up to help search for clues in the rural terrain. 1,860 volunteers searched areas in Winona and areas 24 miles south of Rushford. Winona Police Chief Tom Willams spoke during a press briefing and said, “This is tough terrain, and we are grateful to the hundreds of volunteers who are taking their personal time to assist with the search.” He also stated: “We are working relentlessly to find Maddi and determine the circumstances around her disappearance.” Volunteers showed up again to help with the search efforts on Saturday, April 8th. 

Law enforcement has also searched her residence, the area surrounding her residence, and along Highway 43 in both Winona and Fillmore county. The search efforts have included people on foot, in vehicles, on water, and in the air. The Winona Police Department and the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office are asking residents and landowners in Winona County and Fillmore County to check their acreages, wooded property, outbuildings, vehicles and trails for anything suspicious—specifically, the residents along County Road 12 and Highway 43 in Winona County and southbound on Highway 43 in the eastern part of Fillmore County. The residents are also encouraged to check any cameras they may have on their properties. A $50,000 reward is being offered for any information on Kingsbury’s whereabouts. 

At this time law enforcement has no public suspects, but there is no threat to the public regarding this case.