Adam Fravel trial: Investigator recounts the discovery of Madeline Kingsbury's body

Adam Fravel trial: Officers testify in court

The officers who discovered the body of Madeline Kingsbury testified in court on Monday as part of a trial against Adam Fravel, who prosecutors believe was behind her death. FOX 9’s Rob Olson has the latest.

MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - The investigators who found the body of Madeline Kingsbury, after a months-long search for the missing southern Minnesota mother, took the stand on Monday as Kingsbury's ex, Adam Fravel, faces trial for her murder.

What happened?

On the stand, the lead investigator from the Winona Police Department presented photographs taken six days after Kingsbury went missing. Some of the photos depicted small scratches on Fravel's face, yellow bruises on his chest, and additional bruises on his left arm and wrist. Prosecutors suggested these injuries might indicate a struggle before Kingsbury’s death by asphyxiation.

Jurors also heard that black Gorilla tape found in the garage of Fravel and Kingsbury's shared Winona home matched the tape used to bind Kingsbury's body. A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) DNA expert also took the stand, noting that Fravel's DNA was found on a towel wrapped around Kingsbury's head and neck.

Another witness, a lead agent from the BCA, testified about discovering her body in early June.

He explained that her body was found partially concealed in a culvert near a gravel road, close to Fravel’s parents’ home, and hidden beneath logs arranged in what the agent described as a "very deliberate" manner.

"The way they were stacked," said BCA Agent Joe Swenson, "made it pretty obvious."

Context

Fravel is charged with murder for Kingsbury death after Kingsbury went missing in March 2023.

Fravel was the last person known to see Kingsbury alive and authorities say he lied about what he was doing on the day Kingsbury disappeared.

Kingsbury's body was found months after her disappearance, left on the side of Highway 41 near Fravel's parents' home in Fillmore County.

What else?

The prosecution had intended to submit photos from a journal believed to belong to Kingsbury, arguing it reflected her relationship with Fravel. However, the judge ruled it inadmissible, agreeing with the defense that its relevance was unclear and authenticity could not be verified.