Madeline Kingsbury vigil held in Winona Friday night as family searches for answers
WINONA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Maddi Kingsbury's family moved a vigil from Veterans Park to the First Congressional Church in Winona Friday night because of the rain.
Still they wanted to use the opportunity to keep Maddi in the public eye and tell the world a little more about her.
"Although we don't know Maddi's whereabouts, we are still grieving the time we are missing with her. Even on the brightest days, it still feels dark and gloomy without her here. I wake up from nightmares and realize they are not as terrifying as the nightmare I am currently living through," said Maddi's friend Katie Kolka during the roughly hour long prayer service.
Family members organized the community gathering as a way to say thank you for the overwhelming support they have received from the Winona community over the last month since Maddi's disappearance.
About 200 people turned out to hear from Winona Mayor Scott Sherman and some of Maddi's family and friends.
They also wore blue ribbons in Maddi's honor and lit candles to be the shining light that brings Maddi home.
"It's day 36 now. That may not seem like a long time to some people but it's a really long time to us. We just want to keep her name and her face in the forefront of people's minds and make sure that everybody knows that we are still looking for her," said Maddi's sister Megan Kingsbury before the service.
"She's a very giving person and very welcoming and I think this would make her really happy, as a remembrance and one of hope. That's what the gathering is tonight., it's one of hope," said Maddi's mother Krista Naber before the service.
The 26-year-old mother of two was last seen dropping her kids off at daycare on March 31st.
There have been numerous searches by law enforcement and Maddi's family, but still no sign of her.
Police have not named a suspect or a person of interest.
Maddi's family members say they will continue to hold organized searches on the weekends until they find out what happened to her.
They say they don't want anyone else to forget about her, because they won't.