The father of missing Minnesota mom Madeline Kingsbury’s children allegedly was uncooperative and yelled profanities when officials arrived to pick the kids up because he did not have custodial rights.
Adam Fravel did not allow social workers to get to the kids, ages 5 and 2, at a relative’s home, where they tried to place a 72-hour hold on them five days after their mom vanished, KTTC reported, citing court documents.
At one point, the irate dad shouted expletives, took the youngest child inside and locked the door, according to the April 4 petition for protective services.
Fravel eventually gave in and allowed the officials to take custody of the children after he called his attorney, the news outlet reported.
Winona County District Judge Mary Leahy later ordered the children to remain in custody, the Star Tribune reported.
Fravel’s attorney, Tom Braun, declined comment to the news outlet.
Madeline’s sister Megan Kingsbury told KTTC: “I am not able to comment too much on the kids, but they are safe, and they are doing well.”
The developments with the children come after Fravel insisted he had no involvement in Kingsbury’s disappearance.
“My family and I have been subject to a myriad of accusations regarding the disappearance of the mother of my children,” he said in a statement to a local TV station.
“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,” he said, adding, “I did not have anything to do with Maddi’s disappearance.”
The 26-year-old woman vanished on March 31 after dropping her children off at their day care.
Authorities have called her disappearance “involuntary and suspicious.”
Megan said earlier this week that Fravel has not been communicating with the Kingsbury family since the disappearance.
“I think each of us family members have different ideas or thoughts about what may have happened, but nothing has been confirmed by law enforcement through any of their investigations,” she said.