WINONA, Minn. — Editor's note: The news conference above was held on April 5, 2023.
Hundreds of volunteers massed in Winona Friday morning to embark on a vigorous search for missing woman Madeline "Maddi" Kingsbury.
By late Friday, authorities updated the number of searches from about 800 to more than 1,800. They reported in two different locations to board buses bound for remote areas of both Winona and Fillmore counties, hoping to find Kingsbury and bring her home. KARE 11's Jennifer Hoff is in Winona, and reports that emergency management officials say it's the largest organized search ever held in this part of the state.
The Winona County Sheriff's Office on Thursday reached out to volunteers who would be confident in their physical ability to search over long distances and through rough terrain, like Lewiston volunteer firefighter Scott Jonsgaard.
"I kind of felt, being on the fire department, it was something I needed to do," said Jonsgaard. "I got three daughters myself, so I’d hate to see anything like this happen and I’d hope people would come out and help us."
The organized search is scheduled to last about four hours. Authorities also announced there will be a second search on Saturday.
If you are willing to volunteer, registration will be begin at 9 a.m. at either Winona County-Goodview Fire Department or Fillmore County Rushford-Peterson School.
Sign-up is recommended and you can do so by clicking this link.
Winona Police Chief Tom Williams gave reporters a timeline of Kingsbury's disappearance Wednesday, saying the 26-year-old Kingsbury was last seen the morning of March 31 with her partner at their children's daycare. Williams said he considers her sudden disappearance "suspicious" and expressed grave concern for Maddi's safety.
"We remain very hopeful that we will bring Maddie back home to her family," said Chief Williams on Friday.
Multiple law enforcement agencies have already carried out extensive searches for Kingsbury by foot, vehicle, water and air, with no success. They are also asking residents of Norway Township, Preble Township, northern Newburg Township, eastern Holt Township, and eastern Amherst Township to search their acreage, wooded property, outbuildings, vehicles and trails for anything unusual.
"Check your cameras, surveillance cameras, door bell cameras and your trail cameras," said Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge. "You know your properties better than we do."
WATCH: Volunteers continue search for missing Winona, Minnesota woman
Those with security or trail cameras are asked to look at video from 8 a.m. Friday, March 31 to 4 p.m., April 1 for the image of Maddi or her dark blue 2014 Chrysler Town and Country minivan.
A GoFundMe has also been created to help fund the search effort and support Maddi's extended family, who have been traveling in from around the country to help.
If you're able and willing to participate in the search for Maddi Kingsbury on Friday, April 7, click here.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: