The sister of Madeline Kingsbury has said that her family became worried when the missing mother-of-two stopped answering her phone.

“This is very unlike her,” Megan told Fox News. “She’s not the type of person who would want to take a break and not tell anybody. If she had a problem and wanted to get away, she would come to my house.”

Megan said that the last text she received from Madeline was at 8.15am on the day that she went missing.

“We were chuckling about a funny photo exchange between us, and that was the last communication with me, or with any of my family or her other friends,” Megan said.

Madeline was last seen in Winona on 31 March shortly after she dropped her children off at daycare with their father.

The father, who has not been described specifically by police as her husband, said they returned home and he departed for work in her van at around 10am.

Megan refused to answer questions about Madeline’s husband, asking instead that the focus remained on finding Madeline.

“There’s a lot of speculation, of course, with people coming up with theories and asking us a lot of questions that we can’t answer,” she told Fox. “We just want to keep the focus on finding her. We’re asking people keep their eyes and ears open.”

She was never seen or heard from again.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Madeline Kingsbury, a 26-year-old mother of two children, was last seen on 31 March.

According to the police, Ms Kingsbury and her husband returned to their home in Winona after dropping off their kids at daycare on Friday.

The husband said he left for work in Ms Kingsbury’s van, around 10am local time, and returned later in the day only to find his wife gone.

Ms Kingsbury did not show up for work that day or respond to “numerous” calls and messages from friends and family. She also failed to pick up her children from daycare that afternoon, which the police said was “extremely out of character for her”.

The official Facebook page for Madeline Kingsbury’s disappearance has put out a stern statement indicating that members of the missing mother’s family have been targets of harassment over the course of the search.

A post on the “Finding Madeline Kingsbury” page late Thursday night states: “We want to address something that has been brought to our attention. We will not condone the harassing of Maddi’s family or friends for information.

“When there is an active investigation, they do not need to disclose every detail for any number of reason. More often than not though, it’s to protect the victim or to not jeopardize their chances at catching the perpetrator and pressing charges. If there is information we can share, it will be shared via the page.

“We post this information so that people can be aware but we will not post info like that anymore if people are going to harass family, friends and businesses that may be involved. And that would be a huge disservice to Maddi. It is completely inappropriate and we will not tolerate it.”

Winona police have offered scant details about the day of Madeline Kingsbury’s disappearance.

What we do know is that Ms Kingsbury and the father of her children dropped their two children – aged two and five – off at daycare at around 8am on 31 March.

At around 8.15am, the mother-of-two returned to her home.

Her whereabouts after this time remain a mystery.

She failed to show up for work – something that police said was “very unlike her” – and her cellphone, wallet, ID and the jacket she was wearing that morning were all found inside the home.

The father of her children told investigators that he left Ms Kingsbury’s home at around 10am that morning, driving off in her 2014 dark blue Chrysler Town and Country minivan.

He said that he returned later that day and found Ms Kingsbury wasn’t home.

Friends and family members tried to contact the 26-year-old that day but couldn’t get hold of her.

Again, police said this was unusual behaviour for her.

“Based on all this we believe Madeline’s disappearance is involuntary, suspicious and we’re all concerned for her safety,” said Winona Police Chief Tom Williams.

The Winona Police Department has requested assistance from neighbouring authorities in the search for missing mother-of-two Madeline Kinsley, 26.

The department has also asked residents in the City of Winona, Wilson Township, and Hillsdale Township to search their acreage, wooded property, outbuildings, vehicles and trails for “anything suspicious” that may help find Madeline.

A map of priority areas was shared by the law enforcement agency on Wednesday.

Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge said on Friday that there are no suspects in the investigation.

The department has asked residents in the City of Winona, Wilson Township, and Hillsdale Township to search their acreage, wooded property, outbuildings, vehicles and trails for “anything suspicious” that may help find Madeline.

A map of priority areas was shared by the law enforcement agency on Wednesday.

“Walk your acreage, check your buildings, check your vehicles, walk trials, check your cameras, surveillance cameras, doorbell cameras, your trail cameras for any indications of anything suspicious or for any sign of a dark coloured Chrysler Town & Country minivan,” he said, according to Postbulletin.com.

Mother-of-two Madeline Kingsbury has not been seen for a week.

Now, investigators are honing in on the last known travels of her minivan.

Madeline Kingsbury’s family have released several photos of her distinct tattoos in hopes that they could help locate the mother who has now been missing for a week.

The photos were included in a post on the “Find Madeline Kingsbury” Facebook page which sought to debunk false speculation on the case.