Husband of Florida woman missing in Spain denies involvement, attorney says
An attorney for David Knezevich, estranged husband of missing Florida woman Ana Maria Knezevich, said he has nothing to do with his wife's disappearance from a Madrid apartment building.
Federal and international authorities on Saturday arrested David Knezevich, the husband of a Florida woman who vanished from an apartment in Spain under mysterious circumstances in February.
Ana Maria Knezevich, 40, was last seen in Madrid, Spain, on Feb. 2 around 10 p.m., just 30 minutes after a man wearing a motorcycle helmet spray-painted surveillance cameras in her apartment building in the Salamanca quarter.
Police arrested David, 36, at Miami International Airport in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Policía Nacional, the Spanish international police, said in a Monday post on X.
The FBI confirmed David's arrest in connection with his "involvement in the kidnapping of a U.S. Citizen in Madrid, Spain, on or about February 2, 2024," in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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Spanish police are looking for a Colombian-born American woman who has been reported missing in Madrid since early February. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
"The arrest was made without incident by the Diplomatic Security Service and the FBI at Miami International Airport on Saturday.The subject is in federal custody," an FBI spokesperson said. "It is anticipated that he will have his initial appearance in Miami federal court. The Spanish National Police, Customs and Border Protection, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the FBI continue their investigation. Because this is an ongoing investigation, no further information will be released at this time."
David's attorney, Ken Padowitz, also confirmed his client's arrest. Padowitz said he was meeting with David in court on Monday morning.
Ana's friend, Sanna Rameau, told Fox News Digital that she is "happy that there has been an arrest in this case."
This undated image provided by Sanna Rameau, shows paint obscuring a building security camera where Ana Maria Knezevich was staying in Madrid. (Sanna Rameau via AP)
"We are hoping that this next chapter will bring justice and we find answers to what has happened to Ana," she said.
Ana's brother, Juan Henao, told Fort Lauderdale police on Feb. 7 that the couple was going through a "nasty" divorce with "a lot of money on the line," according to a report. He also told police he was "very concerned" about his sister.
"He stated that David traveled to Serbia on January 17th of this year but he is unsure how long he stayed there," the report states. "Furthermore, he called and texted David asking him where was Ana to no avail. Juan advised that David replied back to him last night around 6pm via ‘Whats [App]’ as if he was out of the country telling Juan that Ana was missing and nothing else besides that."
Paint obscures a building security camera where Ana Maria Knezevich was staying in Madrid. (Sanna Rameau via AP)
David left Fort Lauderdale for Serbia, where he is from originally, months before his wife vanished amid their separation. Ana had been spending lots of time in Europe with friends after the couple began discussing divorce.
"He has no answers as to why this happened, and he feels terrible but definitely wants to speak up when facts are put out there indicating that there was a ‘nasty’ divorce when no such thing is a fact," Padowitz previously told Fox News Digital of news headlines that circulated after Ana's disappearance.
Ana Maria Knezevich's brother spoke with police on Feb. 7, five days after she was last seen in Madrid, Spain, to report that Ana and her husband, David, were going through a "nasty" divorce. (Sanna Rameau)
Ana and David ran an IT company together in South Florida, and they were also interested in real estate. Rameau previously described them as a "successful couple" who had been married for 13 years before they decided to separate last summer, in a phone interview with Fox News Digital.
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"It was difficult for her, obviously, so she started spending more time in Europe, in Madrid, where she has friends from before," Rameau said.
Then she disappeared.
Sanna Rameau described David and Ana Knezevich as a "successful couple" who had been married 13 years before they decided to separate last summer. (Sanna Rameau)
Rameau got a strange text from Ana on Feb. 3, a day after she suspects her friend was "taken against her will."
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"I met someone wonderful!" the WhatsApp message reads. "He has a summer house about 2 [hours] from Madrid. We are going there now and I will spend a few days there. Signal is spotty. I'll call you when I get back."
Police went to Ana and David Knezevich's residence earlier this month to see if they could make contact with the couple, but no one answered the door, and packages were piled up outside. (Sanna Rameau)
A second message to Rameau reads, "Yesterday after therapy I needed a walk and he approached me on the street! Amazing connection. Like I never had before."
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The Fort Lauderdale Police Department told Fox News Digital that Knezevich "was reported missing abroad," thus the FLPD "is not investigating her disappearance." The department pointed Fox News Digital to the State Department, which has not responded to requests for comment.
Padowitz previously said David has no ties to Madrid, does not know Spanish and had been cooperating with investigators there while he remains in Serbia.
