Husband of Florida woman missing in Spain denies involvement, claims 'nasty' divorce
As the search continues for Ana Maria Knezevic, a Florida woman who vanished from an apartment in Spain under mysterious circumstances this month, her husband insists he had nothing to do with her disappearance.
The last time anyone heard from Ana was 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 Madrid's Salamanca quarter.
"It's a terrible thing," attorney Ken Padowitz, who is acting as a spokesperson for Ana's husband, David Knezevic, told Fox News Digital. "And we can't imagine what the family and friends of this young lady are going through. The fact that she is missing for this period of time, it's horrible. And that needs to be said upfront because that is really what we're discussing here today."
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.
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Sanna Rameau described David and Ana Knezevic as a "successful couple" who had been married 13 years before they decided to separate last summer. (Sanna Rameau)
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 said.
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Henao told police he was "very concerned" about his sister.
A man wearing a motorcycle helmet apparently spray-painted the security cameras in the Madrid apartment building where Ana Knezevic was staying. (Sanna Rameau)
"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."
No divorce records have been filed in either David's or Ana's names in Broward County in Florida. Other county records indicate the couple owned several properties together, one of which is currently under foreclosure.
"It wasn't a nasty divorce."
— Attorney Ken Padowitz
"No lawyers had even been hired yet," Padowitz said. "I think right now, he's very focused on what has happened, that his wife is missing. He obviously wants her to be found and is looking forward to the day that this tragedy isn't continually unfolding on a day-to-day basis."
David Knezevic was in Serbia when his wife disappeared from Madrid. (Sanna Rameau)
Ana and David ran an IT company together in South Florida, and they were also interested in real estate. Ana's friend, Sanna 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.
Rameau got a strange text from Ana on Feb. 3, a day after she suspects her friend was "taken against her will."
Ana Maria Knezevic, a 40-year-old Fort Lauderdale woman, vanished from the Madrid apartment building where she was temporarily staying on Feb. 2. (Sanna Rameau)
"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."
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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."
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department told Fox News Digital that Knezevic "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.
A banner for missing Colombian-born American Ana Maria Knezevic is displayed on a streetlight in Madrid on Feb. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Padowitz said David has no ties to Madrid, does not know Spanish and has been cooperating with investigators there while he remains in Serbia.
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"David now finds himself in a situation where his wife, after he's already living in Serbia, travels to Spain and disappears in a horrible, horrible situation," Padowitz said. "And David is cooperating with the authorities in Spain. He's talked to detectives in Spain a number of times. He's provided credit card information. He's provided other information. He's actually hired a lawyer in Spain to help him [fill out a form to] potentially go into the apartment."
A spokesperson for Spain’s Missing Persons Association, Joaquin Amills, told the Associated Press that the organization posted missing-persons fliers with a photo of Knezevic all around Madrid, but they have not received any tips yet.
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