Husband of Florida woman missing in Spain is charged with her disappearance

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The estranged husband of a Florida woman who disappeared three months ago in Spain has been charged by U.S. federal agents with her kidnapping.

The FBI and other federal agents arrested David Knezevich at Miami International Airport on Saturday. The Fort Lauderdale resident is charged in connection with the Feb. 2 disappearance of his 40-year-old wife, Ana Knezevich, from the Madrid apartment where she had been staying since shortly after their separation last year.

David Knezevich, a 36-year-old business owner originally from Serbia, briefly appeared in Miami federal court Monday and will have a bond hearing Friday.

“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,” the FBI said in a statement.

Knezevich’s attorney, Ken Padowitz, did not return a call Monday afternoon seeking comment. Padowitz has previously denied his client had anything to do with his wife’s disappearance.

Ana Knezevich, a naturalized American originally from Colombia, vanished shortly after a man wearing a motorcycle helmet disabled her apartment complex’s security cameras by spray-painting the lenses.

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A friend, Sanna Rameau, and another woman received text messages from Ana Knezevich’s phone the next day saying she was running off for a few days with a man she had just met. Rameau said the messages were not written in Ana’s style and she would never leave with a stranger.

“I am happy that there has been an arrest,” Rameau said Monday. “We are hoping that this next chapter will bring justice and find answers about what has happened to Ana.”

The Knezeviches, who sometimes spell their surname “Knezevic,” have been married for 13 years. They own EOX Technology Solutions Inc., which does computer support for South Florida businesses. Records show they also own a home and two other Fort Lauderdale properties, one of those currently under foreclosure.

Ana’s brother, Juan Henao, called the divorce “nasty” in an interview with a Fort Lauderdale detective, a report shows. He told police David was angry that they would be dividing a substantial amount of money.

Padowitz, in a February interview, denied that the divorce was contentious and said his client was cooperating with police. He said his client was in Serbia when his wife disappeared.