Ana Knezevich is a 40-year-old Fort Lauderdale woman who went missing in Spain.
Ana is an American citizen originally from Colombia. According to her public records, Ana is married to David Knezevich. David is originally from Serbia.
It's unclear how long the two have been married, but their property records date back to 2017.
Before their separation, the couple ran a computer support and repair business from their home in Fort Lauderdale.
Records show they own a home, one of which is currently in foreclosure, as well as two other properties in Fort Lauderdale.
Ana's friend Sanna Rameau spoke about Ana's state of mind during the divorce, which she said was 'difficult'. She said: 'She was clearly stressed and upset about her separation from her husband. The two have a very successful business, but she seemed to be in good spirits,' she said of Sanna.
Sanna also talked about Ana's character. “She is so caring and so sweet. she is fun she is smart “She is very adventurous.”
“She is shorter than the 4 feet 11 inches (1.5 metres) listed on her driver’s license,” Sanna said. “I can lift her with one arm and carry her away.”
Ana traveled to Madrid, Spain in December 2023 and lived in a rented apartment there. She spoke frequently with her friends and family at her home.
Sanna spoke with Ana the day before she disappeared.
'She has never expressed to me that she is afraid of anyone.'
'She sent me a voicemail saying she was happy, had a good day and was out looking for an apartment in Madrid as usual,' Sanna said.
'She was telling me about her upcoming trip to Barcelona with a friend and she was very excited about it.'
Ana was last seen by a neighbor on Friday February 2, 2024.
Sanna texted Ana that day but did not receive an immediate response.
Ana (or someone using her phone) responded the next day.
Ana's younger brother Felipe Henao also received a strange text message. He said it sounded as if he had used Google Translate to write the text.
‘It’s not her. She doesn't say that. 'I don't think anyone would say that in Spanish,' he said.
'As soon as I got this message, I knew something was wrong,' Sanna told NewsNation.
'It's outrageous that she would meet someone on the street and do something like this,' she added.
'I immediately asked her to share her location and asked what was going on.
“I tried to respond that I was worried about her, along the lines of, ‘You don’t feel safe,’” Sanna said. “What is he talking about? “This doesn’t make sense and my message didn’t get through.”
“She doesn’t do that,” Sanna told Law&Crime. She “was very different in the way she wrote and expressed her writing.”
Sanna said that Aha “wouldn't meet a man on the street and tell him he would go away for a few days.”
“That person is clearly not my friend.”
'When I didn't hear back by Sunday morning, I contacted the police in Madrid directly.'
Officials were called to conduct a welfare check at Ana's apartment on Sunday, February 4, 2024.
“They couldn’t find her,” Sanna said. “It appears she left the apartment after locking it from the outside. That’s the last we know.”
Sanna also contacted Ana's ex-husband David and offered to help with the search.
“I asked him to meet me in Madrid to help me with the investigation and find Ana,” she said.
'He didn't come to Madrid. I contacted him again that Friday, and he said he had gone to Serbia instead.'
Sanna flew to Madrid and arrived on Thursday, February 8, 2024. She told media that police failed to conduct a proper search.
Police said a judge denied her request to enter the apartment and her phone records suggested she may just be a missing person and are not being taken seriously.
Ana's brother also said that Madrid police were not equipped to handle this case.
‘I heard from the Spanish police. I know they are working really hard. ‘I don’t know if I have all the tools I need,’ said the worried brother.
'I found that none of the detectives spoke English, which was a real challenge. And I think that's ridiculous.'
Police discovered that on the night she disappeared, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet had disabled a security camera outside her Madrid apartment with black spray paint. The man was captured on CCTV about 30 minutes before Ana was last seen by a neighbour.
“A man wearing a helmet planted a surveillance camera outside the apartment building, waited until the two people left the building, then used the opportunity to go inside and planted a surveillance camera next to the elevator,” Sanna said.
“He wasn’t home,”Sanna said. “And the door was locked from the outside.” Sanna also noted that there were “no obvious signs of violence” inside the apartment.
“The fact that there are cameras spray-painted on the building makes us think it is fraud. That’s not normal,” Felipe said.
Police looked into Ana's tech footprint and discovered she was using Bumble to meet and chat with men. They tracked down the two men she shared her story with.
“All I know is that police made contact with several people who were speaking to her,” Sanna said. “I met one of them, and he said it wasn’t a romantic relationship, it was just a friend,” she said.
“I’ve been telling her for some time now that she needs to look at her phone and see what platforms she’s using. “She needs to look for clues there, but she’s not there yet,” she said.
Police released part of the statement. “Juan said that Ana and David were going through a serious divorce and that a significant amount of money was going to be split between them, and David was not happy about it.” The statement says: “Juan advised Ana that she had an old friend in Spain and to clear her head she had traveled there three months ago.”
Sanna said this about David knowing Ana's whereabouts: “No, he doesn’t know where Ana is.”
David's attorney, Ken Padowitz, said his client was “not absent” from the investigation to find Ana. David has been living in Serbia since his split from Ana.
“He had multiple conversations with the police,” Padowitz said Monday on “CUOMO.” “We contacted the FBI and let them know we could help in any way. He gave police his credit card details and attempted to hire a lawyer in Spain.”
The FBI is in contact with Spanish police, but Sanna wants to do more.
“There are American citizens missing overseas and no one in the United States is doing anything about it,” she said.
'There are strong suspicions of foul play in relation to her disappearance.
'I just want her to come back. I hope the US authorities will help.'
The U.S. State Department issued the following statement:
“When it comes to missing U.S. citizens, we are working closely with local authorities to conduct search efforts,” the statement said. “The Department of State has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of American citizens abroad. “We stand ready to provide appropriate support to American citizens and their families in need.”
Source list
https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/loved-ones-search-for-fort-lauderdale-woman-who-went-missing-in-madrid/3233634
https://nypost.com/2024/02/14/us-news/florida-woman-vanishes-in-spain-amid-bitter-divorce
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13083537/husband-missing-florida-woman-spain-serbia.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/loved-ones-search-south-florida-woman-vanished-madrid-rcna138862