Husband of American woman missing in Spain denies involvement, disputes couple was going through “nasty divorce,” lawyer says

The husband of an American missing in Spain beneath suspicious circumstances performed no half in her disappearance and disputes her household’s competition that their impending divorce was “nasty,” his legal professional mentioned Tuesday.

David Knezevich was in his native Serbia when his spouse, Ana, disappeared from her Madrid house on Feb. 2 and has been cooperating with each Spanish police and the FBI, mentioned Ken Padowitz, his Florida-based legal professional.

Ana Knezevich, a 40-year-old naturalized American initially from Colombia, vanished shortly after a person carrying a bike helmet disabled her house complicated’s safety cameras by spray portray the lenses. Two of her mates acquired textual content messages from her cellphone the following day saying she was operating off for a number of days with a person she had simply met. They are saying the messages weren’t written in her model and he or she would by no means go away with a stranger.

Sanna Rameau, a pal of Ana, told WSVN that she responded by asking Ana to ship her location however Ana by no means responded and the cellphone turned off.

“After we tried to reply, the messages weren’t going via and the cellphone is off. She has not left on her personal. She has been taken in opposition to her will and by who, I do not know,” mentioned Rameau.

David Knezevich has been cooperative with authorities, his lawyer mentioned.

“He has talked to detectives in Spain on various events. He is offered bank card info … He obtained a lawyer in Spain to signal paperwork that may assist the Spanish authorities go into the house that his spouse had rented,” Padowitz mentioned. “He’s doing every little thing that he probably can … from Serbia.”

He mentioned if Knezevich, 36, traveled to Spain, that may not assist the investigation or search.

“He doesn’t communicate Spanish. He doesn’t have household in Spain. He doesn’t have mates in Spain. He doesn’t have a home or an house or anyplace to reside in Spain,” Padowitz mentioned.

Rameau mentioned Tuesday that David Knezevich advised each her and Ana’s brother that on Feb. 2 he was on the couple’s Fort Lauderdale residence and never in Serbia.

“No matter he did can clearly be confirmed by authorities,” Rameau mentioned.

Madrid police on Tuesday mentioned the investigation is ongoing, however didn’t launch additional particulars.

Lacking particular person alerts concerning the lacking American have been seen over 15 million instances over the previous week, the president of a volunteer group in Spain advised NBC News.

David and Ana Knezevich, who generally spell their surname “Knezevic,” have been married for 13 years. They personal EOX Know-how Options Inc., which does pc help for South Florida companies. Data present in addition they personal a house and two different Fort Lauderdale properties, a kind of at present beneath foreclosures.

Ana’s brother, Juan Henao, known as the divorce “nasty” in an interview with a Fort Lauderdale detective, a report reveals. He advised police that David was offended that they might be dividing a considerable amount of cash.

However Padowitz mentioned the couple’s cut up had been amicable and that they’d even talked of hiring only one legal professional to finalize their divorce and divide their properties and different belongings.

“That they have been having ‘a nasty divorce,’ that is simply blatantly false,” Padowitz mentioned.

Rameau mentioned Ana by no means advised her the divorce was amicable, “however I additionally didn’t participate (in) all their conversations.”