What began as a mysterious disappearance in Spain has turned into an international criminal case unfolding in Miami. David Knezevich, the ex-husband of a South Florida woman who vanished in Madrid, has been arrested by U.S. Marshals. Knezevich was taken into custody at Miami International Airport, U.S. Marshals confirmed on Saturday, and he's expected to face a federal court judge in Miami this afternoon, according to WSVN.
Upon his arrest, Knezevich had just arrived from his home country of Serbia. His estranged wife, 40-year-old Ana María Knezevich Henao, was last seen in early February in Madrid, where she was supposedly taking a break amid a difficult separation. Staying at her apartment, Ana María, a naturalized American originally from Colombia, had sought some respite in Spain, sources close to the case revealed to NBC Miami.
Traces of the plot turned sinister when it was discovered that a man had obscured the security cameras at Ana's Madrid apartment building, disguised by a motorcycle helmet, right before her disappearance, as detailed by Spanish authorities. Follow-up by both the Spanish National Police and the FBI has led to the implication of David Knezevich as the alleged perpetrator in his wife's vanishing act. David's defense attorney argues that his client has been cooperative with police officials from Spain and the FBI since Ana María's disappearance and that he denies any involvement.
The sequence of events took a more chilling turn when friends received cryptic messages from Ana María's phone, indicating she had suddenly decided to leave with a new acquaintance for a few days. The messages, sent separately in English and Spanish, came just after the camera sabotage incident. Her disappearance is currently being managed by the Court of Violence Against Women number 9 in Madrid, with the proceedings kept under strict confidentiality, as reported by authorities involved in the investigation.
In concert with the apprehension at Miami International Airport, aiding the FBI were officials from the Belgrade Interior Attaché Office and the Colombian Police. The arrest is part of a cooperative international effort to piece together the fate of Ana María and to bring justice to a narrative mired in uncertainty and fear.
