What Happened to Ana Maria Knezevich Henao? An Arrest Has Been Made

The lenses of the protection cameras outdoor of Ana Maria Knezevich Henao's rental in Madrid had been sprayed with black paint.

May 7 2024, Published 1:42 p.m. ET

According to the U.S. Department of State, if any person goes missing out of the country there are a couple of steps you'll take before starting to panic. Some are evident, such as texting. Cell service will also be spotty when you're outdoor of your own country, so it's almost certainly a good idea to obtain an app that may connect to WiFi. After attaining out to any person they were touring with as well as contacting inns, faculties, or different organizations, it is best to get in touch with any person from the U.S. Department of State.

When Ana Maria Knezevic Henao disappeared in February 2024 whilst visiting Spain, missing particular person posters seemed throughout Madrid, according to NBC News. Her smiling face used to be shared online and by way of more than a few television news stations in Europe. Joaquin Amills Bonet, president of a Spanish missing individuals volunteer organization, mentioned, "Alerts have been seen over 15 million times" inside the two weeks she vanished. What happened to Ana Maria Knezevic Henao? Here's what we know.

What happened to Ana Maria Knezevich Henao?

Knezevich Henao had been renting an condominium in Madrid since December 2023 as a result of she and her husband, David Knezevic, have been having marital issues. The Colombian-born Knezevic Henao was dwelling in Florida however sought after a divorce so she may completely relocate to Spain. Her family and friends characteristic the contentious divorce lawsuits to the couple's financial status. Three companies registered under both their names "provide technology and other types of support for South Florida businesses."

Sanna Rameau sent Knezevich Henao a text on Feb. 2, 2024, the day she disappeared, but never got a answer. She spent an hour at the telephone with every other friend at 8:30 p.m. and informed them she deliberate on staying in that evening. NBC News reported that "at an unknown time on Feb. 2, a neighbor noticed that security camera lenses in Knezevic Henao's building had been covered with black spray paint." The lights have been nonetheless on in her apartment as past due as 1:00 a.m.

The following day, Rameau advised government they won an excessively abnormal textual content from Knezevic Henao. Evidently, she met a man and was planning to move to his house which was once two hours outside of Madrid. She added that telephone carrier was spotty. Due to the strangeness of this message, Rameau contacted the police.

David Knezevich has been charged with kidnapping his spouse.

The Associated Press reported that Knezevich was arrested at at Miami International Airport on May 4, 2024, and has been "charged in connection with the Feb. 2 disappearance of his 40-year-old wife." Court paperwork acquired by way of NBC Miami show that Knezevich "resembles the man wearing a motorcycle helmet who spray painted the security camera lens outside Ana Knezevich’s Madrid apartment on Feb. 2. The man left an hour later carrying a suitcase."

Spanish police even have possession of security footage appearing Knezevich purchasing duct tape as well as the similar emblem of paint used on the cameras at Knezevich Henao's rental. Knezevich’s lawyer, Ken Padowitz, has in the past said his shopper is blameless and added he was once in his local country of Serbia when his estranged spouse vanished. Spanish police have explanation why to imagine this wasn't fully true.

Authorities came upon that Knezevich rented a Peugeot from a automobile rental company in Belgrade, Serbia, 4 days prior to Knezevich Henao went lacking. Three days later, a "Spanish driver reported his license plates were stolen." A vehicle with the stolen plates was once recorded via a registration number plate reader outdoor of Knezevich Henao's apartment on Feb. 2. Hours later, a "Peugeot bearing the stolen license plates went through a suburban Madrid toll booth," per video surveillance.

Tinted windows obscured the driver's face. More than a month later, the automobile rental agency advised police that when Knezevich returned his rental automobile, the windows had been darkened. They additionally noted the vehicle were "driven almost 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers)." The FBI spoke with a Colombian girl who said she met Knezevich on a dating app within the fall of 2023. He asked her to translate a text from English to Spanish that matched the textual content Knezevich Henao despatched to her friend the morning she disappeared.

Because this is an ongoing investigation, there is no more information presently. "I am happy that there has been an arrest,” said Knezevich Henao's friend Rameau. “We are hoping that this next chapter will bring justice and find answers about what has happened to Ana."

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