Husband of American woman reported missing in Spain arrested in Florida, FBI says

By Denise Royal, CNN

(CNN) — The husband of Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, a woman who was reported missing while in Spain in February, has been arrested in Florida, the FBI confirmed Monday.

David Knezevich, 36, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is in federal custody for his alleged involvement in his wife’s kidnapping on or about February 2, 2024, according to FBI spokesperson James Marshall.

His arrest was made without incident Saturday by the Diplomatic Security Service and the FBI at Miami International Airport, Marshall said. Knezevich has not yet had his initial appearance in Miami Federal Court, according to court records.

The Spanish National Police, US Customs and Border Protection, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the FBI are continuing their investigations.

Knezevich Henao, 40, was reported missing in February after she failed to meet a friend in Madrid.

Her brother, Juan Felipe Henao, told CNN she was supposed to take a train to Barcelona with a friend on February 5, but his sister never showed up at the Madrid station.

Knezevich Henao’s friend, Sanna Rameau, said she last exchanged messages with her on February 2.

Rameau told CNN she is happy and emotional after learning of the arrest. “I’m hoping we are going to get some answers,” she said.

Around the time she went missing, Rameau said she received a WhatsApp message from Knezevich Henao which read: “I met someone wonderful!! He has a summer house about 2h (hours) from Madrid. We are going there now and I will spend a few days there. Signal is spotty. I’ll call you when I get back.”

The text message, seen by CNN, added the man had approached her on the street a day earlier while she was walking. “Amazing connection. Like I never had before,” the text ended.

Around the time she went missing, someone spray-painted the lens of two security cameras of the apartment building where Knezevich Henao was staying in Madrid’s upscale Salamanca neighborhood, the building’s superintendent told CNN.

The cameras disabled were at the entrance of the building and near the elevator, the superintendent said. It’s unclear if the incident is related to her disappearance.

The building superintendent and two other people with knowledge of the situation told CNN that police had entered Knezevich Henao’s apartment on February 12 with judicial authorization.

Her brother and Rameau told CNN they had been in contact, separately, with Knezevich in the days after her disappearance, and he told them he was in Serbia. CNN attempted to reach Knezevich in February but did not get a reply.

Two people who know the situation told CNN Knezevich Henao initially rented the apartment in Madrid from January 5 to February 5. She then asked to extend the booking for another month – until March 5.

CNN reached out to Spanish police at the time, but they declined to comment because they are still investigating.

The website of a computer services company in South Florida, EOX Technology Solutions, lists David Knezevich as the CEO and managing director. It says David Knezevich is Serbian and Knezevich Henao is a native of Colombia and a project manager. CNN has contacted the company but did not immediately get through to anyone.

The US Embassy in Madrid had no comment on the case in February and cited privacy restrictions when asked by CNN.

CNN’s Pau Mosquera, Al Goodman and Carlos Suarez contributed to this report.

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