FBI lays out detailed case against Florida man accused in wife's disappearance in Spain

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The FBI has laid retired a elaborate lawsuit showing wherefore agents judge a Florida antheral is down his estranged wife's disappearance from her flat successful Spain but gave nary denotation astir what they deliberation happened to her.

Court documents released precocious Monday amusement that agents judge David Knezevich resembles the antheral wearing a motorcycle helmet who spray painted the information camera lens extracurricular Ana Knezevich's Madrid flat connected Feb. 2. The antheral near an hr aboriginal carrying a suitcase.

Spanish constabulary accidental they person information video of the 36-year-old Fort Lauderdale concern proprietor purchasing the aforesaid marque of overgarment and duct portion hours earlier. Investigators besides interviewed a pistillate who says Knezevich asked her to construe a substance connection that was sent to his wife's friends aft her disappearance.

Knezevich's attorney, Ken Padowitz, has said his lawsuit is guiltless and was successful his autochthonal Serbia connected the time his 40-year-old woman disappeared, 1,600 miles (2,500 kilometers) away. But agents accidental Knezevich rented a Peugeot successful the Serbian superior Belgrade 4 days earlier.

A fewer days later, a Spanish operator reported his licence plates were stolen. On the nighttime Ana Knezevich disappeared, a licence sheet scholar connected her Madrid thoroughfare recorded the stolen sheet number, Spanish constabulary found.

Additionally, hours aft she disappeared, a Peugeot bearing the stolen licence plates went done a suburban Madrid toll booth, surveillance video showed. The operator could not beryllium seen down the tinted windows.

The rental bureau told investigators that erstwhile Knezevich returned the car 5 weeks later, the licence plates had been replaced and the windows had been tinted. It had been driven astir 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers).

The FBI arrested Knezevich, a naturalized American, astatine Miami International Airport connected Saturday. He is charged with kidnapping and is being held pending a bail hearing. The Knezeviches, who sometimes spell their surname “Knezevic,” person been joined for 13 years. They ain EOX Technology Solutions Inc., which does machine enactment for South Florida businesses. Records amusement they besides ain a location and 2 different Fort Lauderdale properties, 1 of those presently nether foreclosure.

Ana’s brother, Juan Henao, called the couple's divorcement “nasty” successful an interrogation with a Fort Lauderdale detective, a study shows. He told constabulary David was aggravated that they would beryllium dividing a important magnitude of money. Ana is simply a naturalized American from Colombia.

The astir elaborate conception of the FBI's 11-page ailment against Knezevich involves an unnamed Colombian pistillate helium met connected a dating app past fall, astir the clip his woman moved to Europe.

On the greeting aft his woman disappeared, the FBI says Knezevich texted the pistillate seeking a favour — would she construe into “perfect Colombian” Spanish a fewer English sentences for a person who was penning a screenplay?

The pistillate replied she doesn't talk English and would person to usage a generic online Spanish translator. Knezevich replied that's fine, she could past tweak it to marque it dependable Colombian.

According to the FBI, helium past sent the pistillate this transition successful English: “I met idiosyncratic wonderful. He has a summertime location astir 2h (two hours) from Madrid. We are going determination present and I volition walk a fewer days there. There is hardly immoderate awesome though. I volition telephone you erstwhile I travel back. Kisses.”

The pistillate made her translation and sent it back.

That morning, that translated connection was texted to 2 of Ana's friends from her phone.

They said it didn't dependable similar her. They contacted Spanish police, launching the investigation.