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 under suspicious circumstances played no part in her disappearance and disputes her family's contention that their impending divorce was "nasty," his attorney said Tuesday.

David Knezevich was in his native Serbia when his wife, Ana, disappeared from her Madrid apartment on Feb. 2 and has been cooperating with both Spanish police and the FBI, said Ken Padowitz, his Florida-based attorney.

Ana Knezevich, a 40-year-old naturalized American originally from Colombia, vanished shortly after a man wearing a motorcycle helmet disabled her apartment complex's security cameras by spray painting the lenses. Two of her friends received text messages from her phone the next day saying she was running off for a few days with a man she had just met. They say the messages were not written in her style and she would never leave with a stranger.

Sanna Rameau, a friend of Ana, told WSVN that she responded by asking Ana to send her location but Ana never responded and the phone turned off.

"When we tried to respond, the messages were not going through and the phone is off. She has not left on her own. She has been taken against her will and by who, I don't know," said Rameau.

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

"He has talked to detectives in Spain on a number of occasions. He's provided credit card information ... He obtained a lawyer in Spain to sign documents that might help the Spanish authorities go into the apartment that his wife had rented," Padowitz said. "He is doing everything that he possibly can ... from Serbia."

He said if Knezevich, 36, traveled to Spain, that would not help the investigation or search.

"He does not speak Spanish. He does not have family in Spain. He does not have friends in Spain. He does not have a house or an apartment or any place to live in Spain," Padowitz said.

Rameau said Tuesday that David Knezevich told both her and Ana's brother that on Feb. 2 he was at the couple's Fort Lauderdale home and not in Serbia.

"Whatever he did can obviously be confirmed by authorities," Rameau said.

Madrid police on Tuesday said the investigation is ongoing, but did not release further details.

Missing person alerts about the missing American have been seen over 15 million times over the past week, the president of a volunteer organization in Spain told NBC News.

David and Ana Knezevich, who sometimes spell their surname "Knezevic," have been married for 13 years. They own EOX Technology Solutions Inc., which does computer support for South Florida businesses. Records show they also own a home and two other Fort Lauderdale properties, one of those currently under foreclosure.

Ana's brother, Juan Henao, called the divorce "nasty" in an interview with a Fort Lauderdale detective, a report shows. He told police that David was angry that they would be dividing a substantial amount of money.

But Padowitz said the couple's split had been amicable and that they had even talked of hiring just one attorney to finalize their divorce and divide their properties and other assets.

"That they were having 'a nasty divorce,' that's just blatantly false," Padowitz said.

Rameau said Ana never told her the divorce was amicable, "but I also did not take part (in) all their conversations." 

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• Spain
• Missing Person