South Florida

Fort Lauderdale man indicted for kidnapping in connection with wife's disappearance in Spain

David Knezevich, 36 was arrested earlier this month after arriving at Miami International Airport on a flight from Serbia

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A grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Fort Lauderdale man with one count of kidnapping in connection with his wife’s disappearance in Spain.

David Knezevich, 36 was arrested earlier this month after arriving at Miami International Airport on a flight from Serbia, and was charged with kidnapping in the disappearance of wife Ana María Henao Knezevich.

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On May 10, Chief Magistrate Judge Edwin G. Torres ordered Knezevich detained pending trial. 

Ana Maria Knezevich had lived in Fort Lauderdale but had moved to Madrid in December after friends said she was separating from her husband.

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The Colombian native has been missing since Feb. 2 when she was last seen in Madrid.

A South Florida man accused of kidnapping his estranged wife in Spain was denied bond by a federal judge in Miami Friday. David Knezevich attended a pre-trial detention hearing to seek his release but the judge ultimately decided he's a potential flight risk. Knezevich was arrested Saturday after arriving at Miami International Airport on a flight from Serbia, and was charged with kidnapping in the disappearance of wife Ana María Henao Knezevich.

Court documents also show that authorities believe David Knezevich resembles the man wearing a motorcycle helmet who spray painted the security camera lens outside Ana's Madrid apartment on Feb. 2. The man left an hour later carrying a suitcase.

Knezevich’s attorney has said his client is innocent and was in his native Serbia on the day his 40-year-old wife disappeared, 1,600 miles away. But agents say Knezevich rented a Peugeot in the Serbian capital Belgrade four days earlier.

The family of a woman who vanished in Spain months ago is holding out hope that she'll be found alive following the arrest of her estranged husband in Miami on a kidnapping charge in connection with her disappearance. The family of Ana María Henao Knezevich held an emotional news conference in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday, asking for help to obtain information on the whereabouts of the Colombian native who has been missing since Feb. 2 when she was last seen in Madrid.

In court Monday, a judge granted David Knezevich a two-week delay in his arraignment so he can finalize details with his attorney.

If convicted, Knezevich faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

The case has garnered international attention as law enforcement from several different countries have come together to help find Ana Maria and the person responsible for her disappearance.

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