South Florida

Man accused of kidnapping estranged wife in Spain back in court as search grows desperate

David Knezevich went before a judge for the brief hearing, where his attorney asked for more time before he's officially arraigned

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The man accused of kidnapping his estranged wife in Spain made another appearance in federal court in South Florida Monday as Spanish authorities continued their search for the woman.

David Knezevich went before a judge for the brief hearing, where his attorney asked for more time before he's officially arraigned.

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The judge set a new court date of June 10.

Knezevich, 36 was arrested last 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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The Colombian native has been missing since Feb. 2 when she was last seen in Madrid.

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.

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

After Monday's hearing, David Knezevich's defense attorney, Jayne Weintraub, spoke to the media for the first time.

"All I can say is I hope before we come back next week, you heard the FBI agent last week testify there is a very active investigation going in Spain right now looking for her, and I can only hope that she either comes in or she’s found for David’s sake before we go to court," Weintraub said.

Spanish authorities had released new video of their ongoing search for Ana Maria, which shows the FBI and Spanish National Police in a wooded area and in what appears to be a canal.

It's not exactly clear from the video where in Spain they are searching but the area appears to be near a highway.

Police in Spain said they have multiple tips that point to different scenarios of where Ana Maria could be.

During the previous hearing on May 10, prosecutors mentioned publicly for the first time that they feared she may have been killed.

David Knezevich
David Knezevich

Court documents 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 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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