MADRID (AP) — Ana Maria Knezevic traveled from South Florida to Spain in December to get away for some time. Her household and pals say the naturalized American initially from Colombia has been going by a nasty divorce from her Serbian husband, however the journey was additionally an opportunity to discover new locations.
Then, she vanished — two weeks in the past, shortly after a person carrying a bike helmet disabled the safety cameras at her Madrid house constructing by spray portray the lenses. The subsequent day, two pals acquired separate textual content messages — one in English, one in Spanish — from the 40-year-old’s telephone saying she was operating off for a couple of days with a person she had simply met.
“She wouldn’t do that … it is vitally unsafe and loopy conduct. She wouldn’t try this. She wouldn’t try this,” mentioned Sanna Rameau, the buddy who bought the English textual content. It was written, she mentioned, in an impassive model that wasn’t Ana’s. The Spanish message was so flat it appeared to have been written in English and run by Google Translate, she mentioned.
“It simply didn’t make sense,” Rameau informed The Related Press.
She’s additionally tiny — smaller than the 4-feet-11-inches tall (1.5 meters) listed on her driver’s license, Rameau mentioned. “I can carry her up with one arm and carry her away,” the buddy mentioned.
Police in Madrid and Fort Lauderdale had been notified, launching investigations on all sides of the Atlantic. Each businesses are being closed mouthed about the place the search stands, with every declining remark. The American embassy in Madrid additionally declined remark.
Spain’s Lacking Individuals Affiliation has posted Knezevic’s {photograph} across the nation’s capital, however has not acquired any responses, spokesman Joaquin Amills mentioned.
David and Ana Knezevic have been married for 13 years and personal EOX Expertise Options Inc., which does laptop assist for South Florida companies. Data present additionally they personal a house and two different Fort Lauderdale properties, a type of at the moment beneath foreclosures.
Ana’s brother, Juan Henao, referred to as the divorce “nasty” in an interview with a Fort Lauderdale detective, a report reveals.
“There’s a substantial amount of cash on the road to be cut up up between the 2 and David just isn’t comfortable about it,” the report says.
David Knezevic’s present whereabouts are unknown.
Henao informed the detective he believes his brother-in-law traveled to his residence nation of Serbia in January. After Ana disappeared, Henao texted David to ask if he knew her whereabouts. He replied “’Whats up?” earlier than telling Henao that Ana was lacking, which he already knew. “Nothing else apart from that,” Henao mentioned.
In a brief telephone interview, Henao mentioned he hopes the worldwide consideration will make discovering Ana a high police precedence.
“Let’s simply maintain pushing and see if that may get them to do extra to assist us discover my sister,” he mentioned.
Nobody answered the door Thursday on the Knezevics’ Fort Lauderdale residence, the place the mailbox is overflowing and the vehicles are lined in dust and mud. Nobody answered the telephone at their firm, and David Knezevic didn’t reply to emails and a voicemail.
Rameau mentioned Ana by no means talked about fearing her husband or that he was abusive.
“She by no means mentioned to me that she felt in peril,” mentioned Rameau.
Ana selected an house in Madrid’s rich and trendy Salamanca quarter, traveled with Rameau in Austria in January, and deliberate to see a Spanish buddy in Barcelona on Feb. 5 earlier than reuniting with Rameau in Madrid beginning Feb. 8.
However on Feb. 2 at about 9:30 p.m., the helmet-wearing man disabled the house complicated’s safety cameras — one thing nobody trying to find Ana knew for nearly per week. She had a traditional telephone name with a buddy a few half hour later. Neighbors mentioned they final noticed her about that point.
The subsequent day, Rameau grew to become alarmed when she bought a textual content from Ana’s telephone.
“I met somebody fantastic!! He has a summer time home 2H (hours) from Madrid,” it learn. “We’re going there now and I’ll spend a couple of days there. Sign is spotty. I’ll name you after I get again.”
That was adopted a minute later by a second textual content: “Yesterday after remedy I wanted a stroll and he approached me on the road! Superb connection. Like I by no means had.”
The Spanish buddy bought related texts, those that appeared to have been translated by laptop.
Rameau mentioned there isn’t a likelihood she would run off with a stranger, and by no means informed her buddy that night time she had met somebody.
Rameau and the Spanish buddy contacted police after she did not reply to their more and more frantic calls and texts. Firefighters went to her house for a wellness test, seemed inside and located nothing amiss, Rameau mentioned.
Madrid police mentioned they might examine if she did not present up for her Barcelona journey. When she did not, detectives requested a Spanish decide for permission to go looking her telephone information and house, however absent robust proof of a criminal offense, they had been denied.
Rameau and the Spanish buddy then went to her constructing on Feb. 8, and discovered from a clerk concerning the helmeted man portray the cameras. They alerted police.
Now, Ana’s household and pals look ahead to information.
“I’m simply determined to seek out solutions,” Rameau mentioned. “I’m simply determined to discover a cause for who may have performed this.”
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Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
