Yzabelle Bostyn
THE brother of missing US expat, Ana Knezevich, has denied reports by the Spanish media claiming ‘biological remains’ were discovered inside her apartment.
Can you help us find Ana? Email: tips@theolivepress.es
It comes after El Cierre Digital, claimed sources ‘close to the investigation’ reported the findings.
They also alleged police believe the expat did not vanish ‘voluntarily’ and that ‘foul play’ was involved.
Sources told the newspaper: “After such a long time without any news or a sighting, everything points to the clear and firm hypothesis that Ana Maria was the victim of a disappearance due to a criminal act.” they said.
Now, Ana’s brother, Felipe Henao, has denied the reports but admitted the chances she is still alive are ‘pretty low’.
He appeared on US news station, NewsNation, where he says the FBI denied the reports.
He also made a desperate plea for help, saying: “We want to know the truth. We want to know where my sister is.
“If anybody has any information, any tips, please reach out to the FBI or the Spanish authorities.”
Ana has not been seen for over six weeks.
She was declared missing on February 5 after failing to meet a friend to travel from Madrid to Barcelona.
The 40-year-old had been living in Spain since December 2023, leaving behind a reportedly difficult marriage to Serbian-American businessman David Knezevich.
When asked about the alleged discovery, Henao said he asked the FBI if Ana’s remains had really been found, which they denied.
He said: “Investigators don’t want to share any information, because it could jeopardize the case. I understand. Justice moves slow.”
According to Henao, the case is being treated as a matter of domestic violence and forced disappearance as it moves through US courts.
Show host Chris Cuomo asked Henao: “Do you believe that the authorities are treating this as a case where she may still be alive and they have to find her?”
To which Henao responded: “I don’t know. You gotta face reality, and it’s been 40 days. I asked them and chances are low.
“You never lose hope and I’m never going to stop fighting for my sister. I will fight until we find her.”
On the day she went missing, February 2, Ana told her friend Sanna Rameau she had been to see a flat to rent long-term and was going on a trip to Barcelona just three days later.
Ana never caught her train to Catalonia, prompting her family to file a missing person’s report.
Rameau was the last person to hear from Ana and family and friends became increasingly worried when they received a strange text from her just a day later.
It read: “I met someone wonderful!! He has a summer house about 2h from Madrid. We are going there now and I will spend a few days there. Signal is spotty. I’ll call you when I get back.
“Yesterday after therapy I needed a walk and he approached me on the street! Amazing connection. Like I never had before.”
According to loved ones, this message does not sound like Ana, who never wrote with commas or exclamation marks.
The texts also switched between English and Spanish, something Ana was not known to do.
Concerns rose further when Madrid police revealed surveillance from Ana’s building was obscured when a man in a black motorcycle helmet spray painted over two security cameras on the day she vanished.
The man was seen waiting for people to exit Ana’s building before entering at around 9:30 pm and painting over the cameras.
Ana moved to Madrid in December following her separation from 35-year-old David Knezevich last year.
The Colombian native in had been living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the pair had been married for 13 years and co-owned a tech support company, EOX Technology Solutions.
Although some outlets claim divorce procedures had not formally begun, others allege the process had begun and the pair had been fighting over their shared assets.
While Ana wanted to split EOX equally, David wanted a 75% share.
They also owned a home and two other Fort Lauderdale properties together.
According to Senna , the six month long divorce was ‘nasty’.
David Knezevich is believed to be in his native Serbia, where he has reportedly begun selling his assets from the separation.
Ken Padowitz, David’s lawyer says Ana’s ex-husband is collaborating fully with police and has only not travelled to Spain because he doesn’t ‘know the language or anybody there.’
However, the family spokesperson disagreed.
Amills said: “He hasn’t collaborated morally, with information or money. There has been zero communication and when he has been in touch, he has been threatening. We know he’s been to Spain various times and he could come if he wanted to, to see first hand what is happening.”
Reportedly, Ana’s brother contacted David shortly after she went missing to ask if he knew where his sister was.
He allegedly responded ‘What’s up?’ before informing Felipe that Ana was missing, which he already knew.
According to Caso Abierto, David also refused to take a lie detector test when offered one by the FBI.
The Spanish news outlet explained that such tests are admissible as evidence in Florida, but the suspect does not have to collaborate.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Ana’s friend Senna claimed she never mentioned she was afraid of David or that he was abusive.
Over a month later, the expat’s family is increasingly worried.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, her brother Felipe said: “My mother is devastated. I wish Ana was back already. I just hope someone with information comes forward.”
Juan Manuel Medina, a lawyer collaborating with SOS Desparecidos, told EFE: “When there’s no clues for a long period, it’s a sign something’s wrong. It’s clear this wasn’t a voluntary disappearance.”
Medina is representing the family from their home in Miami and says police, including the FBI, are investigating every lead.
