Simon Hunter
POLICE in Spain are still searching for the body of missing American expat Ana Knezevich, 40, who disappeared from her apartment in Madrid on February 2 and has not been heard from since.
Her estranged husband, David Knezevich, 36, is being held in custody in the United States without bail on suspicion of her kidnapping.
Police in his native Serbia, meanwhile, are currently examining a rental car that he drove all the way from that country to Spain around the time that Knezevich disappeared.
The authorities are working on the theory that David Knezevich travelled to Spain to kill his wife, given that they were in the midst of an acrimonious divorce.
The couple had amassed a considerable amount of money thanks to their business in Florida, and Ana Knezevich was reportedly demanding it was split 50-50 between the two, while David insisted on 80-20 in his favour.
On the night that Ana disappeared, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet was caught on a security camera in her Madrid apartment spray painting over the lens.
Security footage from a nearby hardware store that has since appeared in the press shows Knezevich purchasing items such as spray paint and duct tape that same night.
In the security footage from Ana Knezevich’s apartment in the upscale Salamanca neighbourhood, Knezevich’s eyes are recognisable as he sprays the cameras in the hallway, despite him wearing a motorcycle helmet with facemask.
According to the court documents, he later left the apartment that same night with a suitcase.
Back in June, Knezevich pleaded not guilty to her kidnapping, despite the existence of this evidence against him.
Until Ana Knezevich’s body is found, David cannot be charged with murder.
In a bid to locate it, the authorities in Spain have been in contact with the police in France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, which are the countries David had to drive through on his journey to and from Madrid.
In Serbia, meanwhile, investigators are focussing on the rental vehicle that he used.
On January 29, he rented a blue Peugeot 308, according to Spanish television channel Telecinco.
That vehicle was returned late by David, and before he did so he advised the company that he had had to ‘tint the windows’ because the sun was bothering him.
He eventually returned the car on March 15, at which point staff could see that he had driven a total of 7,700 kilometres.
Police officers from Spain, the United States and Serbia have since been examining the car, taking samples from inside.
According to press reports, stained clothing has been discovered inside, while investigators are also focusing on whether he switched number plates while the car was in his possession.
Officers have also been examining where his cellphone was during the journey in a bid to locate Ana’s body.
In the meantime, the family of Ana Knezevich, continues to wait anxiously for any breakthroughs in the case.
