By Nicole Acevedo, Steven Romo and Arleen Aguasvivas -
NBC News
Alerts about the disappearance of Ana María Knezevic Henao, a woman from South Florida who traveled to Spain and was never seen again, cover the streets and ATMs of the European country and have been shared on the internet and on television repeatedly since The Colombian-American was last seen on February 2.
The alerts have been viewed more than 15 million times in the last week, according to Joaquín Amills Bonet, president of a Spanish volunteer organization to find missing persons that is
helping in the search
for the 40-year-old woman.
Amills Bonet told NBC News that his organization is in constant communication with family and friends of Knezevic Henao and is acting as a spokesperson for the family.
A poster with the face of Ana María Knezevich Henao, on a street in Madrid, on February 16, 2024.Manu Fernandez / AP file
“Logically, fear is present,” declared Bonet.
“We always say that hope is the last thing that is lost, but we must look for Ana María [to find her] in good condition, alive.”
Knezevic Henao, born in Colombia and naturalized American, was last seen in an apartment she had rented in Madrid since December.
According to her family and friends, Knezevic Henao moved to Madrid in the midst of a difficult separation from her husband, a Serbian man named David Knezevic.
“Ana María wanted to separate and settle in Spain,” said Amills Bonet, adding that the woman
had started “divorce procedures”
in January, including contacting lawyers in Florida.
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NBC News found no official divorce filing from the couple in Florida.
Knezevic Henao's family and friends have said they believe the couple's joint financial interests may have played a role in their contentious separation.
NBC News found three corporations registered under the couple's names in Florida: EOX Technology Solutions Inc., Registered Corporate Agents LLC and EOX Capital LLC.
All provide technology and other support to South Florida businesses.
“The couple had significant financial assets,” said Amills Bonet.
Juan Henao, brother of Knezevic Henao, told Fort Lauderdale police on February 7 that there was “a significant amount of money at stake to be shared between the two” as the couple suffered an “unpleasant” separation.
He added that his sister's husband “wasn't happy about it,” police records obtained by NBC News show.
Ken Padowitz, a lawyer representing David Knezevic, told NBC News that his client has not been named a suspect or person of interest in the case, and
has been cooperating with authorities
in Spain investigating Knezevic Henao's disappearance.
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"David has nothing to do with this," Padowitz said, adding that he was in Serbia, not Spain, at the time of her disappearance. "We obviously hope, like everyone else, that she is found and that she is okay."
Sanna Rameau and Ana María Knezevic.
Spanish police search for Knezevic, a Colombian-American who suddenly disappeared in Madrid. Sanna Rameau via AP
A State Department spokesperson told NBC News in a statement that they “work closely with local authorities” on any case involving a U.S. citizen missing abroad, but did not provide any specific details about Knezevic Henao's disappearance.
Sanna Rameau, a friend of the woman, previously stated that she had sent her a text message the day she disappeared, but received no response.
According to information obtained by Amills Bonet's organization, Knezevic Henao was at his home in Madrid on the night of February 2.
He had an hour-long telephone conversation with a friend at 8:30 pm (local time), during which he stated that he was not planning to go out that night.
At an unknown time on February 2, a neighbor observed that the lenses of the Knezevic Henao building's security cameras
had been covered with black spray paint
.
The lights in Knezevic Henao's apartment were still on at 1:00 a.m. the next day, according to a neighbor.
Amills Bonet added that it is unclear if there is any connection between the damaged surveillance cameras and Knezevic Henao's disappearance.
On February 3, Rameau received a message from Knezevic Henao's number in which he said that he had met someone and that he was going to go to his house, located two hours from Madrid, and that his telephone service would be irregular.
Rameau
considered the message “strange”
and contacted the Madrid police.
Police in Madrid and Fort Lauderdale are conducting investigations, but authorities have not released many details.