Ana Knezevich’s brother has denied local reports that “biological remains” were found in her Madrid apartment, but admitted the “chances are low” that she is still alive.
A March 12 report by Spanish publication El Cierre Digital cited “sources close to the case” who claimed that scientific police found biological remains in the missing woman’s residence.
Knezevich, 40, had been living in Spain on-and-off since last summer, when her marriage to Serbian-American businessman David, 35, broke up.
The Florida woman was reported missing on February 5 after she failed to meet a friend to travel from Madrid to Barcelona for a conference.
Her brother, Felipe Henao, recently appeared on NewsNation’s ‘Cuomo’ with a desperate plea to the public. He said the FBI dismissed the report about the remains, but the family is still desperate for answers.
‘We want to know the truth. We want to know where my sister is,’ Henao said. ‘If anyone has any information, any tips, please contact the FBI or the Spanish authorities.’
A report by Madrid-based publication El Cierre Digital claimed that biological remains had been found in the apartment of missing Florida woman Ana Knezevich, 40
Her brother, Felipe Henao, appeared on ‘Cuomo’ to deny the reports, adding that investigators said the chances of finding her alive were ‘low’
When asked about the supposed discovery of biological remains in her apartment, Henao said he asked the FBI if the report was true and “they told me it wasn’t.”
There were no further details on the details of the remains found.
Investigators ‘don’t want to share any information because it could jeopardize the case. I understand. Justice moves slowly,” Henao added.
He said her case was treated as a domestic violence issue as it moved through the court system and a case of enforced disappearance rather than voluntary.
‘Do you think the authorities are treating this as a case where she might still be alive and they need to find her?’ asked host Chris Cuomo, 53.
Henao hesitated. “I don’t know,” he said. ‘You have to face reality and 40 days have passed. I asked them and the chances are low.’
But he added: ‘You never lose hope and I will never stop fighting for your sister. I will fight until we find her.’
Henao told DailyMail.com last month that his mother was ‘devastated’ by her daughter’s disappearance.
“I wish I had something new, I wish Ana was back already,” Hernao said. ‘I just hope someone with information comes forward to tell us what they know.’
Henao urged members of the public to come forward and contact law enforcement with any information they may have about his sister
Knezevich disappeared amid an ongoing separation from husband David, 35, a Serbian-American businessman. The couple had not yet officially filed for divorce
Investigators found footage of a man in a helmet hanging around Knezevich’s apartment complex on February 2. He is believed to have spray painted several security cameras in the building
Investigators found surveillance footage of a man in a motorcycle helmet hanging around the Florida woman’s building on Feb. 2, the day before friends lost contact with her.
He was seen waiting for people to leave the building before slipping inside at around 9.30pm.
The same man is believed to have spray-painted the lens of two security cameras in the apartment building in Madrid’s exclusive Salamanca district.
Knezevich’s friend, Sanna Rameau, told DailyMail.com that she last exchanged messages with her on February 2.
The last message from Knezevich’s WhatsApp account, sent the following day, said she had ‘met someone wonderful.’
‘He has a summer house about 2 hours from Madrid. We are going there now and I will spend a few days there. The signal is spotty. I’ll call you when I get back, it said.
Another message described the circumstances of their first meeting, claiming they met on the street. ‘Great connection. Like I’ve never had before, it said.
Knezevich and her husband, also known as Dusan, had not yet formally filed for divorce at the time of her disappearance.
Sanna Rameau told DailyMail.com that she last texted her friend on February 2. The following day, she received several WhatsApp messages that she does not believe were written by Knezevich
The messages claimed that she met someone who had a house two hours from Madrid and she was going there with him for a few days. “It wasn’t Ana,” Rameau said. ‘I knew immediately that something terrible had happened’
The Florida broker was officially declared missing on February 5 when she failed to meet a friend to travel to Barcelona for a conference
The couple had been together for 13 years and ran a real estate business together. They tried to save their marriage several times before deciding to separate in January.
Rameau told DailyMail.com that David indicated he wanted to travel to Spain to help look for his wife, but he never came.
‘The fact is that I went to Madrid to search for Ana. I asked him to come and join me and look for her,’ she said. “But instead he said he had left Florida to go to Serbia.”
Neighbors in Fort Lauderdale recalled the couple’s public displays of affection and lamented the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
“They were a very fresh, cute couple, they seemed happy,” Guy Hackman said.
Another neighbor described the missing woman as a ‘sweet girl’ and added: ‘I never even heard a raised voice coming from that house.’
Behind closed doors, the couple had fought a series of lawsuits, including one for allegedly defaulting on a $399,000 mortgage.
David was sued last October for being behind on a $435,000 second mortgage, but both cases were dismissed.
The businessman also sought restraining orders against two men in 2018, claiming they had stalked and threatened to kill him. The orders were dropped when David failed to appear for a hearing.
Friends and family have expressed doubt that the final WhatsApp messages were sent by Knezevich.
‘It wasn’t Ana. She is not impulsive or irresponsible. She does not take drugs or drink hard liquor, Rameau told DailyMail.com. ‘I knew immediately that something terrible had happened.’