Spain Spain - Ana Knezevich, 40, from Florida, going through divorce, missing under suspicious circumstances on trip to Madrid, 5 Feb 2024 *Arrest*

[FacelessPodcast]

A few more details from the Spanish press. Apologies for any repetition:

*Joaquín Amills, president of CNDES (National Centre for the Disappeared - connected to the Ministry of the Interior), is acting as the family's spokesperson. He has gone on record as saying he is extremely concerned and that, in his experience, this type of situation rarely has a good outcome.

*He also made the point that, despite being widely shared, he's surprised that so far, not a single piece of information has been lodged with the Centre. Basically, no calls, no clues.

*Ana's doctor prescribed her anti-depressants following the divorce. The divorce is described as "complex."

*The press here says the gap between the English text and the Spanish text was of 3 hours, not 2. And to be clear, both texts were to her friends, not the brother. I'm assuming Sanna forwarded on her text to him.

*The day after her disappearance, the fire department were called and they accessed her flat via a window. They found nothing out of place, nothing supposedly missing. (Except for her phone). On the 4th, one of her friends (Sanna, I assume) officially denounced her disappearance with the National Police. (Denouncing someone or something is basically giving a statement to the police in Spain, after which the complaint is then transferred to the appropriate department -- this can be anything from a noisy neighbour to a missing friend).

*Amills said that from the very beginning, it has been "difficult to imagine" that her disappearance was voluntary. So, we can be almost certain that the police didn't waste any time in seeing suspicious elements in this case.

*My own observation: there is heavy use of CCTV across Madrid, but particularly Salamanca. This is double-edged. On the one hand, it's a tremendous amount of footage to sift through. On the other, the likelihood of someone leaving the area with Ana and being seen by no eye or lens is extremely hard to imagine. Even if an intruder had a car waiting nearby, the police would be able to trace such a movement from the car, to her building, and back out again.

*According to CNDES, Ana is 1'45 metres tall and weighs 45kg. So, very petite.

 

[kaya3627]

Nope, that's not how WhatsApp works -- there is no such thing as a "password", the phone number is the "username", and it is not possible to log in without having one of the following:

• ability to receive an SMS OTP on the registered number
• physical access to the master device that is already logged in.

It's happened a few times that I've been stuck without WhatsApp after being logged out on a non-master device while outside the house, and it's quite a pain, because only when I return home and regain physical access to the primary phone can I log in on other devices.

Thanks for explaining. I've never used Whats App and am just going by research. Here it says you can login to Whats App using an email address - WhatsApp’s safety push – You can now login with your email id

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Another thought, JMOO: two hours outside of Madrid is VERY far out for a ‘summer home’. None of the big day trips — Toledo, Segovia, Avila etc — are more than 90 minutes away. Some of the trains are pretty fast too. It’s true that if it were up in the Sierra, maybe a winding road would add significant time. But put simply, Madrid is not a huge region. 2 hours is more than enough to get clear of its borders and into the neighbouring provinces…

 

[kaya3627]

Are we sure it will end up being "millions of dollars"? We had cases here that started with "millions" or "she could retire today if she wanted to", and ended up being sand castles.

What I would really like to know is whether Ana had life insurance.

On the other hand, I am inclined to give David/Dushan the benefit of the doubt. He is 35, that is, born shortly before Yugoslavia ceased to exist; he and Ana were married for 12+ years, meaning, he has been in US since very early adulthood if not late teenage years. There is an incredible gap between young Serbians and their parents. He may not have any "poor connections" inside his country of birth. His behavior might be easily explained by the same reasons that prompted his divorce. I don't think he is choosing the right approach, and he probably should be more compassionate towards Ana's family, but in itself, it doesn't yet make him guilty.

Yes, one of the articles specifically stated millions of dollars. I believe it was one of the Serbian articles. Also, their house alone was worth $900,000 according to one article. And they owned several real estate properties. I'll try to find the article.

 

[kaya3627]

Apparently the drive from Serbia to Spain is less than 30 hours. It's possible he drove there.

 

[arielilane]

@BrianEntin

The absence of David Knezevich’s involvement in the search for his estranged wife Ana has raised eyebrows, with some questioning why he has not traveled to Spain to assist authorities. But his attorney says he is cooperating with the investigation.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1759957023934828990

 

[kaya3627]

Are we sure it will end up being "millions of dollars"? We had cases here that started with "millions" or "she could retire today if she wanted to", and ended up being sand castles.

What I would really like to know is whether Ana had life insurance.

On the other hand, I am inclined to give David/Dushan the benefit of the doubt. He is 35, that is, born shortly before Yugoslavia ceased to exist; he and Ana were married for 12+ years, meaning, he has been in US since very early adulthood if not late teenage years. There is an incredible gap between young Serbians and their parents. He may not have any "poor connections" inside his country of birth. His behavior might be easily explained by the same reasons that prompted his divorce. I don't think he is choosing the right approach, and he probably should be more compassionate towards Ana's family, but in itself, it doesn't yet make him guilty.

"And while Ana was officially in Spain, four of the nine properties offered were sold in Florida. These homes/apartments sold in 20 days, from December 27 to January 15, for $4.11 million. They bought all these real estates to Knežević in 2017, and then they paid 1,923,000 dollars for just these four real estates. So, they collected 2.2 million euros on them in six years.

So, for example, they bought the house in December 2017 for $438,000 and sold it in January 2024 for $950,000. And for a house with a pool that they paid $512,000 for in June 2017, they sold it for $1.1 million on December 27, 2023."

"There are five more apartments/houses on the real estate market and their value exceeds five million dollars."

Translated from Serbian to English

Source: Imperija Davida i nestale Ane: Srbin u decembru uzeo 4,11 miliona dolara od kuća na Floridi, a tek koliko zarađuje IT kompanija

 

[kaya3627]

@BrianEntin

The absence of David Knezevich’s involvement in the search for his estranged wife Ana has raised eyebrows, with some questioning why he has not traveled to Spain to assist authorities. But his attorney says he is cooperating with the investigation.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1759957023934828990

The lawyer says he doesn't speak the language. So how is he able to help the police?

Also, Serbia is only a day or two's drive from Spain. I wonder if he took any "road trips" recently.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Apparently the drive from Serbia to Spain is less than 30 hours. It's possible he drove there.

Someone driving from Serbia to Spain would likely pass through Croatia / Slovenia where a passport would have to be shown. Serbian or American, that would give him 90 days. Once he's in the EU, though, no more checks. He could've driven through France, or via Italy and taken a ferry. The Spanish police would know that and it wouldn't surprise me if they had made those enquiries along those borders already. Making no accusations here, just thinking out loud.

RE: the husband's lack of involvement, I don't necessarily find that suspicious. They might have ended on terrible terms and Ana wouldn't even want him involved in such a scenario. Perhaps the distance is simply out of respect. I can foresee a situation where, even if he was actively involved in the search for Ana, people would still point the finger at him or deconstruct every action or phrase as evidence of guilt. Same goes for his lack of an interview (at least with American media). He owes Cuomo, for example, absolutely nothing. I'm not saying there nothing here that looks off re: the ex. His travel to Serbia, for example, is convenient for a guilty man but inconvenient for the image of an innocent one. However, what is not optional, is his engagement with the relevant authorities. If the lawyer says that he's in contact with the Spanish police, then for me that's all that matters. Now, what I would love to know is, what does 'in contact with' mean? Does it mean he has acknowledged their requests and said no? Does it mean they're interrogating him over Zoom? Does it mean that they're liaising over an in-person interview?

 

[kaya3627]

Someone driving from Serbia to Spain would likely pass through Croatia / Slovenia where a passport would have to be shown. Serbian or American, that would give him 90 days. Once he's in the EU, though, no more checks. He could've driven through France, or via Italy and taken a ferry. The Spanish police would know that and it wouldn't surprise me if they had made those enquiries along those borders already. Making no accusations here, just thinking out loud.

RE: the husband's lack of involvement, I don't necessarily find that suspicious. They might have ended on terrible terms and Ana wouldn't even want him involved in such a scenario. Perhaps the distance is simply out of respect. I can foresee a situation where, even if he was actively involved in the search for Ana, people would still point the finger at him or deconstruct every action or phrase as evidence of guilt. Same goes for his lack of an interview (at least with American media). He owes Cuomo, for example, absolutely nothing. I'm not saying there nothing here that looks off re: the ex. His travel to Serbia, for example, is convenient for a guilty man but inconvenient for the image of an innocent one. However, what is not optional, is his engagement with the relevant authorities. If the lawyer says that he's in contact with the Spanish police, then for me that's all that matters. Now, what I would love to know is, what does 'in contact with' mean? Does it mean he has acknowledged their requests and said no? Does it mean they're interrogating him over Zoom? Does it mean that they're liaising over an in-person interview?

one of the articles said they still spoke to each other, and they spoke on the day she went missing. It even states he was planning to come visit her! I think it's likely he knew her address.

 

[kaya3627]

Someone driving from Serbia to Spain would likely pass through Croatia / Slovenia where a passport would have to be shown. Serbian or American, that would give him 90 days. Once he's in the EU, though, no more checks. He could've driven through France, or via Italy and taken a ferry. The Spanish police would know that and it wouldn't surprise me if they had made those enquiries along those borders already. Making no accusations here, just thinking out loud.

RE: the husband's lack of involvement, I don't necessarily find that suspicious. They might have ended on terrible terms and Ana wouldn't even want him involved in such a scenario. Perhaps the distance is simply out of respect. I can foresee a situation where, even if he was actively involved in the search for Ana, people would still point the finger at him or deconstruct every action or phrase as evidence of guilt. Same goes for his lack of an interview (at least with American media). He owes Cuomo, for example, absolutely nothing. I'm not saying there nothing here that looks off re: the ex. His travel to Serbia, for example, is convenient for a guilty man but inconvenient for the image of an innocent one. However, what is not optional, is his engagement with the relevant authorities. If the lawyer says that he's in contact with the Spanish police, then for me that's all that matters. Now, what I would love to know is, what does 'in contact with' mean? Does it mean he has acknowledged their requests and said no? Does it mean they're interrogating him over Zoom? Does it mean that they're liaising over an in-person interview?

He also made it seem like he was in Serbia the entire time, according to Ana's brother. Even though he was in Florida in January to file a police report for his "stolen motorcycle equipment..." I wonder if his "helmet" got stolen too.

 

[kaya3627]

"As far as I know, he told the Spanish police that he heard from her the day she disappeared. I don't know what they were talking about. I know they were not enemies, they maintained some kind of contact. They weren't together anymore, but they still talked," Ana's best friend told us.


Source: EKSKLUZIVNO Prijateljica nestale Ane KneževiÄ progovorila o razvodu i životu: "On je u Beogradu, a ona..."

 

[FacelessPodcast]

The lawyer says he doesn't speak the language. So how is he able to help the police?

Also, Serbia is only a day or two's drive from Spain. I wonder if he took any "road trips" recently.

I'm thinking the Spanish police will be asking him questions (in English most likely). In theory they could be asking information about Ana -- while actually trying to determine his movements, his traits, his alibi etc.

 

[kaya3627]

I'm thinking the Spanish police will be asking him questions (in English most likely). In theory they could be asking information about Ana -- while actually trying to determine his movements, his traits, his alibi etc.

Her brother said no one on the police force speaks English.

What I meant is that on one hand the lawyer says David won't go to Spain because he doesn't know the language. Yet, on the other hand, his lawyer says David is able to communicate w/ police in Spain. His lawyer's comments are empty.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

"As far as I know, he told the Spanish police that he heard from her the day she disappeared. I don't know what they were talking about. I know they were not enemies, they maintained some kind of contact. They weren't together anymore, but they still talked," Ana's best friend told us.


Source: EKSKLUZIVNO Prijateljica nestale Ane KneževiÄ progovorila o razvodu i životu: "On je u Beogradu, a ona..."

Then he's going to have a lot questions from the Spanish police. If the situation was simply: we broke up last year, I haven't heard from her since then, then that would be relatively easy to corroborate...

I would like to know more about them not being enemies. If they're separated but still friendly, and the "complex divorce" that is being mentioned here in Spain means due to the financial complications of a separation and nothing more, then one would imagine that he would be more keen to engage with her disappearance. And while not impossible by any means, seems *slightly* odd that their divorce depressed her enough to go to the doctor but is still chatting with him happily via Whatsapp?

 

[Denise884]

Nope, that's not how WhatsApp works -- there is no such thing as a "password", the phone number is the "username", and it is not possible to log in without having one of the following:

• ability to receive an SMS OTP on the registered number
• physical access to the master device that is already logged in.

It's happened a few times that I've been stuck without WhatsApp after being logged out on a non-master device while outside the house, and it's quite a pain, because only when I return home and regain physical access to the primary phone can I log in on other devices.

I did use whatsapp on my laptop and had to use a QR code to login there for the first time, a QR code that i had to scan with my phone. But once it's on your laptop/other device you can login without using a new QR code or password. So if whatsapp was already installed on a laptop at their home for example they can login without any issues. I'm located in europe, not sure if that's relevant but europeans are big whatsapp users.

 

[indicolite22]

The husband's attorney stated on Cuomo that the couple had been separated for a few months. According to him, they had not hired any divorce lawyers yet and were discussing hiring one lawyer for both. He tried to make it look like the divorce was amicable.

It's interesting to me that the properties were sold after Ana left Florida (after December 27).

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Her brother said no one on the police force speaks English.

What I meant is that on one hand the lawyer says David won't go to Spain because he doesn't know the language. Yet, on the other hand, his lawyer says David is able to communicate w/ police in Spain. His lawyer's comments are empty.

I, for one, am related to a member of the Spanish police who speaks English. So, that doesn't stack up. Plus there are interpreters. Perhaps he means they don't speak English widely. Which is obvious, I guess.

Not going to a country because you don't speak the language is a BS reason -- 100%.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

The husband's attorney stated on Cuomo that the couple had been separated for a few months. According to him, they had not hired any divorce lawyers yet and they were discussing hiring one lawyer for both. He tried to make it look like the divorce was amicable.

If the divorce is amicable, one would think a potential life-or-death situation would warrant an interview...

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I've gone back to listen to the interview with the brother. For those that don't speak Spanish, a few of the notable things he says:

*He doesn't know when he last saw his sister (he then goes on to mention that she was texting her friends, that was the last she was heard of -- the Friday night presumably).

*He also seems to think there is somehow a possibility that the FBI might have jurisdiction over this case in Spain but that they have not contacted him. He is, however, in touch with the US State Dept and the detective in charge of this case (I assume here in Madrid).

*He also says he is 100% certain she didn't write those texts.

*The ex-husband is in Belgrade. He's garbled when he's asked if the ex had videocameras in his home, or if this is a topic that interested him. It sounds like Felipe says: "I don't know if he's that paranoid, I don't know."

*He says he wants the police to move faster (though according to him they entered the flat on the Sunday to search for her).