FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A desperate search for answers in the case of a Fort Lauderdale woman who went missing in Madrid back in February has taken a new turn.
On Wednesday, Spanish police announced on X, in Spanish, that first responders had traveled to the province of Vicenza, Italy to participate in search efforts for Ana Knezevich.
Italy’s national police forces and the Rome Office of the FBI have joined the search with Spanish police.
Police, bulldozers and dogs were seen descending on an old road in a wooded area of northern Italy as the search continues for any sign of Ana.
“She’s out there, and I just hope that we can find her soon,” said Ana’s brother, Felipe Henao.
Ana’s family accuses her estranged husband, David Knezevich, of being behind her disappearance.
“Would I ever thought he would have done this to my sister? I mean, how am I gonna think now that nothing’s gonna happen?” said Henao.
Ana, 41, was in the middle of a contentious divorce with David before she vanished from her apartment in Madrid back in February.
They’d shared a Fort Lauderdale home during their marriage.
When they separated, she headed to Europe.
Her family and friends received a text message claiming to be from Ana stating she’d met someone and would be out of touch.
“We received very bizarre messages from her phone. I have to say from her phone. because I don’t believe it was her sending it,” said Sanna Rameau, Ana’s best friend.
Investigators traced her estranged husband’s rental car to where she was staying in Madrid.
Surveillance video shows a man they believe to be David spray-painting her cameras shortly before she was reported missing, officials said.
When he arrived back in the States in May, David was arrested in Miami and has remained in custody on kidnapping charges ever since.
He pleaded not guilty and requested a bond.
Ana’s family urges David stay behind bars.
“A fear of retaliation, its a lot of anxiety on that end, so it’s just a very difficult time for the family,” said Henao.
Back in May, the FBI convinced a federal judge to deny David bond as his case makes his way through the courts.
Meanwhile, her family and friends remain desperate for answers, with still no trace of Ana.
“Where is my sister? It’s been more than six months, more than half a year that she’s been missing, and we all know who knows,” said Henao.
It is unclear whether the new search area indicates a breakthrough in the investigation or if it’s simply a result of a tip.
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