(NewsNation) — David Knezevich, the estranged husband of Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, has been detained at Miami International Airport in connection with the disappearance of his wife, who went missing in Spain at the beginning of February.
Knezevich was arrested on a kidnapping charge Monday morning, with Spanish police saying the arrest was “for his alleged relationship with the disappearance of his wife.”
Henao, 40, had been living in Spain on and off since the summer after her marriage with Serbian American businessman Knezevich fell apart. She traveled to Madrid as part of her efforts to cope with her upcoming divorce.
The Florida woman was reported missing Feb. 5 after she failed to meet a friend to travel from Madrid to Barcelona. Concerns escalated when Spanish authorities found no evidence of a robbery during a search of her apartment.
The disappearance occurred on the same night an unidentified individual was spotted vandalizing security cameras in Henao’s apartment building with spray paint, further complicating the investigation.
When news of Henao’s disappearance broke, many pointed fingers at her estranged husband. However, his lawyer told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo that Knezevich has cooperated with the investigation.
“He has been aiding the authorities and helping them in any way he can. I don’t know if it’s reasonable to expect that he fly to another country, that he doesn’t know the language, doesn’t have a place to stay, and somehow that’s going to make it a better search than it is already ongoing,” Knezevich attorney Ken Padowitz said.
Knezevich maintains he had nothing to do with his wife’s disappearance. He appeared at a downtown Miami courthouse for a hearing Monday, where prosecutors were seeking pretrial detention because of the alleged flight risk.
The charges against Knezevich are outlined in the complaint below.