FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The search is intensifying for a South Florida woman who went missing in Spain nearly three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, questions have remained as to why her estranged husband hasn’t helped with the search.
It’s been 19 days since 40-year-old Ana Knezevich disappeared in Madrid, Spain.
Posters have been put up to aid in the search.
Her husband, David Knezevich, has now retained an attorney.
His attorney said the reason he is not searching for his estranged wife is because he doesn’t know the language and doesn’t have any connection to Spain.
In December, amid a divorce from her husband of 13 years, Ana Knezevich left Fort Lauderdale for Spain.
The cameras to the apartment building where she was staying in Madrid were covered with black paint shortly before her disappearance.
That was followed by what loved ones said was a series of strange, concerning text messages that Ana Knezevich had met a man she was going to stay with two hours from Madrid -- messages they believe someone else may have wrote.
She has not been seen since.
Her husband has retained Ken Padowitz, a trial attorney in Fort Lauderdale.
Padowitz said his client is working with Spanish authorities from Serbia but has no plans to travel to Spain.
“What everyone keeps bringing up is the optics of the fact that he didn’t go to Spain,” said Padowitz. “What David said to me (is) this is really a personal decision everyone would have to make.”
Padowitz said David Knezevich does not speak Spanish and he does not feel it would be of any help for him to travel to Spain.
David Knezevich had moved back to Serbia shortly before Ana Knezevich vanished, though the two had been separated for months.
Local 10 News’ Bridgette Matter asked Padowitz about the revelation of text messages between Ana Knezevich and a friend talking about her marriage and that David Knezevich had another relationship with a woman in Colombia.
“I know about text messages you are talking about and I am privy to other text messages between the couple, and quite frankly, I really think the focus of this horrible, horrible situation should be on finding Ana,” said Padowitz.
Spanish authorities recently spoke to a few people Ana Knezevich had connected with on the Bumble app, but loved ones said she had not been dating anyone.
The person who spray painted the cameras has also not been identified.
Spanish authorities said they have asked other countries for information that may be relevant to their investigation.
David Knezevich is not a person of interest at this time and he has not been named a suspect.
So far, no arrests have been made.