Search continues for missing mom Ana Walshe. What we know about her disappearance
UPDATE: Ana Walshe’s husband Brian Walshe is facing a murder charge in connection with her disappearance, prosecutors announced, according to NBC Boston.
The original story is below.
Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother from Massachusetts, is still missing after her disappearance on New Year’s Day.
Walshe was last seen at her Cohasset home early on Jan. 1 and never boarded her scheduled flight to Washington, D.C., that morning, according to a Jan. 6 police news conference. She planned to take a rideshare vehicle to Boston Logan International Airport ahead of her trip, Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said.
Since then, Walshe’s husband, Brian Walshe, 47, of Cohasset was arrested in connection with the investigation, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release on Jan. 8.
He pleaded not guilty to a charge of misleading a police investigation at his arraignment in Quincy District Court the morning of Jan. 9, the office said in a separate news release.
This came after a bloody knife, described as damaged, was found in the basement of the couple’s home after Ana Walshe went missing, according to The Patriot Ledger newspaper.
The couple have three children, the newspaper reported.
Investigators also learned Brian Walshe bought a tarp and cleaning supplies at a home improvement store after his wife went missing, according to prosecutors. They said his statements to investigators regarding his activities after Ana Walshe disappeared did not match up.
Meanwhile, Brian Walshe’s internet records revealed searches for “how to dispose of a 115-pound woman’s body” and “how to dismember a body,” two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.
Photos show Brian Walshe in handcuffs smiling as officers led him out of the police station to be transported to Quincy District Court, according to images taken and shared by Kevin Wiles, an assignment editor in Boston.
Following Brian Walshe’s arraignment, a judge set his bail at $500,000, according to prosecutors.
“Search activity conducted north of Boston yesterday resulted in a number of items being collected which will now be subject to processing and testing to determine if they are of evidentiary value to this investigation,” the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said on Jan. 10, The Patriot Ledger reported. “No details on those items will be disclosed at this time.”
This came after an unsuccessful ground search for Ana Walshe near her Cohasset home ended, Cohasset police announced in a Jan. 7 news release. They said the nearby woods, a small stream and a pool were searched.
Before his wife went missing, Brian Walshe had been confined to his home in connection with an unrelated federal fraud conviction, according to CBS News. He was accused of stealing and selling Andy Warhol paintings — some of which were fake, the outlet reported.
Ana Walshe, who disappeared before her plans to travel to Washington, lives in Washington during weekdays while working at the real estate company Tishman Speyer, Boston 25 reported.
Quigley said police couldn’t confirm if Ana Walshe ever stepped foot into a rideshare vehicle the morning of Jan. 1.
“She is loved by so many and we just want to see her home,” Evan Turell, one of Walshe’s friends, told WCVB5.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Search continues for missing mom Ana Walshe. What we know about her disappearance."
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