Husband Charged With Murdering His Wife After She Went Missing on New Year | Police Continues to Search for Body

Brian Walshe, the husband of a Massachusetts woman, Ana Walshe, who has been missing since New Year's Day, has been charged with murdering her, the Norfolk County District Attorney's office announced on January 17. Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey issued an arrest warrant charging Brian, 47, with his wife's murder on the same day. Morrissey said Briane is expected to be arraigned on the charge on January 18 morning and the details of the charge "will likely be disclosed at arraignment", reported USA Today.

The warrant comes more than two weeks after Brian Walshe's wife, Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother of three young boys could not be located and was reported missing a few days later. Walshe's body has not been found yet. Brian is already in jail as he was charged last week with allegedly misleading police in their investigation of the disappearance of his wife. Brian also violated his bail on a federal fraud conviction when he withheld information from police, has pleaded not guilty, and is being held on $500,000 bail.

Walshe had also begged her mother to come to visit her. Walshe was first reported missing by her employer, not her husband, according to a Cohasset Police log, per PEOPLE. The head of security at Walshe's employer, Washington D.C. real estate firm Tishman Speyer, reportedly called the police requesting a wellness check for her on January 4, as per Boston 25 News. According to Police, Walshe regularly commuted between her home in Cohasset and D.C., where she works as an executive for a property management company, Tishman Speyer.

The company also gave PEOPLE a statement, "We are actively assisting the local authorities in their ongoing search for our beloved colleague, Ana, and are praying for her safe return." Abdulla Almutairi, a friend of Walshe, said that he heard from her husband on January 6 stating that he was concerned about her safety. "Ana loves her kids," Almutairi said.

Prosecutors accused Brian of spending $450 on cleaning products on January 2 and he was seen making the purchase on Home Depot surveillance footage despite telling authorities he was 40 miles away visiting Whole Foods and CVS. On January 10, investigators revealed they recovered a hacksaw, a hatchet, a rug, and a garbage bag with blood, believed to be connected to Walshe's disappearance.

Citing anonymous law enforcement officials, CNN reports Brian also allegedly conducted internet searches about how to dismember and dispose of a body. The three sons Walshe and Brian shared are now in state custody, a friend of Walshe said.

Walshe and Brian had been romantically involved since 2008 and had been experiencing relationship trouble for at least a year. In 2014, the Boston Globe reported Walshe allegedly told police her husband had threatened to kill her and a friend during a phone call. But Walshe had later refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Now, Brian awaits his trial on February 9 on the charge of misleading police.

References:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/01/17/brian-walshe-murder-charge-ana-walshe/11069179002/

https://people.com/crime/mass-mom-ana-walshe-first-reported-missing-employer-not-husband/

https://people.com/human-interest/massachusetts-mom-of-3-missing-since-new-years-day-last-seen-home/

https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/gut-wrenching-cohasset-mother-threes-disappearance-surrounded-mystery/KFPWP2POFJGF3GM4XW57B4YSRI/

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/12/us/ana-walshe-missing-mother-husband-massachusetts-thursday/index.html

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/14/metro/ana-walshe-projected-success-optimism-behind-scenes-missing-39-year-old-had-stress-uncertainty/

Cover Image Source: (L) Facebook | Cohasset Police Department; (R) Associated Press