Ana Walshe, a Massachusetts mother of three, went missing on New Year’s Day. She was thought to have called an Uber to take her to Logan International Airport, but she never made it on the flight for her work trip. Now authorities are looking at her husband.
Brian Walshe was arrested for misleading the police. And new evidence seems to be emerging. One terrifying piece of evidence is his internet search history, which shows a search for how to dispose of a 115-pound body.
It was Ana Walshe’s coworkers who reported her missing, not her husband. When police questioned Brian Walshe, they got answers that were “untruthful,” which led them to become suspicious of him. He faces criminal charges but has pleaded not guilty.
Brian Walshe told police he last saw his wife on January 1, 2023, when she told him she had to fly to Washington, DC, for a work emergency. According to Walshe, his wife took a rideshare to the airport. Investigators could find no evidence of this.
Further disputing Walshe’s story, Ana Walshe’s cellphone pinged near the couple’s home on January 1 and 2. “The fact that he was asked a specific question and he gave an untruthful answer that led investigators out of the area caused a clear delay in the search for the missing person, Ana Walshe,” a court affidavit states.
New evidence has been collected as a result of Walshe’s arrest. CNN is reporting that his internet search history shows an inquiry for "how to dispose of a 115-pound woman’s body” and how to dismember a body. Michael Morrissey, Norfolk district attorney, stated that “a number of items” were found in searches around Boston that were being tested. In light of this new evidence, the case is now being treated as a possible murder instead of a missing person case.
One of these searches occurred on Monday evening at a garbage transfer station in Peabody. Investigators searched through the trash for Ana Walshe’s remains. This station is located about an hour away from the couple’s home.
Another search was conducted at the dumpsters of Walshe’s mother’s apartment complex in Swampscott, Massachusetts. Walshe claims to have gone to see his mother on January 1. This was also the last day he claims to have seen his wife.
The most damning evidence came from Brian and Ana Walshe’s home. Prosecutor Lynn Beland revealed that “blood was found in the basement area as well as [a] knife which also contained some blood.” The couple’s home was searched when Walshe was arrested.
This is not Walshe’s first brush with the law. He was arrested in 2018 for fraud after stealing his friend’s Andy Warhol paintings and trying to sell fake versions of them. Because this case is still pending, Walshe wears an ankle monitor and has to have permission to leave his home. The week Ana Walshe disappeared, he made some suspicious outings.
One of these outings was to Home Depot. He reportedly wore surgical gloves and a surgical mask to purchase $450 worth of cleaning supplies such as tarps, buckets, and mops. He paid in all cash.
On Monday, Walshe’s bail was set at $500,000 cash. He will appear again in court on February 9. More evidence is sure to be revealed then.
