The husband of missing Massachusetts mom-of-three Ana Walshe has been charged with murder for her disappearance, authorities announced on Tuesday. Brian Walshe was already in jail for misleading police in their investigation to trace his wife and now has been charged with her murder Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey confirmed in a statement.
Police have been building a case against him for weeks, and they think they have evidence, such as blood found in the couple's cellar and a bloody hatchet. Although police are yet to trace Ana Walshe or find her body, they believe she is dead and her husband is the murderer.
Police Almost Confirm
Ana Walshe's corpse has not been located despite police having searched the Cohasset home she shared with her husband and three sons as well as the backyard. Brian Walshe, 47, was already arrested on suspicion of obstructing the police investigation into his missing wife when he received a second arrest warrant for murder, Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey revealed in a statement.
"The continued investigation has now allowed police to obtain an arrest warrant charging Brian Walshe with murder of his wife," Norfolk District Attorney Michael W Morrissey said in a statement.
"Mr. Walshe will be transported to the court for the charge of murder."
He will be brought before the Quincy District Court on January 18 for his arraignment.
Friends claim that the couple's marriage suffered as a result of Ana's demanding work schedule, which caused them to spend a lot of time apart, with Ana in Massachusetts and Brian Walshe and the boys in DC.
Ana, 39, was also seen without her wedding ring in some of the last pictures shot before she disappeared on January 1.
So far, Brian Walshe has denied misleading police in his wife's disappearance.
She and her husband had friends over for a New Year's Eve celebration, which according to their visitors, was lively and full of toasts.
One of the friends who attended the celebration, Cem Mutlu, remarked: "Brian had prepared an elaborate meal for us. We hugged and celebrated and toasted and just what you do over New Year's.
"There was a lot of looking forward to the New Year."
He claims that the following day, Brian called him and asked whether he'd "saw Ana" and that she was missing.
Police Still Struggling
Ana Walshe was scheduled to fly to Washington, DC, for business on January 1, but she never showed up for her trip or boarded the shared vehicle to the airport. On January 4, Ana's employer, Tishman Speyer, filed a missing person's report.
Police in Cohasset were contacted by a man who claimed to be the firm's head of security in Washington, DC, to inquire about the woman's welfare. Police were informed by that man that he had reported Ana's disappearance to her husband, Brian.
However, it went against the claims made in court by Brian's attorney that he had informed her employer of her absence.
Ana had stopped wearing her wedding band in the days leading up to her abduction. Friends claimed that due of her job schedule, there was "stress" in the marriage.
Her friends are now pleading with her to take care of her kids. Walshe has a history of legal issues.
Meanwhile, police arrested Brain for misleading them in their investigation. And now they have charged him with murder.
Evidence has been mounting since Brian told police he last saw his wife alive in the early hours of Jan. 1, when he claims she left their Cohasset home for a "work emergency."
Police recovered a carpet, a hatchet, and other things as evidence following a search of Brian's mother's home and a neighboring garbage facility. In the days following Ana's disappearance, Brian allegedly Googled "how to dispose of a 115-pound woman's body," according to sources close to the investigation.
Brian pleaded not guilty to the initial accusation brought against him and is now being held without bail after posting $500 000. It is yet not known if detectives have located Ana's remains or are depending on other evidence prior to his arraignment on the murder allegation.
Ana and Brian's seeming idyllic lives has been in sharp contrast to the dramatic events of the last three weeks. The pair, who wed in her home country of Serbia in 2015, was frequently seen grinning with friends or in the company of their three sons, who range in age from 2 to 6.
In 2018, Brian was arrested for attempting to sell a fake Andy Warhol painting online, which put the first crack in the family's charming façade.
