QUINCY, Mass. — The husband of Ana Walshe, a mother of three who vanished earlier this month, is now facing a murder charge in connection with his wife’s death, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey announced Tuesday.
Brian Walshe, 47, is slated to be arraigned Wednesday morning in Quincy District Court on a charge of murder in the death of 39-year-old Ana Walshe, Morrissey said in a video released shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday. Law enforcement sources told Boston 25 News that Walshe will also be charged with improper transport of a body.
He is currently being housed at the Norfolk County House of Correction.
Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Brian Walshe for the murder of Ana, who has been missing from Cohasset since on or about New Year’s Day.
[ Police release mugshots of Brian Walshe after federal agents raided his Lynn home in 2018 ]
Evidence in support of the murder charge will likely be disclosed at Brian Walshe’s arraignment, Morrissey said.
This marks the second allegation of domestic violence homicide in Norfolk County in less than a month. Victor Carter, 39, was arraigned Tuesday in Stoughton District Court on one count of murder in the death of 40-year-old Amber Buckner, who was found in a shed behind her home on Park Street in Stoughton in mid-December.
“Our thoughts are very much with the family these crimes have left behind,” Morrissey said.
It’s not yet clear whether Ana’s remains have been located.
Brian pleaded not guilty last week to charges he misled law enforcement officials who have been working tirelessly to track down the whereabouts of his wife. Local authorities on Tuesday released a pair of booking photos of Brian Walshe that were taken at the Lynn Police Department after federal agents raided his home back in May 2018.
[ Ana Walshe told D.C. police Brian Walshe threatened to kill her back in 2014 ]
Ana spent New Year’s Eve with her husband and three kids at their Cohasset home. She was supposed to go to Logan Airport early New Year’s Day around 4:30 a.m. to head to her second residence in Washington D.C., where she spent weekdays working as a regional general manager for the real estate company Tishman Speyer.
Police said Brian first told investigators that she potentially took a rideshare service to Logan. However, police never found any evidence that she made it to the airport and her cellphone, credit, and debit cards had been inactive since her disappearance.
Cohasset police and state police combed the woods around the Walshe’s home on Jan. 6 and later returned with a search warrant for inside the home less than 48 hours later. Prosecutors say that search led to the discovery of a blood-covered knife in the basement of the home.
[ Brian Walshe: Court docs reveal struggles with mental health, relationship between Ana & his mother ]
Before Ana was reported missing by Brian, investigators say he was seen on video at the Home Depot in Rockland wearing a black surgical mask, and blue surgical gloves making a cash transaction. He is said to have purchased a tarp, mops, tape, and other cleaning supplies.
Subsequent clues uncovered by investigators led them to the North Shore, where a hacksaw and a blood-covered rug was found at a transfer station in Peabody.
More coverage of Ana Walshe’s disappearance below:
[ ‘Do not separate the children’: Friends of Ana Walshe appeal for custody of kids ]
[ 25 Investigates: Sale of Ana Walshe’s Revere condo recorded days before her disappearance ]
[ Police log indicates Ana Walshe’s employer reported her missing before husband ]
[ Before she went missing: Ana Walshe, a Serbian immigrant who sought the American Dream ]
[ ‘I am not a threat’: Apologetic Brian Walshe aims to be loving, repay debt in 2021 letter to judge ]
[ Ana Walshe reveals more about her husband Brian in a letter she wrote to a federal judge last June ]
[ Ana Walshe’s best friend shares insight about the relationship between Brian & Ana ]
[ ‘Lacks basic empathy’: Art scam victim of Brian Walshe speaks about his character ]
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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