Prosecutors have charged Brian Walshe with murder in connection with the death of his wife, Ana Walshe, who mysteriously vanished on New Year’s Day.
“The continued investigation has now allowed police to obtain an arrest warrant charging Brian Walshe with the murder of his wife,” Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a video statement released Tuesday.
Brian Walshe, 47, already faced a charge of misleading police during the investigation into Ana’s whereabouts. He pleaded not guilty, and his bail was set at $500,000.
Walshe has not yet been arraigned on the murder charge.
Ana, 39, has not been seen since New Year’s Day and was first reported missing Jan. 4, days after she failed to show up to her job as a real estate executive in Washington, D.C., where she would regularly commute to according to multiple reports.
Greg Derr/AP/Shutterstock
During a previous court hearing for Brian, prosecutors revealed a bloody knife was discovered in the basement during a search of the couple’s Cohasset, Mass., home. Prosecutors also said that on Jan. 2, after Ana’s disappearance, Brian was captured on Home Depot surveillance footage spending $450 on cleaning products, including mops and tarps.
WBZ-TV, citing law enforcement officials, reported a hacksaw and hatchet believed to be connected to Ana’s disappearance were also allegedly recovered during a search of a Peabody, Mass., trash site.
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Speaking with CNN, unnamed law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation accused Brian of conducting internet searches on “how to dispose of a 115-pound woman’s body,” and body dismemberment.
Cohasset Police Department
According to Washington D.C. police, Brian previously allegedly threatened to kill Ana in August 2014.
Police say the case was closed because Ana refused to press charges at the time.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
