Ana Walshe disappearance: Husband Brian Walshe charged with murder, DA announces

Authorities have issued a murder warrant for Brian Walshe, the husband of Ana Walshe, more than two weeks after the Massachusetts woman was last seen, according to WFXT.

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Officials with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that Brian Walshe, 47, will be arraigned Wednesday on a murder charge in the death of his 39-year-old wife, WFXT reported. Last week, he pleaded not guilty to a charge of misleading a police investigation after authorities said he lied to officials investigating Ana Walshe’s disappearance.

In a video statement Tuesday, Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey declined to share details about the evidence leading to the murder charge against Brian Walshe. He said more details were likely to be made available at Wednesday’s arraignment.

It was not immediately clear whether Ana Walshe’s remains had been located, WFXT reported.

“This marks the second allegation of domestic violence homicide in Norfolk County in less than a month,” he said. “Our thoughts are very much with the (families that) these crimes have left behind.”

Brian Walshe told police that his wife was supposed to take a rideshare to Boston Logan International Airport on New Year’s Day ahead of a flight to Washington, where she works for a real estate company, according to WFXT. No evidence has surfaced to show that she arrived at the airport. Her cellphone and bank cards have been inactive since Jan. 1, the news station reported.

She was reported missing by her employer on Jan. 4, according to WFXT. Authorities later said they found blood and a bloody knife in the couple’s home.

Brian Walshe was under house arrest in an unrelated case when his wife vanished. Last week, prosecutors said that despite his house arrest, he was caught by surveillance cameras buying hundreds of dollars’ worth of cleaning supplies from a Home Depot.

The Walshes have three young sons, according to The Associated Press and WFXT. The boys were in state custody on Monday, WFXT reported, citing an unidentified law enforcement source.

At the time of his wife’s disappearance, Brian Walshe was on house arrest awaiting sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to fraud charges. Authorities said he took two Andy Warhol paintings from a friend in South Korea and attempted to sell counterfeits of them on eBay. The most serious charge he pleaded to — wire fraud — carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

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