Ana Walshe disappearance: Husband suspected of murder allegedly thought wife was having affair
Rachel Schilke
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Massachusetts man Brian Walshe, who is charged with the murder of his wife, Ana Walshe, allegedly thought that she was having an affair.
Brian Walshe appeared in court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body. He was indicted by a grand jury on March 31.
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Prosecutors said on Thursday that Brian Walshe thought Ana Walshe was having an affair in December 2022, a month before she was last seen on New Year’s Day. Brian Walshe’s mother hired a private investigator to surveil Ana Walshe, but Brian Walshe’s defense attorney said his client did not support his mother’s decision.
Ana Walshe told a friend that she suspected her husband would be incarcerated as a result of a federal art fraud case, and she was prepared to leave him, prosecutors said via reports from within the courtroom.
Investigators have been looking for Ana Walshe since Jan. 1. Her disappearance, which was reported by her employees in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, quickly turned into suspicions of murder after Brian Walshe allegedly provided conflicting statements about his wife’s location and his whereabouts while he was on house arrest for the art fraud case.
Throughout the search for Ana Walshe, officers obtained evidence from the Walshes’ basement, a trash compactor at a transfer station, and video surveillance footage. A bloody knife and blood remnants were discovered in the basement of the couple’s home, and a hacksaw, hatchet, rug, and cleaning supplies were found in a transfer station’s trash compactor 15 minutes from Brian Walshe’s mother’s home.
Brian Walshe’s internet records showed he searched “how to dispose of a 115-pound woman,” “how to stop a body from decomposing,” and information on dismemberment. Video surveillance cameras also showed Brian Walshe purchasing similar items found at the trash compactor, as well as a Tyvek full coverage suit and trash bags at Lowe’s. He was later seen buying hydrogen peroxide and jugs of ammonia.
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The defense for Brian Walshe argued that he has been “nothing but cooperative in this” and asked for bail, saying Brian Walshe is his and Ana’s children’s primary caretaker. However, the judge ruled he was to be held without bail.
Brian Walshe will appear back in court in August.