COHASSET, Mass. — Brian Walshe, a former Lynn resident, has been indicted in the death of his wife who has not been seen since Jan. 1, a top prosecutor said Thursday.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrisey said Brian Walshe, 47, has been charged with first-degree murder as well as misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and improper conveyance of a human body. A first-degree murder conviction in Massachusetts carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
Back in January, investigators were seen taking away a dumpster located outside of The Landing at Vinnin Square apartment complex in Swampscott where Brian Walshe’s mother lives. Brian Walshe also seen on surveillance footage in close proximity to a dumpster located just outside Vinnin Liquors.
According to the Marblehead Town Clerk’s office, Ana Walshe, the Cohasset woman who mysteriously disappeared on or around New Year’s Day 2023, previously lived in Marblehead. Records show that she moved from 589 Essex St. in Lynn to 6 Edgewood Road in Marblehead on Jun. 16, 2020.
Ana Walshe lived in Marblehead for nearly six months before moving to Cohasset on Dec. 10, 2020. Edgewood Road is located off Prince Street, and the property — a split-level ranch — is situated right behind Veterans Middle School on the dead end street.
Then in Peabody, investigators looked through a transfer station for possible evidence that could potentially be used in the case. According to a report by CBS News, sources told WBZ-TV’s I-Team that investigators had found a hatchet, hacksaw, trash bags with blood, a rug, used cleaning supplies at the transfer station, a Prada purse, boots like the ones Ana Walshe was last seen wearing and a COVID-19 vaccination card with her name.
Now, Brian Walshe is accused of murdering his wife, dismembering her and disposing of her body.
Ana Walshe, a mother of three who is originally from Serbia, was reportedly last seen leaving the family’s home in Cohasset, south of Boston, in the early morning hours of Jan. 1. She was on her way to the airport for a flight to Washington, where she worked for a real estate company, authorities said. Her employer reported her missing Jan. 4.
Starting Jan. 1 and for several days after, Brian Walshe made multiple online searches using an iPad belonging to one of his sons using terms such as “dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body,” “how long before a body starts to smell” and “hacksaw best tool to dismember,” prosecutors said.
Investigators also found Jan. 3 surveillance video of a man resembling Brian Walshe throwing what appeared to be heavy trash bags into a dumpster at an apartment complex in Abington, not far from Cohasset.
Walshe was charged with murder in January and pleaded not guilty. The indictment moves the case to Norfolk Superior Court, and he will be arraigned in the coming weeks, Morrisey said. Walshe remains in jail. He and his wife’s three young children are now in state custody.
Material from the Associated Press and material from Item Reporter Ryan Vermette was used in this report.
