The husband of a missing Massachusetts mother has been arrested for allegedly misleading investigators. Police have since uncovered shocking new evidence: a bloody knife and a hacksaw.
Husband of missing Massachusetts mom arrested for impeding investigation
Brian Walshe, 46, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, has been arrested for allegedly misleading investigators, according to the office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey and local police.
Massachusetts State and local police took Walshe into custody after concluding they had “probable cause” to believe he misled investigators in the search for his missing wife and are holding him on $500,000 cash bail, CBS reported.
Ana Walshe, 39, a mother of three, has been missing since New Year’s Day. Law enforcement believes she may have been killed.
Authorities accused Brian of being “untruthful” and hindering the search for his wife. He had allegedly given conflicting statements to police about his whereabouts.
Ana, a real estate executive who regularly commuted to Washington, D.C., for work, was reported missing on January 3 after she failed to show up at her job, according to authorities. Both her husband and her employer reported her missing on the same day, People reported.
According to police, Ana failed to take a rideshare that day, nor did she arrive for her flight to DC. Her cell phone was pinged at her home later that day.
A day earlier, on January 2, Brian was seen purchasing $450 worth of cleaning supplies at Home Depot, authorities say, Yahoo reported.
“These various statements caused a delay in the investigation to the point that during the time frame when he didn’t report his wife and gave various statements, that allowed him time to either clean up evidence, dispose of evidence, and cause a delay,” prosecutor Lynn Beland said, CNN reported.
Police find new bloodied evidence
Investigators conducted a two-day ground search this week, scouring the family’s home and surrounding area for any clues to Ana Walshe’s whereabouts.
In the search, which included digging through piles of trash, investigators found apparent bloodstains in the garbage and a hacksaw, ABC 6 reported. They also uncovered a bloodied knife at the home.
Investigators also made other earlier discoveries, which included logs of the husband’s Internet search records which allegedly contained queries on how to dispose of and dismember a body, according to law enforcement sources.
In efforts to locate Ana, authorities mobilized a specialized State Police unit trained in search and rescue operations, three K-9 teams, and the State Police Air Wing to search wooded areas near Walshe’s home. In addition, State Police divers searched a small stream and a pool but did not find anything, according to a joint statement by both Massachusetts State and local Police.
The investigation into Ana Walshe’s disappearance remains ongoing.
