QUINCY, Mass. – Blood and a damaged knife were found in the home of missing Massachusetts mother of three and real estate executive Ana Walshe, prosecutors revealed Monday in court.
Brian Walshe, 46, the missing woman's husband, appeared in Quincy District Court after he was arrested Sunday on charges he misled investigators about his whereabouts after his 39-year-old wife's disappearance.
"They found blood in the basement. Blood was found in the basement area, as well as a knife, which also contains some blood," prosecutor Lynn Beland told Judge Mark Coven. "Part of the knife was damaged."
Brian Walshe told police he last saw his wife early New Year's Day before she vanished.
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Ana Walshe's cellphone pinged near the family's Cohasset home on Jan. 1st and 2nd after her husband alleges she had already left their home, the prosecutor said.
In a glaring omission, he failed to tell investigators he took a trip to Home Depot on Jan. 2 at about 4 p.m. to purchase $450 in cleaning supplies, including "mops, bucket tops…drop cloths, as well as various kinds of tape," Beland added.
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His defense lawyer Tracy Minor argued that her client was forthcoming about his whereabouts – but simply forgot to mention the visit to the home improvement retailer.
She added that he consented to let police search his home and phone. "He has been incredibly cooperative," she told the court, as Brian Walshe stood behind a panel of plexiglass, wearing a gray sweatshirt.
The shocking disclosures were made at Brian Walshe's arraignment Monday, where Coven ordered him held on $500,000 cash bail. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.
Ana Walshe, a regional general manager for Tishman Speyer, commuted each week for her job at the real estate development firm.
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She had an airline ticket that departed Jan. 3 for D.C. but she never boarded the flight and failed to show up to work the next day, according to police.
Her convicted art swindler husband, who is on court-ordered home confinement, cannot leave the house without permission. He and his missing wife share three boys, ages 2, 4, and 6.
On Jan. 4, Ana Walshe's company – not her husband – initially contacted police to report that she hadn't showed up to work, Beland said.
Investigators interviewed Brian Walshe that evening to establish a timeline.
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He allegedly said he last saw his wife Jan. 1 shortly after 6 a.m. when she "kissed him goodbye" then took an Uber, Lyft or taxi to the airport to catch a flight to Washington, D.C. for a work emergency, the affidavit says.
Later New Year's Day, Brian Walshe told police he picked up his mom and took her to run errands at Whole Foods and CVS while a babysitter watched the children. He said he had lost his phone so did not take it with him, according to the affidavit.
But video surveillance showed that Brian Walshe never visited the stores, the document says.
In another alleged inconsistency, Brian Walshe said he took his son to get a chocolate shake at Press in Norwell on Jan. 2.
But he neglected to mention the trip to Home Depot, in Rockland, where he was captured on video surveillance "wearing a black surgical mask, blue surgical gloves and making a cash purchase," the court papers say.
The Home Depot trip was made in violation of his parole, according to police.
Brian Walshe pleaded guilty in April 2021 to one count each of wire fraud, interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud, possession of converted goods and unlawful monetary transaction for selling a pair of fake Andy Warhol paintings on eBay and other crimes.
His presentencing probation conditions included permission to drop off and pick up his children from school and other brief outings. On Jan. 1, he was permitted to help his mother after a recent cataract surgery from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
He told police that he had used this time for the trips to Whole Foods and CVS which "investigators later showed did not occur," the affidavit says.
His cellphone data allegedly revealed he had also traveled to several areas – including Brockton and Abington – in violation of his parole, the document states.
"The fact that he was asked specific questions, and he gave untruthful answers that led investigators out of the area caused a clear delay in the search for the missing person," the affidavit says.
Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
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