Massachusetts prosecutors on Tuesday issued a murder warrant for Brian Walshe in the death of his wife, Ana Walshe, who disappeared from a wealthy Boston suburb around New Year’s Day.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey announced the charge, but did not disclose details on what led investigators to the decision. Brian Walshe was previously arrested on suspicion of misleading the investigation and is still in police custody.
More coverage of the disappearance of Ana Walshe
He entered a not guilty plea on the charge of misleading investigators and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday on the murder charge.
“Additional details of the investigation and the evidence in support of those charges are likely to be presented at arraignment but will not be disclosed at this time,” Morrissey said. Ana Walshe was last seen in her home early Jan. 1 before she took a ride-share from her Cohasset home to Boston’s Logan Airport, police in the suburb previously said. She was simultaneously reported missing by both her husband and her employer three days later.
It’s unclear who provided the details of her last known location, when she was allegedly leaving for a work emergency.
Her cellphone has been turned off since the beginning of the year, police said, and she has not left an electronic footprint since her disappearance.
Police said at a Jan. 6 news conference that investigators were not able to independently confirm Ana Walshe got into or even booked a car service on New Year’s Day. She did, however, have a flight booked for Jan. 3 from Boston to Washington, D.C., police said.
Metropolitan police in D.C. were unable to find her, police said.
Authorities have not disclosed who offered the details of her leaving her home for the airport, stating only that it was a “family member.” Brian Walshe was sleeping at the time she allegedly left the house, which was around 4 a.m.
Cohasset police conducted a two-day ground search of the area around her home in conjunction with state police, NBC Boston reported.
Ana Walshe’s friend, Evan Turell, told the news station that it was completely unlike her to go a day without contacting her husband and children.
“This is honestly just really mind-boggling, and gut wrenching,” Turell said. “There’s no words.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.