Husband Officially Charged With Murder In Wife Ana Walshe's New Year's Day Disappearance

The Massachusetts man suspected of murdering his wife has formally charged with her murder.

Brian R. Walshe, 46, is charged with killing Ana Walshe, 39, who disappeared from the couple’s suburban Boston residence in the early morning hours of Jan. 1.

Mr. Walshe was previously charged with misleading a police investigation, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors at the Quincy District Court issued a warrant charging him with murder on Tuesday, according to Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey.

Morrissey declined to say what, exactly, led to murder charges but stated, “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.”

So far, there have been no reports that the body of the real estate executive and mother of three has been found.

Authorities say Ana Walshe disappeared from the family’s residence in Cohasset — about 30 miles southeast of Boston — hours after family friends rang in the new year at a party at the home. Witnesses said nothing appeared out of the ordinary before they left around 1:30 a.m..

Brian Walshe faces a Quincy Court judge charged with impeding the investigation into his wife Ana' disappearance from their home Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Photo: AP

According to the man now charged with her murder, Ana had called a ride share to Boston’s Logan International Airport at around 4:00 a.m. on New Year's Day, following news of a work-related emergency in Washington D.C., where she was employed by real estate company Tishman Speyer.

Brian claimed he he had been sleeping when his wife allegedly left the home, though police said in an affidavit that Brian was being “untruthful” in at least part of his statements, according to CNN.

RELATED: Texas Man Accused Of Decapitating His Newlywed Wife In ‘Gruesome’ Crime

Authorities found no record of Ana taking a rideshare, nor could they find evidence that she boarded her flight — or even booked it. An examination of Ana’s electronic devices showed her phone remained in Cohasset for the first couple of days of 2023. She did have a flight to D.C. scheduled for Jan. 3, for which which she also failed to show.

Ana’s colleagues in Washington D.C. — where the Walshes also reportedly owned a townhome — reported her missing on Jan. 4. Brian filed a follow-up missing persons report the same day.

Missing woman Ana Walshe Photo: Cohasset Police Department

Brian was arrested on Jan. 8 after a damaged knife and blood were found in the basement of the family home. Surveillance footage also allegedly captured Brian donning a surgical mask and gloves at a Home Depot one day after his wife’s disappearance, spending $450 on cleaning supplies, mops and tape.

Investigators also allegedly found bloody trash bags, a hacksaw, a hatchet, a rug and cleaning supplies while searching dumpsters in a waste facility in Peabody, which is about 50 miles north of Cohasset, according to CBS Boston affiliate WBZ-TV.

Law enforcement sources told CNN that Brian made suspicious internet searches, including looking up information about dismemberment and “how to dispose of a 115-pound woman’s body.”

At the time of Ana’s disappearance, Brian Walshe was on house arrest after pleading guilty in 2021 to unrelated charges related to fraudulent Andy Warhol paintings.

Ana’s mother, Milanka Ljubicic, said her daughter and son-in-law were experiencing “problems” of a domestic nature and that Ana allegedly begged her to fly from her native Serbia to visit, just days before the disappearance.

Officials in Washington D.C. previously released an incident report from August 2014, when Ana accused Brian of allegedly threatening her life and that of her friend.

Criminal charges were never filed when Ana allegedly “refused to cooperate in the prosecution,” according to the report.

The couple married in 2015, one year after the accusations, and had three children, who are now aged 2, 4, and 6.

Brian is currently being housed at the Norfolk County House of Corrections and is expected to appear at the Quincy District Court on Wednesday to be arraigned on the murder charge.