Husband of missing Massachusetts mother Ana Walshe arrested for allegedly misleading investigation

The husband of a missing Massachusetts woman was arrested Sunday for allegedly misleading investigators, according to the office of Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey and local police.

Massachusetts State Police and local police took Brian Walshe, 46, of Cohasset, Massachusetts into custody after concluding they had “probable cause” to believe he had misled investigators into the search for his 39-year-old wife, Ana Walshe. She has been missing since New Year’s Day.

CBS Boston obtained and verified a voicemail from Brian Walshe to a friend of Ana’s in Washington D.C., where Ana works. The friend said the voicemail was left Wednesday, the same day Ana was reported missing to the police.

“Good afternoon, this is Brian Walshe. I hope all is going well. I was just reaching out to basically everybody I could. Ana hasn’t been in touch for a few days,” Brian said in the voicemail. “If you know anyone that may have had contact with her, you know I am trying to call everyone. I am sorry to bother you. I am sure everything is fine.”

The announcement of Brian Walshe’s arrest came after Massachusetts State Police and local police said in a joint statement that their ground search for Ana Walshe or evidence related to her disappearance concluded Saturday.

A specialized State Police unit trained in search and rescue operations, three K-9 teams and the State Police Air Wing searched wooded areas near Walshe’s home Saturday. State Police divers searched a small stream and a pool but did not find anything, the statement said. The Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council also helped with the search.

Walshe, the mother of three young children, was last seen a week ago in her Cohasset home, police said.

She was reported missing Wednesday by her husband in Cohasset and her employer in Washington, according to The Patriot Ledger. The couple owns a home in Washington and Walshe commutes during the week for work at a real estate company, her friends said.

While police searched for Walshe on Friday, there was a fire at a home in Cohasset she owned until last year. The home was sold in March. State Police and local investigators determined the cause of the fire was accidental. The current occupants escaped safely.

The investigation into Walshe’s disappearance is ongoing. Authorities returned to her home Sunday, while detectives from Cohasset and the State Police were also in Washington investigating, according to The Boston Globe.

In 2018, the US District Court charged Brian Walshe with fraud for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings. He pleaded guilty to several charges in 2021 and had been on home confinement pending his sentencing.

Cohasset police said Walshe’s disappearance and her husband’s case seem to be two very separate things, The Boston Globe reported.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday on the latest charges in Quincy District Court. It was unclear if Brian Walshe has an attorney and a phone number for him could not be found.