Search for evidence in Ana Walshe case in Peabody ‘yielded nothing,’ DA says

Crime

Prosecutors have accused Cohasset resident Brian Walshe of murdering his wife Ana in the early hours of New Year’s Day and then dismembering her body.

Authorities searched an area of Peabody Tuesday in connection with the murder of Ana Walshe, but left empty-handed, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.

Prosecutors have accused Cohasset resident Brian Walshe of murdering his wife Ana, 39, in the early hours of New Year’s Day and then dismembering her body. The 47-year-old allegedly disposed of the evidence at trash sites around eastern Massachusetts, and many of the bags ended up at a transfer station in Peabody.

This week, two Peabody community members unconnected to the case contacted police to tell them they thought “an area of that community may be of investigative interest” to investigators working on the case, the DA’s office said in a statement Tuesday evening.

State Police searched the area, but it “yielded nothing,” the statement said.

The search site was a wooded area between I-95 and a Bourbon Street shopping center, WCVB reported. It was less than a mile from the transfer station where police found a hacksaw and bloody rug connected to the case in January.

Additionally, the DA’s office said, a pre-trial conference connected to the case that was scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed to Nov. 2. The DA’s office did not say why.

The Ana Walshe case

Ana, a property management executive and mother of three, was last seen in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day. She was reported missing by co-workers on Jan. 4.

Police went to her Cohasset home and found suspicious evidence such as plastic lining in Brian’s car and samples that later tested positive for blood. They also interviewed Brian, who then reported Ana missing and said he hadn’t spoken to her since the early morning of New Year’s Day.

On Jan. 8, police returned to the home and found a bloody knife, among other evidence. They then arrested Brian for misleading their investigation into Ana’s disappearance.

In the following days, police found 10 trash bags at a Peabody transfer station that contained bloody items and had DNA matching both Ana and Brian. They also discovered that Brian had purchased cleaning supplies in early January.

His son’s iPad also contained suspicious Google searches from the morning of New Year’s Day, including questions about how long it takes before a body decomposes and how to dispose of and dismember a body.

Brian was soon charged with Ana’s murder and pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors believe Brian killed his wife because she was having an affair and was preparing to leave him.

Brian is also awaiting sentencing in a federal case in which he pleaded guilty to selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings.