The husband of a missing Massachusetts mom was taken into custody Sunday in connection with her disappearance, over a week after the woman vanished.
Brian Walshe was arrested and charged with misleading police seven days after his wife, Ana Walshe, failed to board her plane to Washington, DC, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Walshe’s gray Volvo minivan was also apparently taken as evidence, video of the arrest shows.
Ana — a real estate agent and mom-of-three — disappeared after she hopped in an Uber on New Year’s Day bound for Logan International Airport in Boston.
“During the course of that investigation, police developed probable cause to believe that her husband Brian Walshe had committed the crime of misleading police investigators,” police said.
Brian reportedly has a history with law enforcement.
He pled guilty to federal fraud charges in 2021 after stealing two authentic Andy Warhol paintings from a friend and trying to pass off pictures of it as the real thing, according to court documents obtained by NBC Boston.
Brian reportedly told the lawful owner of the two “Shadows” series paintings that he would sell them for a good price. The friend was unable to get in contact with Brian after he took the paintings, however, and never recovered the hundreds of thousands of dollars the paintings were worth, court documents said.
Brian then took pictures of the real paintings and posted them on an eBay listing. The FBI investigation was initiated after a buyer found them in 2016 and tried to buy them for $80,000.
After picking them up, the buyer noticed neither came with the authentication stamps promised on the listing and noticed that the canvas looked new.
Brian was arrested in 2018. Three years later, he pled guilty to wire fraud, interstate transportation for a scheme to defraud, possession of converted goods and unlawful monetary transaction.
Ana was mentioned in the court documents as Brian’s wife.
Brian Walshe reported Ana missing Wednesday, three days after she disappeared. She had ordered a ride to the airport last Sunday at 4 a.m., but never made it on the plane, police said.
A friend said Ana had been traveling to Washington DC for a real estate job.
“Honestly, I’m scared. Really, really scared,” friend Alissa Kirby said.
“She’s a loving and loyal wife and mother of three beautiful boys. I know in my heart, that of her choice, she would not go a day without speaking to her husband and her kids.”
Her real estate agency reported her missing the same day.
As many as 20 troopers from a specialized unit trained in search and rescue operations, three police K9 teams, and a police helicopter searched the family’s home Saturday, according to NBC Boston.
State police divers also searched a small stream and drained the pool at Walshe’s home.
A fire broke out at the family’ former home on Jerusalem Road in Cohasset on Friday, NBC Boston reported. However, officials believe the blaze does not appear to be in connection to the missing mother.
The fire was accidental, officials reported. It originated in the area of damaged piping connected to a natural gas fireplace insert and no one was injured.
Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said it was common for Walshe to work long hours without contacting her family, which may have accounted for the gap between her disappearance and her husband’s call to the police.
Ana is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall and 115 pounds. She has brown hair, brown eyes, an olive complexion and speaks with an Eastern European accent
Police will likely reveal additional facts on the case at Brian’s arraignment Monday, police said.
