A police detective has explained how Brian Walshe behaved when he was first confronted at his home by police looking into the disappearance of his wife, Ana.
Brian Walshe, 47, was arrested earlier in January for misleading police but has now charged with her murder. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges, as well as that of illegally disinterring a body.
Cohasset Police Detective Mike Lopes spoke to NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield on Wednesday and explained that Walshe was “fairly cooperative” with authorities prior to his arrest.
Ana Walshe, 39, was last seen in the early hours of January 1 at the home she shared with her husband in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Police officers have not disclosed whether her body has been found.
After three days of not being seen by her husband and her employer, Ana Walshe was reported missing to the police on January 4.
At an arraignment on Wednesday, assistant Norfolk District Attorney Lynn Beland said in Quincy District Court in Massachusetts that Brian Walshe allegedly “dismembered Ana Walshe and discarded her body.” Investigators recovered 10 garbage bags containing bloodstained items, cleaning supplies, a hacksaw, a hatchet and cutting shears.
Beland added that CCTV captured Brian Walshe throwing garbage bags into dumpsters at three apartment complexes and at his mother’s home, per The Washington Post. Some had been incinerated before police got to the locations.
On Tuesday, Brian Walshe, who has remained in police custody since his first arrest, had been charged with his wife’s murder.
Chief of the Cohasset Police Department, Chief William Quigley, has told Newsweek: “We had held out hope that Ana was alive, but the evidence led us in a much different direction.
“I’m thankful that our detectives, working alongside detectives from the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, were able to bring closure for the family and friends of Ana. Now we will let the Criminal Justice system do its part.”
He also reflected on an image that has begun circulating that showed Brian Walshe smiling as he leaves the police station, prior to his murder charge.
“He is wearing handcuffs for misleading detectives, his three kids have been taken away by the State, and his wife has been missing for more than one week. What’s there to smile about?”
In her interview, Banfield also asked why the investigation surrounding Ana Walshe began as a missing persons case rather than a murder investigation.
Lopes said: “[Initially] it got called in as a well-being check after we were notified of the employer of the victim in this case, and we followed up on that.
“It very quickly turned into a larger-scale inquiry and investigation.”
He added: “As time went on, certain things didn’t add up, and that happens in investigations and police work.
“We need to vet the information we receive and dive deeper into it. and that is what we did with this investigation.”
Lopes also explained what happened when police spoke to Brian Walshe when they came to the house as part of the wellness check.
He said: “I believe [Brian] was looking to make contact or did make contact with his wife’s employer looking for her.
“He stated that he was going to reach out to us to file a missing persons and on that day, January 4, officially a missing persons report was filed.
“She was put into NCIC (National Crime Information Center), the missing persons database, and we moved forward with the investigation from there.”
Banfield also questioned whether at any point Brian Walshe put up any “roadblocks” as part of the police’s investigation.
Lopes answered: “He was fairly cooperative. I am not going to get into any particulars. But he was fairly cooperative in the beginning.”
Brian Walshe, now being held in custody without bail, will face a status hearing that will be held via Zoom on February 9.
Newsweek has reached out to Tracy Miner, Brian Walshe’s attorney, for comment on the murder charge.
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