Bloody knife found in missing Massachusetts woman’s home, prosecutors say

QUINCY, Mass. — Authorities investigating the disappearance of a Massachusetts woman who vanished last week found a knife covered in blood inside her home’s basement, prosecutors said Monday, according to WFXT.

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During an arraignment for Ana Walshe’s husband, Brian Walshe, Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland said that investigators found a knife covered in blood and bloody spots inside the family’s home over the weekend, WFXT reported.

Beland shared the details after authorities charged Brian Walshe, 47, with misleading a police investigation. Officials said he lied to investigators about his whereabouts after his 39-year-old wife disappeared on New Year’s Day.

He pleaded not guilty on Monday.

Although Brian Walshe was supposed to be home under house arrest while awaiting sentencing in an unrelated case, authorities said he was caught on surveillance cameras buying a tarp, mops, tape and other cleaning supplies from a Home Depot, WFXT reported. Authorities said he also lied about trips he took to Whole Foods and CVS, according to the news station.

“These various statements caused a lot of delays, to the point that, during the timeframe when he didn’t report his wife, that gave him time to either clean up evidence or dispose of evidence,” Beland said in court, WFXT reported.

Brian Walshe told police that his wife was supposed to take a rideshare to Boston Logan International Airport on New Year’s Day ahead of a flight to Washington, where she works for a real estate company, according to WFXT. No evidence has surfaced to show that she arrived at the airport. Her cellphone and bank cards have been inactive since Jan. 1, the news station reported.

She was reported missing by her employer on Jan. 4, according to WFXT.

Last week, authorities spent two days searching the woods around the Walshe family home, including a small stream and a pool, but found no sign of the 39-year-old.

The Walshes have three young sons, according to The Associated Press and WFXT. The boys were in state custody on Monday, WFXT reported, citing an unidentified law enforcement source.

Brian Walshe previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges after authorities said he took two Andy Warhol paintings from a friend in South Korea and attempted to sell counterfeits of them on eBay. The most serious charge — wire fraud — carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

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