A Massachusetts man was charged with murder and disinterring a body without authority on Wednesday in connection to the disappearance of his wife Ana. It was alleged that a series of alarming online searches were discovered on his phone and his son’s iPad.
According to CBS News, Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Lynn Beland says Walshe, 47, searched “what’s the best state to divorce for a man” on Dec. 27. Investigators believe Ana, 39, was last seen in the early morning hours on Jan. 1, when she and Brian had dinner with a friend who left around 1:30 a.m.
At 4:55 a.m., Brian allegedly turned to Google to seek answers for questions—read aloud in court and listed in full by CNN—such as “how to stop a body from decomposing,” “10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to,” “how long before a body starts to smell,” “how to throw away body parts,” and “can you be charged with murder without a body,” among others.
Walshe—who has pleaded not guilty—told investigators that Ana took a ride share to Logan Airport for a work-related emergency flight around 6 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Authorities were unable to locate either the ride share or flight that she allegedly boarded.
On Jan. 2, Brian was seen pushing a cart with a number of items in it—including cleaning products, goggles, brushes, a hatchet, and a mop—on surveillance footage at a Home Depot. Walshe’s phone data indicates he went to three different apartment complexes and used dumpsters at each. During one of his stops, he dropped off what appeared to be an especially heavy garbage bag.
Walshe allegedly turned to Google further times, asking a number of questions such as “what happens to hair on a dead body,” “hacksaw best tool to dismember,” “can baking soda mask or make a body smell good,” as well as “what is the rate of decomposition of a body found in a plastic bag compared to on a surface in the woods.”
Ana was reported missing on Jan. 4 by her co-workers after she didn’t show up to her job. Officers conducted a wellness check at their home that same day, and noticed the seats of their Volvo were down with a “plastic liner in the back of the car.” The vehicle was later analyzed and blood was found.
A search of the home took place on Jan. 8, where a damaged knife with blood and another knife were discovered. Blood was also allegedly seen in the basement.
Brian Walshe was arrested and charged with misleading investigators. He was held on a $500,000 bail. He and Ana shared three sons, ages 2, 4, and 6, who are currently in state custody.
The D.A. said authorities were unable to retrieve any of the bags thrown out by Walshe, as they presume all of them were picked up and incinerated.
In an odd wrinkle reported by People, Walshe is also awaiting sentencing “in relation to a 2016 art scam in which he was convicted of wire fraud after selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings.”
