Ana Walshe Murder: DNA evidence expected in coming weeks in Brian Walshe case

PEABODY, Mass. — A search was conducted in Peabody on Tuesday while awaiting DNA evidence in connection with the disappearance and murder of Cohasset mother Ana Walshe, law enforcement officials said.

Ana Walshe murder: An in-depth look into where the case stands and what comes next

A Massachusetts State Police SERT team descended upon Bourbon Street near Interstate 95 after two community members with no connection to the prosecution of Brian Walshe, Ana’s husband, contacted investigators and told them that the area “may be of investigative interest,” according to a spokesperson for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

The spokesperson noted that a thorough search of the area “yielded nothing” related to the case, which generated national interest earlier this year.

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Peabody search Ana Walshe

According to newly obtained court documents, Walshe’s pretrial hearing was rescheduled from August 23 to November 2 as both prosecutors and defense are expecting to have DNA results from an “independent laboratory” in approximately two weeks.

In March, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Brian Walshe, 48, on charges of murder, misleading a police investigation, and improper conveyance of a human body in the death of his wife, 39-year-old Ana Walshe.

Prosecutors have alleged that Brian Walshe killed his wife in their Cohasset home on New Year’s Day, dismembered her body, and dumped her remains at multiple transfer stations. The couple’s three young boys were reportedly home at the time.

Brian Walshe escorted into court for murder arraignment

Investigators suspect that Ana’s discarded remains may have been incinerated in a trash facility. Tuesday’s search comes more than eight months after investigators scoured a nearby dumpster transfer station, where a hacksaw and a blood-soaked rug believed to contain biological evidence were recovered.

Other evidence was said to be collected from 10 trash bags that were disposed of in a dumpster at the Swampscott apartment complex of Brian Walshe’s mother.

Some of that evidence included a piece of a necklace that Ana had been wearing, a Prada purse, a COVID vaccine card with her name, and other items containing both Brian and Ana’s DNA.

After the alleged murder, Brian Walshe made more than a dozen disturbing Google searches on his son’s iPad, including “10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to” and “how to stop a body from decomposing,” prosecutors said.

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