Brian Walshe's Search History Shows Murder-Related Questions: DA

COHASSET, MA —Brian Walshe, 47, confirmed during an arraignment that a not guilty plea to a murder charge had been entered on his behalf Wednesday as disturbing new details were revealed in court in the case of his missing wife Ana Walshe, 39.

In a livestream of the arraignment, prosecutors read a list of Google searches related to murder that they say were conducted on Brian Walshe's son's iPad beginning just hours after Ana went missing on Jan. 1, including '10 ways to dispose of a body if you really need to,' 'How long before a body starts to smell?', 'how long for someone to be missing to inherit,' and 'can you throw away body parts?'

NBC News reported that the probable cause affidavit and arrest warrant for the murder charge are impounded until March 10, according to a court order.

Walshe's lawyer released a "lengthy statement" to the outlet, which read, in part, "It is easy to charge a crime and even easier to say a person committed that crime. It is a much more difficult thing to prove it, which we will see if the prosecution can do. I am not going to comment on the evidence, first because I am going to try this case in the court and not in the media. Second, because I haven’t been provided with any evidence by the prosecution."

The Norfolk District Attorney announced Tuesday that Walshe was facing a murder charge after he was arrested on a charge for misleading police into the investigation of his missing wife Ana Walshe earlier in the month.

Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland said in court Wednesday that DNA evidence on a pair of slippers, clothes and a tyvek disposable suit led investigators to believe "Brian Walshe dismembered and later discarded" his wife's body.

Beland said that on Dec. 27, days before Ana Walshe went missing, Brian Walshe searched 'What is the best state to divorce?'

"Rather than divorce, it is believed that Brian Walshe dismembered and later discarded her body," Beland added.

Ana Walshe, a 39-year-old mother of three who works in property management, was last seen at her home shortly after midnight on New Year's Day.

Prosecutors previously said that a bloody knife was found in the basement of the home that Ana Walshe shared with Brian Walshe, who bought $450 worth of cleaning supplies before she was reported missing, according to The Boston Globe.

Brian Walshe pleaded not guilty after he was arrested and arraigned earlier this month on a charge of misleading police who were investigating the disappearance of his wife, officials said.

Walshe "provided statements relative to his movements and activities after his wife's disappearance that were not substantiated by investigation," which included purchasing a tarp and cleaning supplies, the District Attorney's Office said.

SEE ALSO:

• Docs Reveal 'Manipulative' But 'Likable' Brian Walshe's Criminal Past
• Missing MA Woman's Husband Has Troubling Search History: Reports
• Bloody Knife Found In Home Of Missing Cohasset Woman: Prosecutors
• Police Seek Tips On Cohasset Mother Missing Since New Year's Day

The discovery of Brian Walshe's search history was one piece of information that initially led investigators to fear Ana Walshe was dead, CNN previously reported.

Investigators searched the trash of a transfer station in Peabody on the night of Jan. 9 for remains and crime scene tape was also placed around dumpsters in an apartment complex near Brian Walshe's mother's home in Swampscott, CNN reported, citing sources. According to a criminal complaint affidavit filed in support of the misleading police charge, Brian Walshe told police he went to visit his mother Jan. 1, the same day he told police he last saw his wife.

Brian Walshe is currently on probation for wire fraud, and as a result, must request leave from his home each week and specify the time and reason for each trip, according to the affidavit. Court documents from a 2021 art fraud case involving Walshe characterize him as a "likable" but "manipulative" con artist with a "pattern of lies, deceit, and fraud."

According to authorities, it was Walshe's tendency to deceive that led to his arrest for misleading investigators in the case of his wife's disappearance.

On Jan. 1, Walshe told investigators that he went to CVS and Whole Foods to run errands for his mother—who had just undergone cataract surgery—though investigators say that surveillance footage reveals those trips did not occur, according to the affidavit for his arrest.

The affidavit said Walshe broke the terms of his probation by leaving his home and traveling to multiple towns without prior approval after his wife went missing, including making a cash purchase at Home Depot on Jan. 2 while wearing a surgical mask and surgical gloves during the time that was allotted for his kids' pick up from school.

At Walshe's arraignment for the misleading police charge, the judge imposed a $500,000 cash bail and ordered Walshe to return to the Quincy District Court on Feb. 9.

After the murder charge was announced, Patch reached out to an attorney representing Brian Walshe, after which an assistant working for the attorney said she is "not commenting on the case or giving press statements or interviews" and that "her focus is on defending Mr. Walshe in court."