Prosecutors: Bloody knife found in home of missing Mass. woman Ana Walshe

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A bloody knife was found in the home of a Massachusetts woman who went missing, prosecutors said Monday as her husband was arraigned for allegedly misleading investigators.

Brian Walshe, 47, appeared Monday in the Quincy District Court before Judge Mark Coven, who set his bail at $500,000 cash after prosecutors said he violated bail for a federal fraud conviction by withholding information from police about his missing wife, The Patriot Ledger reported.

Walshe pleaded guilty in 2021 to fraud charges for selling two fake Andy Warhol paintings for $80,000 to a buyer in California.

Ana Walshe, 39, was last seen shortly after midnight on New Year's Day at her home in Cohasset, a town of fewer than 8,400 people located along the Massachusetts coast south of Boston.

She was reportedly scheduled to take a ride share to Logan Airport for her weekly flight to Washington, D.C., for work as a property management executive, Boston.com reported.

Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland told the court that a bloody knife was found damaged in the home's basement and that Brian Walshe failed to tell investigators that he spent $450 on a tarp and cleaning supplies at Home Depot after his wife disappeared.

"He's on surveillance at that time on Jan. 2, even though he said he never left the house," Beland said.

"Police obtained a search warrant and actually searched the house with crime scene services. During that time, they found blood in the basement. Blood was found in the basement area, as well as a knife, which also contained some blood."

Beland said that investigators also pinged Ana Walshe's cell phone to near her house on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2 even though Brian Walshe told investigators that his wife had left.

Brian Walshe's attorney, Tracey Miner, told the court that her client wears a tracking bracelet as a condition of his bail in the federal fraud case and is home nearly 12 hours a day.

Miner added that Walshe has been "incredibly cooperative" with investigators, has consented to searches of his home and cell phone, and given several interviews.

"Friday and Saturday I was at his house for at least eight hours with police officers present," Miner said.

"So it's not that he's been there changing evidence or somehow impeding the investigation."