Husband reportedly searched for how to dispose of a woman’s body as search for missing mom continues
Fox News correspondent Molly Line discusses the latest details surrounding missing mom Ana Walshe and the search for her body on ‘The Story.’
COHASSET, Mass. – One of the last people to see missing Massachusetts mom Ana Walshe before she vanished has shed light on the woman’s final hours and his suspicions "that there may have been foul play," according to a recent report.
Gem Mutlu rang in the New Year with Brian and Ana Walshe at their home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, and last saw the woman, a friend whom he’d met through her husband, when he hugged her goodbye around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 1.
"We hugged and celebrated and we toasted, just what you do over New Year's," Mutlu told local news station WBZ-TV. "There was a lot of looking forward to the new year. There was no indication of anything other than celebrating the new year, problems on hold."
Gem Mutlu, real estate consultant is seen, outside of his home in Nahant, MA on Monday, January 9, 2023. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Gem Mutlu, real estate consultant is seen, outside of his home in Nahant, MA on Monday, January 9, 2023. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Mutlu declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital on Tuesday, and said he was working with a spiritual healer in the wake of his friend’s continued disappearance.
Speaking to WBZ, Mutlu said he and the Walshe family had a "festive" New Year’s Eve that consisted of an "elaborate meal" that Brian cooked.
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Brian and Ana Walshe seen in September 2016. (Ana Walshe/Facebook)
He recalled how Ana Walshe was "texting with friends" and "sitting next to me at the barstool at their kitchen."
"There was absolutely no indication that any modicum of a tragedy, of disappearance, or anything else could have happened that night," he reportedly said.
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Ana Walsh, left, has been missing since New Year's Day. Her husband, Brian Walshe, right, was spotted leaving their home in Cohasset, Mass., Sunday as police returned to search the property. (Fox News Digital)
Mutlu added that he learned of Ana’s disappearance on Jan. 4, when Brian called him.
"I said what's wrong? Is there something wrong?" he recalled. "He said, ‘Yeah, Ana is missing.’"
Ana and Brian Walshe blow out candles on a birthday cake with their children in an April 2020 Instagram post. (Ana Walshe/Instagram)
Walshe, a mother of three young boys, was last seen in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, when she was supposed to take a ride-share service to a local airport to board a flight bound for Washington, D.C.
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The Tishman Speyer real estate executive was previously scheduled to depart for D.C. on Jan. 3, but allegedly said there was an emergency that required she fly there earlier than expected.
Ana Walshe pictured in a November 2022 Instagram post. (Ana Walshe/Instagram)
Her company reported her missing to police on Jan. 4, after, according to Brian Walshe’s defense attorney, he had contacted the firm asking about Ana’s whereabouts.
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But in the days between Ana’s disappearance and the missing person’s report, Brian Walshe allegedly lied about his own whereabouts. Investigators said Walshe told investigators he traveled to stores, such as CVS and Whole Foods, where he might not have actually been.
Individuals could be seen draining the pool at Ana Walshe's home; Walshe has been missing since New Year's Day. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
But he allegedly neglected to mention that he spent about $450 in cash buying cleaning supplies from a Rockland, Massachusetts, Home Depot store.
According to court documents and officials, Walshe was spotted on surveillance video "wearing a black surgical mask, blue surgical gloves and making a cash purchase" of items including mops, tape and drop cloths.
Investigators also discovered blood and a bloody, damaged knife in the basement of the couple’s home, and traced Ana’s cell phone to the area of the family’s Cohasset home on Jan. 1 and Jan. 2. Meanwhile, Brian’s cell phone pinged in other parts of Massachusetts, such as Brockton and Abington, despite his lack of permission to be in the areas under the terms of his home confinement.
Police removed the dumpster, located at the home of Diane Walshe, to inspect for evidence on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 in Swampscott, MA. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
On Tuesday, officials revealed investigators had recovered even more evidence related to their search for Walshe. They also appeared to have removed – and then replaced – a dumpster taken from Brian Walshe's mother's Swampscott home, located nearly 35 miles away from the couple's residence.
Law enforcement and investigators returning to Walshe home in Cohasset, MA. Law enforcement appears to have moved family out of house to investigate contents. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Brian Walshe was arrested on Sunday and charged with misleading a police investigation.
Police said the charge stemmed from Walshe's alleged "intentional, willful, and direct responses to questions about his whereabouts on the days of Sunday, January 1, 2023 and Monday, January 2, 2023." They further called it, "a clear attempt to mislead and delay investigators."
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Walshe’s defense attorney, Tracey Miner, argued that her client was otherwise forthcoming with authorities, but neglected to mention his trip to Home Depot. She noted that he had been "incredibly cooperative."
Police/investigators bringing equipment into Walshe home at 516 Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Cohasset, MA, after Brian Walshe and children departed. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Walshe, a previously convicted art fraudster, was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail over $5 million surety bond.
Mutlu told WBZ Ana and Brian Walshe, 47, have been "individually and together very impactful on my life.
Brian Walshe arrives to Quincy District Court in Massachusetts on Monday, January 9, 2023. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
"Both Ana and Brian have been individually and together very impactful on my life. "A part of me had this suspicion all along that there may have been foul play and that somehow just the story just wasn't adding up," Mutlu told WBZ.
"My biggest fear had shifted towards the children," Mutlu said. "I wondered if the children were safe."
Brian Walshe, of Cohasset, faces a Quincy Court judge charged with impeding the investigation into his wife Ana's disappearance from their home Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
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A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the couple’s three children were in the custody of the state, but would not provide additional details.
Fox News Digital's Rebecca Rosenberg contributed to this report.
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