{{short description|2023 murder of Serbian-American woman}} {{redirect2|Ana Walshe|Brian Walshe|people with similar names|Ann Walsh|and|Brian Walsh (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Use American English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox civilian attack | title = Murder of Ana Walshe | caption = | map = {{Location map many | USA Massachusetts | width = 280 | float = right | label = Cohasset | mark = | marksize = | pos = right | bg = | coordinates = {{coord|42|14|39|N|70|48|15|W}} | label2 = Swampscott | mark2 = | mark2size = | pos2 = right | coordinates2 = {{coord|42|28|15|N|70|55|05|W}} | label3 = Logan International Airport | mark3 = | mark3size = | pos3 = left | coordinates3 = {{coord|42|21|47|N|71|0|23|W}} }} | map_caption = | date = {{start date and age|df=no|2023|01|01}} | time = | location = Cohasset, Massachusetts, U.S. | coordinates = | type = Disappearance, murder, uxoricide | victim = Ana Walshe, aged 39 | reported deaths = | inquiries = | trial = | verdict = Guilty on all counts | convicted = | motive = | perp = Brian Walshe | convictions = *First-degree murder *Misleading a police investigation *Improper conveyance of a human body{{Infobox event | title = <br> | child = yes | sentence = Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole}} }}
On January 4, 2023, '''Ana Walshe'''<!--MOS:BOLDALTNAMES-->,{{efn|name=name}} a Serbian-American real estate executive, was reported missing by her employer and, separately, by her husband, Brian Walshe. Ana was last seen early on January 1 at the couple's home in Cohasset, having had dinner with Brian and a family friend on New Year's Eve.
Brian told the police that Ana had flown to Washington, D.C., where she had a second residence, for a work emergency. After an initial arrest on January 8 for misleading investigators, Brian was charged on January 18 with murder and disinterring a body without authority, to which he pleaded not guilty; prosecutors allege that he killed her and dismembered and disposed of her body.<ref name="cnn2">{{Cite web |last1=Levenson |first1=Eric |last2=Sgueglia |first2=Kristina |last3=Carroll |first3=Jason |author-link3=Jason Carroll (journalist) |date=2023-01-18 |title=Brian Walshe accused of killing and dismembering his wife Ana Walshe, prosecutors say |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/us/brian-walshe-murder-charge-arraignment-ana-walshe-wednesday/index.html# |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=CNN}}</ref>
On December 15, 2025, Brian was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Ana. He had previously pleaded guilty to counts of misleading police and illegally disposing of a body.
== Background == {{Infobox person | name = Ana Walshe | native_name = Ana Volš | image = | caption = | birth_name = Ana Ljubičić | birth_date = {{birth date|1983|4|12|df=y}} | birth_place = Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia | disappeared_date = January 1, 2023 (aged 39) | disappeared_place = Cohasset, Massachusetts, U.S. | disappeared_status = {{Missing for|2023|01|01}}; presumed dead on January 18, 2023 | spouse = Brian Walshe | children = 3 }}
Ana Ljubičić{{efn|name=name|Ana's surname at birth was ''Ljubičić'', sometimes spelled without diacritics in English language sources.<ref name=globe/> During her first marriage, her surname was ''Knipp''<ref name="boston25-2">{{cite news |last1=Ward |first1=Bob |title=Ana Walshe told D.C. police Brian Walshe threatened to kill her back in 2014 |url=https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/ana-walshe-told-dc-police-brian-walshe-threatened-kill-her-back-2014/FIZ6M4WGJNAXLG5MK5WB55X3CQ/ |access-date=25 January 2023 |work=Boston 25 News |date=13 January 2023 |language=en}}</ref> or ''Ljubičić Knipp''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pojavila se fotka Ane Walshe u zagrljaju drugog muškarca. Da li je ovo prvi muž nestale Beograđanke? |url=https://radiosarajevo.ba/vijesti/regija/pojavila-se-fotka-ane-walshe-u-zagrljaju-drugog-muskarca-da-li-je-ovo-prvi-muz-nestale-beogradanke/480538 |access-date=25 January 2023 |work=Radio Sarajevo |date=2023-01-23 |language=hr |trans-title=A photo of Anna Walsh in the arms of another man has surfaced. Is this the first husband of the missing Belgrade woman?}}</ref> ''Walshe'' is written as ''Volš'' in Serbian.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nikad Viđene Fotografije Ane Volš: Srpkinja u zagrljaju muškarca koji ju je poslednji put video živu kobne noći |trans-title=Never-seen photos of Ana Walshe: Serbian woman in the arms of the man who last saw her alive on the fateful night |url=https://www.sd.rs/vesti/hronika/ekskluzivno-ana-vols-nikad-srecnija-pogledajte-nikada-videne-fotografije-nestale-srpkinje-2023-01-22 |access-date=25 January 2023 |work=Danas |date=22 January 2023 |language=sr}}</ref>}} was born in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia,<ref name=rts/><ref name=lazic/> on April 12, 1983.<ref>{{Cite AV media| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Ez0nsJ1yo |title=LIVE: ''MA v. Brian Walshe''—Day 3 |series= Disappearance of Ana Walshe Murder Trial |publisher=Court TV |date=2025-12-03 |via=YouTube |time=1:53:00 |access-date=2026-05-02}}</ref> She was raised in Belgrade where she attended the {{Ill|Fifth Belgrade Gymnasium|sh|Peta beogradska gimnazija|sr|Пета београдска гимназија}} and obtained a BA in French language and literature from the University of Belgrade.<ref name=rts>{{cite web |title=Slučaj Volš: Da li se sociopata rađa ili postaje, i šta činiti kada ga prepoznamo |trans-title=<!--The Walsh case: Is a sociopath born or made, and what to do when we recognize one--> |url=https://www.rts.rs/page/stories/sr/story/125/drustvo/5094091/psihijatar-vladimir-diligenski-sociopate-psihopate-ana-vols-brajan.html |access-date=2023-02-14 |work=Radio Television of Serbia |date=2023-01-20 |language=sr-RS}}</ref><ref name="lazic">{{Cite web |last=Lazić |first=Miloš Ž |date=2023-01-10 |title=Ovako je počela ljubavna priča Ane i Brajana Volš: Dve godine bili na pauzi, a onda su odlučili da krunišu ljubav brakom |trans-title=This is how the love story of Ana and Brian Walshe began: They were on a break for two years, and then they decided to crown their love with marriage |url=https://nova.rs/vesti/hronika/ovako-je-pocela-ljubavna-prica-ane-i-brajana-vols-dve-godine-bili-na-pauzi-a-onda-su-odlucili-da-krunisu-ljubav-brakom/ |access-date=2023-02-14 |website=NOVA portal |language=sr-RS}}</ref> She emigrated to the United States in 2005, eventually becoming a dual citizen.<ref name="boston25"/><ref name=globe>{{cite news |last1=Hilliard |first1=John |title=In Serbia, Ana Walshe's mother says Ana pleaded with her to visit a week before disappearance - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/01/10/metro/ana-walshe-mother-says-ana-asked-her-to-visit-before-disappearance/ |access-date=25 January 2023 |work=The Boston Globe |date=2023-01-10}}</ref> She found work in the hospitality industry, including at The Inn at Little Washington. According to Boston 25 News, she is thought to have met Brian Walshe during her two years working at the Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox, Massachusetts. She and Brian married in 2016 and she took his surname.<ref name="boston25">{{Cite news |last=Papadopoulos |first=Maria |date=12 January 2023 |title=Before she went missing: Ana Walshe, a Serbian immigrant who sought the American Dream |language=en |work=Boston 25 News |url=https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/before-she-went-missing-ana-walshe-serbian-immigrant-who-sought-american-dream/724E3LGTOBGAHHVTCJDSWUAIFY/ |access-date=25 January 2023 |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125030101/https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/before-she-went-missing-ana-walshe-serbian-immigrant-who-sought-american-dream/724E3LGTOBGAHHVTCJDSWUAIFY/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They subsequently had three sons, who at the time of her disappearance were ages two, four, and six.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Truitt |first=Brandon |date=2023-01-12 |title=Ana and Brian Walshe's 3 children in state custody as investigation continues |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/ana-brian-walshe-children-state-custody-missing-cohasset-woman/# |access-date=25 January 2023 |website=CBS Boston}}</ref>
After working at several more hotels, Ana Walshe became a regional general manager at the real estate company Tishman Speyer in February 2022, splitting her time between her home with Brian in Cohasset, Massachusetts, and a residence in Washington, D.C., where she worked.<ref name=boston25/> <!-- 2014 police report removed for now. Facts are too shaky. -->
In 2021, Brian pleaded guilty in federal court on three charges of fraud relating to selling counterfeit Andy Warhol works. At the time of Ana's disappearance, he was on house arrest awaiting sentencing.<ref name="cnn">{{Cite news |last1=Levenson |first1=Eric |last2=Carroll |first2=Jason |author-link2=Jason Carroll (journalist) |date=17 January 2023 |title=Arrest warrant charges Brian Walshe with murder in the death of his wife Ana Walshe |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/us/brian-walshe-arrested-ana-walshe-missing/index.html}}</ref>
== Disappearance == The Walshes and their friend had dinner together on New Year's Eve 2022. In the first hours of 2023, Ana called her mother, sister, and maid of honor, all of whom were unavailable.<ref name="boston2">{{Cite news |last=Cristantiello |first=Ross |date=2023-01-10 |title='Please, mama. Come tomorrow.' Ana Walshe's mother speaks out on plea to visit. |work=Boston.com |url=https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2023/01/10/ana-walshe-mother-speaks-out-brian-walshe/ |access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref> She was last seen around 4{{nbsp}}am.<ref name="boston">{{Cite news |last=Cristantiello |first=Ross |date=2023-01-18 |title=A timeline of major events in the Ana Walshe case |work=Boston.com |url=https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2023/01/18/ana-walshe-brian-walshe-murder-timeline/ |access-date=2023-01-24}}</ref> Brian says he spent the following day in Swampscott with his mother.<ref name="time">{{Cite magazine |last=Kohli |first=Anisha |title=What to Know About the Case Against Brian Walshe |language=en |magazine=Time |url=https://time.com/6247412/ana-walshe-missing-massachusetts-woman/ |date=2023-01-18 |access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref>
On January 4, both Tishman Speyer and Brian Walshe reported Ana missing. Brian told the police that Ana had left the house early for a flight from Boston's Logan International Airport to Washington, D.C., after a work emergency caused her to move up a trip scheduled for January 3. Police could not confirm whether she had gotten on a flight or gotten a ride to the airport on January 1; they found that while she had indeed previously booked a flight for January 3, she had not boarded the flight, and that her credit and debit cards had not been used since January 1.<ref name=time/>
== Investigation and charges == Brian Walshe was arrested on January 8<ref name=time/> and charged with misleading the police in the investigation into Ana's disappearance, after police could not find evidence that he had been to the CVS or Whole Foods in Swampscott on January 1 as he had claimed. The prosecutor also alleged that Brian had gone to Lowe's<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ward |first1=Bob |title=Jury sees chilling video of Brian Walshe buying tools, cleaning supplies at Lowe’s, CVS, Stop & Shop |url=https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/jury-sees-chilling-video-brian-walshe-buying-tools-cleaning-supplies-lowes-cvs-stop-shop/4HM6TOLFDNC55OK57SNSZCN47E/ |access-date=December 8, 2025 |agency=CBS Boston |date=December 8, 2025}}</ref> on the morning of January 1 in Rockland, Massachusetts, and spent $463 on cleaning supplies, a hammer, and wire snips. Police received a search warrant for the Walshe residence and in the basement found blood and a damaged, bloody knife.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Watts |first1=Amanda |last2=Levenson |first2=Eric |last3=Miller |first3=John |author-link3=John Miller (police official) |date=9 January 2023 |title=Bloody knife found in basement of missing Massachusetts mother's home, prosecutors say |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/09/us/ana-walshe-missing-massachusetts-mother-update-monday/index.html |access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref> He pleaded not guilty.
On January 18, Brian Walshe was arrested again<ref name=cnn/> and charged with murder and disinterring a body without authority. Prosecutors allege that he killed her, dismembered her, and then disposed of the body.<ref name=cnn2/> As evidence, they cited his Google search history on multiple devices including his son's iPad, which they allege includes terms like "How long before a body starts to smell", "Dismemberment and the best ways to dispose of a body", and "Can you be charged with murder without a body". Brian pleaded not guilty.<ref name="cnn3">{{Cite news |last1=Levenson |first1=Eric |last2=Sgueglia |first2=Kristina |date=2023-01-18 |title=These are the Google searches Brian Walshe made before and after killing his wife Ana Walshe, according to prosecutors |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/us/brian-walshe-ana-walshe-google-searches/index.html |access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref> On March 30, Brian was indicted on the charges of first-degree murder, misleading a police investigation, and "improper conveyance of a human body".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-31 |title=Missing Massachusetts woman's husband indicted for murder |url=https://apnews.com/article/brian-walshe-massachusetts-missing-wife-serbia-e6c36c57e268418ad615cb88810d832c |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-31 |title=Husband indicted for murder of Ana Walshe |url=https://cohassetanchor.com/husband-indicted-for-murder-of-ana-walshe/ |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=Cohasset Anchor |language=en-US}}</ref>
The event gained significant public attention in the United States<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hager |first=Christina |title=Why do some true crime cases get more attention than others? |language=en-US |work=CBS News |department=Question Everything |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/ana-walshe-murder-investigation-true-crime-fascination/ |access-date=2023-01-26}}</ref> and Serbia.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Đorđević |first=Katarina |title=I od slučaja Ane Volš se prave tabloidne priče |language=sr |trans-title=Tabloid stories are made from the Ana Walshe case too |work=Politika |url=https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/533683/I-od-slu-ca-ja-Ane-Vols-se-pra-ve-tabloidne-price |access-date=2023-01-26}}</ref> Serbia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has communicated, through the Serbian consulate-general in New York, with the Norfolk District Attorney's office, in order to provide Ana Walshe's mother with non-publicly available information about the course of the investigation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=<!--none stated--> |title=Majka Ane Volš upoznata sa razgovorima ministarstva sa tužilaštvom u Americi |language=sr |trans-title=Ana Walshe's mother is aware of the ministry's talks with the U.S. prosecutor's office |work=Politika |url=https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/534223/Majka-Ane-Vols-upoznata-sa-razgovorima-ministarstva-sa-tuzilastvom-u-Americi |access-date=2023-01-26}}</ref>
== Trial == On November 19, 2025, Brian changed his plea to guilty for the two lesser charges of misleading a police investigation, and improper conveyance of a human body, but maintained his innocence on the murder charge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Treffeisen |first=Beth |date=November 18, 2025 |title=Brian Walshe changes plea to guilty on 2 charges |url=https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2025/11/18/brian-walshe-changes-plea-to-guilty-on-2-charges/ |access-date=2025-12-02 |website=Boston.com |language=en-US}}</ref> On December 15, he was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Ana.<ref>{{cite news |last1=del Valle |first1=Lauren |title=Jury convicts Brian Walshe of first-degree murder in the death of his wife |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/15/us/trial-brian-walshe-veridct-ana |access-date=December 15, 2025 |agency=CNN |date=December 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251215170701/https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/15/us/trial-brian-walshe-veridct-ana |archive-date=December 15, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Casey |first1=Michael |title=Brian Walshe found guilty of murdering his wife, who disappeared nearly three years ago |url=https://apnews.com/article/brian-walshe-wife-murder-trial-massachusetts-verdict-d161087a3385a018241422b8c7aa3dfc |access-date=December 15, 2025 |agency=Associated Press |date=December 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251215181610/https://apnews.com/article/brian-walshe-wife-murder-trial-massachusetts-verdict-d161087a3385a018241422b8c7aa3dfc |archive-date=December 15, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> Three days later, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Valle |first1=Lauren del |title=Judge cites 'barbaric' acts in sentencing Brian Walshe to life in prison without parole for wife's murder |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/us/brian-walshe-sentencing |access-date=December 18, 2025 |agency=CNN |date=December 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251218154008/https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/18/us/brian-walshe-sentencing |archive-date=December 18, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==See also== * {{anl|List of murder convictions without a body}} * List of solved missing person cases (2020s)
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walshe, Ana}} Category:2020s missing person cases Category:2023 in Massachusetts Category:2023 murders in the United States Category:Cohasset, Massachusetts Category:Female murder victims Category:January 2023 crimes in the United States Category:History of women in Massachusetts Category:Missing person cases in Massachusetts Category:Murder convictions without a body Category:Uxoricides in the United States