Episode 98 | Justice For Ana Walshe: The Trial Of Brian Walshe
- Anngelle Wood
- Dec 31, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 31
Remembering Ana Ljubičić Walshe 4/12/1983-1/1/2023
On the eve of the third anniversary of Ana’s disappearance, we honor her life and retrace the events that shaped this case.
Ana Walshe, the 39‑year‑old mother of three whose sudden absence from her Cohasset home on New Year’s Day 2023 shook the coastal town and her
colleagues in Washington, DC. Her case did capture national attention. What began as a missing report quickly became one of New England’s most closely followed true crime case. Her friends were stunned when they learned she hadn't been seen or heard from since New Year's Day 2023. I first covered her story in February 2023 (Episode 39), shortly after her husband, Brian Walshe, was arrested and a long pattern of fraud and deception unraveled.
When a mother disappears, leaving behind three young children, fear sets in immediately. As investigators uncovered troubling details and the hope of finding Ana alive faded, I began researching “no‑body” cases in New England. Though rare, they do exist, and Ana's is now one that joins the list. Two Massachusetts cases that resulted in convictions came in the murders of Robin Benedict (1983, Sharon, Mass) and Katherine Leonard Romano (1998, Quincy, Mass), and the landmark case of Helle Crafts in Newtown, Connecticut in 1986, whose case helped establish standards for prosecuting cases where no body is recovered.
Ana was last seen in the early hours of January 1, 2023. The Walshes had hosted a friend for New Year's Eve -- the friend testified about his relationship with Ana's family. Ana also worked for him as director of operations before she joined Tishman Speyer in 2022.
Ana was reported missing on January 4, 2023 by her colleagues at Tishman Speyer, after she failed to return to work following the holiday -- not her husband, who fabricated a performance by contacting friends looking for Ana.
Ana’s professional journey was extraordinary. After immigrating from Serbia in 2005, she began with a seasonal hospitality jobs at an inn in Virginia -- first as a housekeeper, then as a server. Through determination, talent, and relentless work ethic, she built a career in luxury real estate and corporate operations, ultimately rising to a leadership role she called her "dream job" in DC.
We examine the evidence presented in the Commonwealth vs Walshe murder trial, the timeline of Ana’s disappearance, and the memory of a woman whose life was defined by resilience, ambition, generosity, and profound love for her children.
All platforms: https://shows.acast.com/crime-of-the-truest-kind
EPISODE 98
ON YOUTUBE
IMAGES: The home at 516 Chief Justice Hwy, Ana Walshe from Facebook and Instagram posts, Dr. Thomas M.Walshe, Ana and her mother Milanka Ljubicic from Belgrade, Serbia; "no body" cases in New England - Robin Benedict (1983, Sharon, Mass), Helle Crafts (1986, Newtown, CT), Katherine Leonard Romano (1998, Quincy, Mass), Robin Benedict -- whose case I will cover in the new year
The Disappearance of Helle Crafts, Forensic Files
SOURCES
Katherine Leonard Romano, 1998, Quincy, Mass
https://whdh.com/news/quincy-family-whose-daughters-disappearance-led-to-murder-conviction-without-body-sees-similarities-in-ana-walshe-case
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/state/2002/06/01/quincy-man-guilty-in-death/50349147007
Robin Benedict, 1983, Sharon, Mass
https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2008/09/nealley-rodriguez-case-is-not-first-of-its-kind-at-tufts
https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/28/us/professor-about-to-go-on-trial-admits-killing-his-young-lover.html https://thecinemaholic.com/how-did-robin-nadine-benedict-die-where-is-william-douglas-now
Helle Crafts, Newtown, CT
The Case Against Brian Walshe Episode 39: Ana Walshe Is Still Missing, Cohasset, Massachusetts & "No Body Conviction" cases https://www.crimeofthetruestkind.com/ana-walshe
Boston Breakthrough Academy https://bostonbreakthroughacademy.com
Zillow, 516 Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Cohasset, Mass -- the house rented by Diana Z. Walshe for her son
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/516-Chief-Justice-Cushing-Hwy-Cohasset-MA-02025/57436151_zpid
Zillow, The Lenox, Mass property that Dr. Walshe funded
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/14-hawthorne-st-lenox-ma-01240/59220482_zpid Zillow, 909 Nantasket Ave, Hull - home of Dr. Thomas Walshe
Dr. Thomas Walshe tribute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
The Landing at Vinnin Square, Swampscott, Mass - Diana Walshe's address https://www.thelandingatvinninsquare.com
Zillow, 225 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass - Walshe Brownstone sold in 2017 https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/225-Beacon-St-Boston-MA-02116/59171142_zpid
State Police testimony about Jan 2023 interview with Diana Walshe interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMG5Tfw5Nbo&t=886s
LA Magazine coverage by Michele McPhee
EXCLUSIVE: Missing Mass. Mom Dismembered by Husband in Basement, Sources Say https://lamag.com/news/exclusive-missing-mass-mom-dismembered-by-husband-in-basement-sources-say
Boston Magazine - Secret Live of Brian Walshe by Wyndham Lewis
Wiki - Murder of Ana Walshe
NBC News - Google Searches by Brian Walshe
CBS News Boston - I-Team: Hatchet, hacksaw, blood found in Peabody trash facility during Ana Walshe search
CNN - Hacksaw and apparent bloodstains recovered by investigators combing through trash in connection with Ana Walshe’s disappearance, sources say
CBS News Boston - Brian Walshe jurors see photographs of bloodstained tools, accused murderer buying cleaning supplies
CBS News Boston - Prosecution rests in Brian Walshe's Massachusetts murder trial
Court TV - MA v. Brian Walshe: The Disappearance of Ana Walshe Murder Trial
WHDH - Surveillance video of Brian Walshe buying tools in several hardware stores shown to jury as murder trial continues
CNN - These are the Google searches Brian Walshe made before and after killing his wife Ana Walshe, according to prosecutors
Boston.com - What we know so far about the disappearance of Ana Walshe, the missing mother from Cohasset
WBUR - Diving beneath the headlines on the investigation into Ana Walshe's disappearance
ABC 7 - Ana Walshe case update: Hacksaw, bloodstains found in trash amid search for missing mom, sources say





































