After prosecutors claimed a bloody knife was discovered in the basement of his home, a man suspected of deceiving an inquiry into the disappearance of his wife, Ana Walshe—a missing Cohasset mother who hasn’t been seen in a week—was ordered held on $500,000 bail on Monday.

Accusations that Brian Walshe, 46, intentionally deceived law enforcement agents trying to find his wife Ana Walshe’s whereabouts led to his arraignment in Quincy District Court. He submitted a not guilty plea on his behalf.

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Who is Brian Walshe?

Brian Walshe, 46, lives in Cohasset, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.

Walshe’s wife, Ana Walshe has been reported missing since New Year’s Day. 

Brian came into the spotlight after he had reportedly deceived police during their investigation regarding his wife’s disappearance.

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Walshe, 46, was charged with lying to law authorities in Quincy District Court after being arrested. His bail was set to $500,000. Less than 24 hours after being hauled into jail, Walshe was led into the courthouse by police shortly after 9 a.m.

“Police developed probable cause to believe that her husband Brian Walshe had committed the crime of misleading police investigators,” Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said Sunday. 

During the court proceeding, Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland informed the judge that Ana’s residence had been searched over the weekend and that a blood-covered knife and other bloody stains had been discovered there.

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On New Year’s Day, Walshe claimed to have left the couple’s house, travelled to his mother’s house but got turned around, and visited Whole Foods and CVS. Prosecutors asserted that neither video footage nor receipts exist that show him in either of the establishments.

Additionally, he claimed that the only reason he left the couple’s home the following day was to get ice cream for his son. However, according to authorities, surveillance footage from a Home Depot in Rockland showed him spending $450 on cleaning supplies, including mops, a bucket and drop cloths, and various types of tape.

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“He’s on surveillance at that time on Jan. 2, even though he said he never left the house. 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,” ADA Beland said.

Walshe is also accused of lying about visits to Whole Foods and CVS in the days following his wife’s disappearance.

“These various statements caused a lot of delays, to the point that during the timeframe when he didn’t report his wife, that gave him time to either clean up evidence or dispose of evidence,” Beland told the court.

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 Walshe had informed the Cohasset police that Ana Walshe was scheduled to take a rideshare to Logan Airport in order to catch a flight to Washington, D.C. on New Year’s Day. Ana has a second home in the nation’s capital and works for the real estate firm Tishman Speyer, which is situated in Washington, D.C.

Through court records, 5 Investigates have established that Brian Walshe is awaiting sentence in a federal case involving fake Andy Warhol artworks, and as part of his probation in that case, he is ordered to disclose his whereabouts.