A Massachusetts mother of three young kids who works in real estate in D.C. has been missing since New Year’s Day, setting off a desperate attempt for police to find the woman after she seemingly vanished without a trace.
Ana Walshe, 39, was last seen at her home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, early on Jan. 1, at around 4 or 5 a.m., police said.
She told her family there was a work emergency and she would be taking a ride share to Logan International Airport and hopping on a flight to D.C.
Walshe was then reported missing simultaneously by her husband in Massachusetts and her office in the District on Wednesday.
“We have been in contact with the rideshare companies,” said Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley at a press conference. “We have not been able to confirm that she actually got into a rideshare service.”
There are also no signs of her purchasing airfare for Jan. 1. She also did not check in for a scheduled flight on Jan. 3.
“It’s very difficult, as you know nowadays, not to leave electronic footprint or some type of footprint with debit cards or credit cards and none of these things have been active since the first of the year,” Quigley said, also noting that her cell phone had been turned off since that date.
D.C. police have coordinated with Cohasset Police. They conducted a search on her Northwest townhome but found no signs of Walshe.
“At this point, it’s a missing person investigation,” Quigley said. “We’re just trying to locate her and to get her home safely. We have nothing to support anything suspicious or criminal.”
In a bizarre series of events, the former residence of Walshe and her family caught fire Friday afternoon.
Chief Quigley told local reporters, “Very strange coincidence, but we have the fire marshal’s office and our detectives will be assigned here to investigate this fire. We’ll get to the bottom of things.”
The couple sold the property months ago and investigators said it’s too soon to say if the fire is connected to the disappearance. While the cause is yet to be determined, officials have said it doesn’t appear to be suspicious.
“Our main focus is trying to locate Ana,” Quigley said. “Hopefully, we can get a phone call from her or someone that she knows and they will let us know that she is okay.”
Cohasset Police have released a description of Walshe. She stands at 5 foot 2 inches tall and weighs 115 pounds, has brown hair, brown eyes and an olive complexion. It is believed that she speaks with an Eastern European accent.
Police are urging anyone who has seen Walshe or has any information regarding her whereabouts, to contact Detective Harrison Schmidt, at 781-383-1055 x6108 or email hschmidt@cohassetpolice.com.
