TRANSCRIPTION OF PRESS CONFERENCE
6TH JANUARY.
LE - Thank you for coming. We're looking for the public's help and the media's help in locating Ana Walshe. She's been missing since the 1st of the year, early morning hours of the 1st of the year, and we're seeking the public's help in locating her. She was reported missing, again, on the 1st and she's not been heard from. We have detectives working round the clock, Cohasset police detectives along with detectives from the Massachusetts State Police, as well as detectives from the towns of Hingham, Hull, Norwell and Scituate. With that I'll open it up to any questions.
Reporter - Are there suspicious circumstances here that you're concerned about?.
LE - At this point it's a missing person investigation. We're just trying to locate Ana and get her home safely. We have nothing to support anything suspicious or criminal.
Reporter - Who reported her missing?. And where was she actually last seen, inside her home?. What was she doing prior to her going missing?.
LE - She was last seen at her house in Cohasset on the 1st of the year, in the early morning hours, approximately 4 or 5 a.m. She was reported missing, Wednesday. Simultaneously, we received simultaneous reports, from her employer in Washington, DC, as well as her husband, who lives here in Cohasset.
Reporter - Was she supposed to get on a plane to go to Washington DC?. Was that why she would have left the house?.
LE - It was reported that she took a ride share from her home in Cohasset to Logan Airport, to board a plane, to go to Reagan International Airport in DC.
Reporter - Do you know if she actually took that ride share?.
LE - We have been in contact with the rideshare companies. We have not been able to confirm that she actually got into a rideshare service. That being said, we know that there's situations where rideshare services... Ana's a person who commutes to DC and sometimes the drivers go offline, they don't go through the actual ride share service. They'll contract with the fare themselves. So we have detectives working on that right now, but at this point we cannot confirm that she actually got into a rideshare in Cohasset. We have confirmed with the airlines, and that's been a challenge, that she did not board a plane this week.
Reporter - I'm sorry. You confirmed that she did not board the plane?. Do you know what airline she was supposed to get on to at that time?.
LE - We have confirmed that. We've confirmed with all airlines and, again, it's been a challenge. It's been widely reported to the media that there's been challenges with travel over the holidays. So there's been a bit of chaos with flights being cancelled and flights being rescheduled. So we had some difficulty, initially, getting that information to a point where it was solid information.
Reporter - You're not looking for her in other states?. Or are you looking for her beyond (
inaudible)?.
LE - We're looking everywhere and, again, that's why we're here today, to try to find Ana and bring her home.
Reporter - Is her husband cooperating with you?.
LE - Yeah, her husband has been fully cooperative, her family has been cooperative. She has family that lives outside the country. She has quite a few friends, both here in Washington DC, they've been fully cooperative and working with detectives and the company that she worked for, their security department, has been very helpful.
Reporter - Did she take her license or cell phone, things that she would normally take when she was heading to DC?.
LE - It's reported that she did have her bags with her.
Reporter - And what about her cell phone - When was the last time anyone was able to deliver a message?. When was the last time she received a message?.
LE - The cell phone has been off since around the 1st of the year and, again, that's one of the investigative leads that we're tracking down, but detectives are working the electronic forensics. It's very difficult, as you know, nowadays not to leave electronic footprint or some type of footprint which are debit cards, or your credit cards and none of these things have been active since the 1st of the year.
Reporter - What time was she supposed be taking a flight?.
LE - It was reported that she left the house around 4:00 a.m. and shortly thereafter, I believe 6:00 a.m.
Reporter - So someone saw her leaving the house, physically?.
LE - We have information to that effect.
Reporter - Video?.
LE - No video.
Reporter - Is there any suspicion that she's in danger at all?.
LE - Right now, it's a missing persons investigation and the focus, right now, is on trying to locate her. Whether she just needed a little break or time out, we're just looking for her. If that's the case, we're just looking for her to call, all it takes is a phone call to let us know that she's okay.
Reporter - Is there any description of like a car, or would she just be walking around.. ?.
LE - She has a vehicle, but she leaves it in DC. She commutes several times a month to and from DC. They do have a townhouse in DC. The vehicle is usually left there. The vehicle was in DC, we're able to confirm that. We're working with Washington DC Metro police, they've searched the townhouse. There's no signs of her there. So right now, the last information we have is that she got into a rideshare vehicle in the early morning hours of the 1st.
Reporter - Who was the last to see her?. Was it her husband?. Did her husband actually see her leave the house?. Who would have been the last person who saw her?.
LE - He was sleeping when she left, again, it was reported as early morning.
Reporter - How long will this be considered a missing persons case before you decide that she's in danger or something along those lines?.
LE - Well, It's not normal that she's missing. So we automatically feel that she's in danger by the mere fact that she's missing. Other than that there's no evidence to support anything illegal.
Reporter - Do you know why it took so long to report her missing?.
LE - We're not exactly sure. It seems like it was a situation where, you know, she does work in DC and it's not abnormal for her to work long hours and not contact the home right away, so that seems to be the case.
Reporter - You said she was reported missing Tuesday?.
LE - Wednesday.
Reporter - Do you see any connection between her husband's crime (
inaudible)?.
LE - Not at this point. Seems to be two very separate things and, again, the husband's been very cooperative but our main focus today is trying to locate Ana and hopefully we can get a phone call from her or someone that she knows and they'll let us know that she's okay.
Reporter - What is the legal history that you know of her husband?.
LE - We've heard things. We've talked to our federal partners, but one thing does not seem to have anything to do with the other.
Reporter - Does she have any history of mental illness?.
LE - Not that we know of.
Reporter - Do you know what kind of car the rideshare was that supposedly picked her up?.
LE - We can't confirm that a rideshare actually picked her up.
Reporter - So it was just scheduled to pick her up, or... ?.
LE - It was reported that she was going to be picked up by a rideshare.
Reporter - Can you say who was the last person to see her, if her husband was sleeping?. Who actually saw her at 4 or 5 in the morning?.
LE - A family member.
Reporter - Who was at the house?.
LE - Yes, correct.
Reporter - So they physically saw her at 4 or 5 in the morning on New Year's Day?.
LE - That's what's being reported to us.
Reporter - And was that one of her children, or was that somebody else in the home?.
LE - It's a family member.
Reporter - And you said that his legal history has nothing to do with it. What is that legal history that you've examined and you... ?.
LE - Again, we're gonna focus on getting Ana home. His legal history, alleged legal history, I haven't independently confirmed, but the main focus right now is to bring Ana home.
Reporter - Is there any reason you would believe that she would take off, or that she would want to get away?. Because you were saying 'call us if you're out there'.
LE - You know, life is challenging sometimes. She has three small kids, the oldest being 6, the youngest being 2, the holidays, working out of state. Sometimes life gets chaotic. So it may be a case where she just needed a break and if that's the case, we just need a call from her or someone who has talked to her.
Reporter - Have you found any ring cams. or anything in the neighbourhood that would show a car or.. ?.
LE - We're looking at all kinds of electronics and digital evidence. As of right now, that has turned up nothing.
Reporter - Have you received any tips thus far?.
LE - We've received a ton of information from family and friends and, again, detectives from Cohasset police detectives, assigned from the state police as well as Hingham, Norwell, Scituate and Hull detectives are running down these leads for us.
Reporter - But at some point this is going to raise to a level of concern for you that isn't just a time out?.
LE - We re-evaluate this every six hours.
Reporter - Should the broader community, other than Cohasset, be on the look out for her, or are you just saying the Cohasset area?.
LE - Absolutely, the broader community. She does have ties to DC. and also, she is an executive with the company in DC, so she has friends all over the country. So again, we're asking the public to keep an eye out and hoping for the best.
Reporter - And is that real estate that she's in?.
LE - Yes, property management.
Reporter - Can you go over the flight that she was expected to take from Logan?.
LE - It was reported that she was trying to catch a flight, early morning hours of the 1st, from Logan to Reagan International in DC.
Reporter - Is there any way to know when that flight was booked?. I think it might... kind of questionable that on a holiday.. when the Monday is a holiday as well that she was flying back to work on the Sunday. Is there any way to know when that flight was actually booked?.
LE - We cannot confirm an actual flight. Again, there's been some challenges trying to work through the airlines with the chaos that's been widely reported over the holidays with certain airlines. So there's just been a ton of flights cancelled and rescheduled, so all we can report, definitely, is that she did not board a flight out of Logan Airport.
Reporter - Are there any plans for searches in Cohasset, any K9s or drones?.
LE - We've already conducted a search with our K9 unit at the house and adjacent area. We're probably going to revisit that, either today or later this afternoon.
Reporter - So who actually told investigators that they thought she was taking a flight (
inaudible) taking a rideshare to (
inaudible). Was that her husband?.
LE - That came from family members.
Reporter - And this is something that she traditionally does - not because she said to someone she was taking a flight in the morning?.
LE - This is not out of the ordinary. She does take flights to DC, weekly. She did have a flight booked. There was a flight booked. There was a ticket issued for the 3rd of January. Again, this occurred on the 1st and we cannot confirm a flight on the 1st.
Reporter - Is that concerning?.
LE - We're looking at everything. It's been reported that she was called to DC to handle some type of emergency at one of the properties that she manages, that's why she was attempting to go to DC early. She did have a flight booked for the 3rd, but she never got on that flight.
Reporter - And, again, you haven't confirmed that she got any other flight?.
LE - It's been confirmed she she did not get on any flight last week.
Reporter - Right, but her actual ticket was for the 3rd, but presumably she was leaving to go on to an earlier flight?.
LE - Correct.
Reporter - And I assume there's been no credit card activity, bank account activity or anything like that?.
LE - We're working with the credit card companies, but, at this point, there's been no electronic footprint, at all.
Thank you.
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