The story of Ana Walshe is the kind of thing that makes you want to hug your kids a little tighter and maybe double-check the locks on the doors. It has been over three years since the 39-year-old real estate executive vanished from her home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, on New Year’s Day. While the world watched the grim evidence pile up against her husband, Brian Walshe—the Google searches for "how to dispose of a body," the bloody hacksaw, the dumpster dives—one question kept coming up.
What about the boys?
At the time their mother disappeared, the three sons were just two, four, and six years old. Honestly, it’s hard to even wrap your head around that kind of trauma for kids that small. They’ve spent the last few years essentially orphans of a crime that shocked the entire country.
The Ana Walshe Children Update: Where Are They Now?
As of early 2026, the children are still under the legal jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF). Because they’re minors and this is a high-profile murder case, the state is extremely tight-lipped about their specific location. They’ve basically vanished from the public eye for their own safety and privacy.
You've probably heard rumors about them being split up. Early on, friends of Ana, like Pamela Bardhi, were vocal about their fears that the three brothers would be sent to different foster homes. That’s a nightmare scenario for kids who just lost both parents in the most violent way possible. However, the goal for DCF in cases like this is almost always to keep siblings together if it’s at all feasible.
While we don't know the name of the family they are with, sources close to the case have indicated they were placed in a "kinship" or "foster-to-adopt" situation with people who knew the family. This is a big deal. It means they aren't just bouncing around the system. They are in a stable environment while the legal system grinds through the aftermath of their father's conviction.
The Brian Walshe Verdict and its Impact
In December 2025, a Norfolk County jury finally convicted Brian Walshe of first-degree murder. He’s looking at life without the possibility of parole. During the trial, we learned some pretty devastating details about those first few days in January 2023.
Prosecutors argued that Brian killed Ana, dismembered her, and then essentially went on a "cleanup tour" while the boys were still in the house or at daycare. Imagine that. He was buying hundreds of dollars of cleaning supplies at Lowe’s and dumping heavy trash bags while his kids were waiting for their mom to come home from her "work trip" to D.C.
The conviction brings a certain kind of legal closure, but for the kids, it means their father is never coming home. He’s going to spend the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison. The boys are now roughly five, seven, and nine years old. They’re reaching the age where they’ll start searching the internet. They'll find the headlines. They'll see the photos of their house wrapped in crime scene tape.
Who is Raising the Walshe Boys?
There was a lot of back-and-forth about who would actually get custody. Ana’s mother, Milanka Ljubicic, lives in Serbia. She’s been heartbroken and has spoken to the press about wanting to be with her grandsons, but the logistics of moving three American-born children to Eastern Europe are incredibly complicated.
Then there’s the sister in Canada. There was talk of them moving there, but DCF has to follow strict interstate and international protocols.
Basically, the boys have remained in Massachusetts. The state usually prefers to keep kids in a familiar environment, especially when they’ve already lost everything else. The community in Cohasset actually rallied around them early on, setting up funds for their future education. It’s a small comfort, but it’s something.
The Trauma They Carry
Psychologists who follow these kinds of "family annihilation" cases say the road ahead for these boys is incredibly steep. They didn't just lose a mother; they lost the version of the father they thought they knew.
- Age 2 (at the time): Likely has few concrete memories of the event but will grow up with the "body memory" of the disruption.
- Age 4: May have confusing, fragmented memories of that week in January.
- Age 6: The oldest likely has the clearest memories of both parents and the sudden, terrifying change in his life.
There’s also the fact that Ana’s remains were never fully recovered. Most of the evidence came from blood and DNA found in trash bags at a processing plant in Peabody. For children, the lack of a "resting place" for their mother can make the grieving process feel like it’s stuck in limbo.
What’s Next for the Kids?
The legal battle over Brian’s assets and Ana’s estate is still humming along in the background. Brian was allegedly motivated by money—specifically a $2.7 million life insurance policy and Ana’s real estate holdings. Now that he’s convicted, he can’t touch a dime of that.
That money is being funneled into trusts for the children. By the time they are adults, they will likely be financially set, though no amount of money replaces a mother.
The next big milestone will be the formal adoption process. Once parental rights are fully terminated—which is a formality after a first-degree murder conviction—the family currently caring for them can move to make the arrangement permanent.
Practical Steps for Following the Case:
If you are following the Ana Walshe children update to see how you can help or stay informed, here is the current reality:
- Respect the Privacy: You won't find a GoFundMe link with their faces on it anymore. The state has scrubbed their identities from public records for their protection.
- Support Victim Advocacy: Instead of looking for the kids directly, many people are donating to domestic violence organizations in Massachusetts, like Jane Doe Inc., in Ana’s memory.
- Watch the Appeals: Brian Walshe’s legal team will likely file appeals throughout 2026. While this won't change the children's custody status, it keeps the case in the news, which can be hard for the family raising them.
- Estate Updates: Keep an eye on the Norfolk County Probate and Family Court filings. This is where the actual "future" of the boys' financial well-being is being decided.
The truth is, these boys are probably living a very "normal" life right now—going to school, playing soccer, doing homework—all while carrying a story that is anything but normal. The best update we can hope for is that they stay out of the headlines forever.