DEDHAM — A jury has found Brian Walshe guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his wife, Ana Walshe, nearly two years after she vanished from their Cohasset-area home on New Year’s Day 2023.

Ana Walshe was never seen again, and her body has never been recovered — but prosecutors told jurors the evidence spoke for itself, laying out surveillance footage, store purchases for cleaning supplies and tools, DNA recovered from discarded items, and a trail of trash runs across the Boston area.

Investigators also testified about internet searches tied to Walshe’s devices, including queries about dismembering a body and cleaning blood and DNA, which the state argued showed planning rather than panic.

Walshe’s defense leaned heavily on the absence of a body, suggesting Ana died accidentally and that he covered it up out of fear. The jury rejected that argument and returned the most serious verdict possible.

The conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole under Massachusetts law, with sentencing expected shortly.