Ana and Brian Walshe's 3 children in state custody as investigation continues
BOSTON - As investigators work to find out what happened to a missing Cohasset woman, there are questions about what will happen to her three young children.
The Department of Children and Families confirmed the three Walshe boys, ages two, four, and six, are in their custody.
Attorney Jason Owens is not affiliated with the Walshe case but has years of experience in cases dealing with DCF.
"We are still trying to figure out exactly what is going on with their parents," said Owens. "But what we know is that this seems like a really heartbreaking situation for the children."
Owens said he expects the state to take its time before deciding where to place the three boys. That's due in part to the fast-moving developments in the search for their missing mother. Even still, Owens said, the state may opt to put the children with a foster family better equipped to help the children.
"It may be possible that the department views place the children with someone with experience in traumatic situations as preferable, in a very fluid situation, as opposed to either kin or child specific foster parents," Owens said.
The Office of the Child Advocate told WBZ-TV in a statement, "The state always works hard to keep sibling groups together unless there are reasons why one child might need a special placement."
DCF said it does not comment on specific cases citing privacy policies.