Todd Walsh, pictured with Nelly Alva, a Peruvian woman who is now missing.
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
A MAN who raised concern over the whereabouts of his missing friend Nelly Alva yesterday denied any involvement with the 47-year-old woman’s disappearance.
Insisting “clean hands” regarding Nelly’s actions while in the Bahamas – allegedly to smuggle herself with a group of people into Miami – Todd Walsh said he tried to persuade the Peruvian native not to go through with her decision.
Mr Walsh was responding to numerous inquires stemming from the the first story published by this newspaper and posted to Tribune242.com on December 31 in which he appealed to the public to come forward with information that could assist in finding Ms Alva.
In the story, Mr Walsh initially told this reporter that he and Nelly met for the first time on November 9 in the Bahamas when they decided to meet each other.
However, in another interview yesterday, he clarified a previous statement saying he first met Nelly in Peru on December 30, 2011. He also refuted allegations, made by the woman’s relatives, that they were more than friends, but lovers.
“Nelly’s family is blaming me for her disappearing,” Walsh said, “when it was her mother who gave her all the money she needed. She started out with $5,000 and her mother sent the other $3,000. The only money that I ever gave Nelly was $250 when she was applying for a regular visitor visa, I think it was last summer, either June or July. I tried to talk her out of doing this.
“I am very frustrated by this whole thing. Anyone who says that Nelly and I were lovers is absurd. Nelly was my best female friend.
“When we met in 2011, I kissed her, held her hand. There were a few moment’s like that because I liked her. But it didn’t go further than that. I never asked her to be my girlfriend, or my wife, not anything like that. But because of that she believed we were a couple. Later I ended up hurting her feelings sometime in 2012. I told her we couldn’t be together because of the distance.”
However, in an e-mail sent to this reporter from someone purporting to be an acquaintance of Nelly, it is alleged that Mr Walsh introduced Nelly to a Bahamian woman who she paid for the journey to Miami.
It said: “Todd Walsh came to Peru approximately 2 years ago and he knows who was the person that negotiated with Nelly to smuggle into Miami. He introduced a woman to Nelly and he has been in contact with this woman until now. He has given this woman’s telephone number to Nelly’s family.
“Here in Peru Nelly attended a church named ‘Potential Church’ and there is another branch in the Bahamas. Nelly went on vacation with more than $13,000 and vanished. We believe he knows the truth and he hides something else.
“If possible help us to find her, she is a trustworthy person. Todd Walsh was her first love, believe me.”
The sender requested that other details of the message be withheld.
Comments
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
Ms Krishna, it is you who submitted Todd's story in the first place no questions asked. My first comment on the story was "has the tribune verified this story before printing it?". I still don't know who is innocent or guilty or whatever, but the details just sounded weird. We really need good investigative reporters they are so critical to order in our society. If an article on a speech or response given by Perry Christie for example, is comprised of all direct quotes with a sprinkling of "he said", "he added", "he retorted", what good is that? Any high schooler can get a tape recorder and perform straight dictation.
Bahamians really have to perform their due diligence on strange men bearing gifts, some are straight up and some are just looking to bilk us for everything we've got. Don't fall for the nice accents.
Remember Sante Kimes? I wonder how many wealthy homes she was invited into before she was caught as a serial murderer.
Due Diligence
CommonSense 10 years, 11 months ago
Don't expect much "investigative work" from these reporters. They can hardly string together a proper sentence or write an article that doesn't have spelling errors. I don't know whether to blame the reporters themselves or their editor who obviously doesn't do much in the way of editing in the first place.
CommonSense 10 years, 11 months ago
The plot thickens! I remember when this story was first published and Todd Walsh was in the comments section refuting the same allegations. I find it interesting that he's asserting that he and Nelly weren't lovers...yet he kissed her and held her hand in 2012 but didn't "hurt her feelings" until 2012. Why the long wait Todd? (I know you'll be scouring the comments under this story soon). You expect us to believe that you liked this woman...then all of a sudden didn't like her and you guys weren't lovers but you came all the way to The Bahamas to spend time with her? Amazing!
This man is flopping to-and-fro he's making himself look more and more like a suspect each day. Now her family is giving additional details that Toddy didn't bother to share. They're closing in on the real story, let's see if Khrishna furthers her "investigation".
positiveinput 10 years, 11 months ago
Well if just the Bahamas police has something to do with her disappearance Todd has nothing to worry about wink wink.
Dee 10 years, 11 months ago
lovers is not the issue.. its the fact anyone can email a reporter not give their name... as had happend here and then thats used to disperse the real issue.. Nelly, Dwaye Campbell and others missing..
ToddWalsh 10 years, 11 months ago
This is what is so shocking to me.
Dee 10 years, 11 months ago
So if Krishna's Editor receive an anonymous email saying she was seen with white powder on her nose in a bar...what would happen??
ToddWalsh 10 years, 11 months ago
Please, for the love of God. Nelly told me she met this woman on the plane. This woman has also told many others this same thing, including friends of Nelly that confirmed this. This is beyond words how ridiculous this is. I never heard her name in my life until I landed and Nelly told me she met her on the plane. People spreading accusations is not going to help Nelly.
ThisIsOurs 10 years, 11 months ago
Plane? Where did that detail drop off in Krishna's story?
So the lady was on a flight with Nelly, which airline and what flight number? There should be some record of everyone who boarded the plane. How many women on that plane also took a plane trip to Freeport?
Sorry Todd there is too much conflicting details from one blog post to an email to a cellphone call. This is something that needs to be handled professionally. The family needs to be interviewed by the Peruvian Foreign Ministry and the details and evidence from those interviews handed over to Bahamas Foreign Affairs. Any details you have and all details should be given to Foreign Affairs as well, if Nelly came here then went to Freeport there's a record of her travel. Did Nelly have a cellphone? There should be records of her phone calls.
The only place you can't track people is on uncharted boat trips on the high seas. That's just being reasonable.
camila7 10 years, 11 months ago
I met Nelly at Potential church in Lima, she is a good christian woman..Always involved in church missions ,: giving the welcoming and Bibles to the new people in church,,serving and helping indigent people or orphans,,putting on her costumes to give the welcoming in church to children and their parents to attract new believers and lost people..A good innocent real christian woman, One in a million..She doesn|t deserve any bad, We,her friends permanently pray for her.Miss her a lot.. Many people are searching for her,the channels of TV in my country are speaking about her and her case, maybe Interpol too.. I don|t know why Potential Church in U.S.A let a woman who was involved in children sexual traffic be the Co-Pastor in this church..The Police should investigate this church and the backgrounds of their leaders..And what about Potential Church in Bahamas, who were the women who appeared at the photos with Nelly?..They were women from Church?? Why she asked for help to her family to rescue her in Bahamas,..and she disappeared then..These women who appeared at the photos should be investigated.. Nelly trusted in Julia Anderson (the co-pastor in Peru for a short time)..Nelly used lately to go to her house after Sunday services..People should investigate Julia Anderson before she disappears..God bless everybody and change the minds of inescrupuolous people and give us back to our loved good friend Nelly...
GrassRoot 10 years, 11 months ago
Nelly is the face of the illegal immigrant monsters. Look at her. She threatens us to do the work for little money, pay the overpriced prices for milk and honey in the land of milk and honey, is smiling because she is missing her family in Peru and does not mind to get abused, mentally, economically and maybe even physically. She could not wait to come here. I think all of us will be foreigners in most of the places out there. Funny at the world economic forum in Switzerland, the wealthy and important participants had to part take in a work shop where they had to play fugitives. Can you imagine, our Politicians in their starched shirts and pressed suits sleeping in the bushes, eating scraps and working 24/7 to get his kids fed?
camila7 10 years, 10 months ago
Nelly didn|t have the needing to go to to U.S.(only because of love,yes, maybe that|s why she took that wrong decission)...I think the police should investigate more about the church where she assisted.. Investigate the main church in U.S., church in Bahamas and Julia Anderson.(Peru).. Nelly trusted in Julia (as everybody in Potential church-Peru)because she was the co-pastor for a short time.. Nelly is one of the most beautiful women in Potential Church Lima-Peru, maybe some people were jealousy from her beautiness and that|s why they decided to kidnap her.. There are some people in the world who decide to found a church because they love God and want people to be saved by the word of God and Jesus and his teachings..; but other people ,want to have and they found a church only to get money from it.. Other people want a charge in a church because they need to be leaders or having some power or money...We should see more where our children go, who are their friends,,Most of people in church are young people and them for their innocence can be persuaded to take wrong decissions...
killemwitdakno 10 years, 9 months ago
What ever happened here?
Shouldn't this have gone straight to the Peru consulate in Nassau ? http://www.smiletravelvietnam.com/peru-…">http://www.smiletravelvietnam.com/peru-…
Peru Expats in Bahamas group http://www.expat-blog.com/en/nationalit…">http://www.expat-blog.com/en/nationalit…
Some history http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/Marc…">http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/Marc… http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/Janu…">http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/Janu… http://www.bahamasb2b.com/news/2013/03/…">http://www.bahamasb2b.com/news/2013/03/…
JPryce 10 years, 9 months ago
We believe these people are being captured and used for organ trafficking which I have surprising learned is a huge business. They are being killed for their kidneys and we believe the Bahamas does not want the truth to hit the media. Before Niyef's family disappeared he was approached by a smuggler named Kevin Higgins who asked him to consider letting his family sell their kidneys. Niyef was alarmed and told the man NO! The man replied saying 'I will get them another way'. Days later Niyef's family went missing after they were trying to get to the United States. All this info was given to the police in more extensive detail and still no arrests were made to even CHECK into this story. Nothing is being done! We are very aware that our families were involved into illegal activities trying to get to the United States but does that mean their lives don't count?
killemwitdakno 10 years, 9 months ago
Foreigners being found in hotel rooms in ice baths is old thing in Freeport hun.
Amelia2 2 years, 7 months ago
Todd, you sound like a very mature and grounded person. In one of your comments you say that there are people who ask silly questions, I agree, like the Peruvian journalist who asked you on the phone if you can return to Peru to start an investigation... what a silly question! You did very well in answering that the investigation has to be done in The Bahamas and in the United States, not in Peru. May God bless you and guide you in the midst of this difficult situation.
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