MANASSAS PARK, Va. (Court TV) — The husband of a missing pediatric nurse and mother has been formally charged in connection with his wife’s disappearance.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, was believed to have last been seen on July 31. At the time, Manassas Park Police said Bhatt was thought to be “missing on involuntary circumstances.”
(L) Naresh Bhatt, (R) Mamta Kafle Bhatt. (Prince William County Adult Detention Center, Manassas Park Police)
On Thursday, police announced that Bhatt’s husband, Naresh Bhatt, was charged with felony concealment of a dead body. The charges came one day after authorities searched the couple’s home.
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Naresh has not been charged in Mamta’s death. Police have yet to say if they’ve located her.
Court documents obtained by Court TV claim “On or about July 30, 2024, the accused, Naresh Bhatt murdered his wife, Mamta Bhatt,” at their residence. The documents state investigators collected “a substantial amount of digital and forensic evidence consistent with (Mamta’s) death.”
A handwritten statement on the documents says, “There was evidence in the residence indicating the body was inside the residence and dragged out of the residence.”
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Chief of Police Mario Lugo initially called Naresh a person of interest in her disappearance and said he was not cooperating with police. The information was relayed at a press conference while the search of the couple’s home was underway Wednesday evening.
Investigators said the couple’s 1-year-old daughter was taken from the home separately and placed into the custody of the Department of Social Services.
Mamta wasn’t reported missing until Aug. 5. Investigators contacted Naresh on Aug. 2 after her coworkers requested a welfare check. At that time, he said she wasn’t missing.
Naresh appeared in court Friday for his arraignment, where the judge declined to change the terms of his bail. He’s due back in court Monday for a bond hearing.
