Court documents: Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s husband accused of murdering her, dragging her from home

MANASSAS PARK, Va. ( DC News Now ) — Court documents in the case of missing Manassas Park mother Mamta Kafle Bhatt allege her husband Naresh Bhatt murdered her in their home before dragging her out and concealing her body, on or around July 30.

Those documents were made public Friday as Naresh made his first court appearance after his arrest Thursday, facing one charge of concealment of a dead body. A judge ruled he will remain behind bars through at least this weekend.

During that hearing, he requested court-appointed counsel and the use of a translator, saying he’s not very fluent in English. 37-year-old Naresh and 28-year-old Mamta are both from Nepal.

The Manassas Park Police Department (MPPD) says Bhatt was last seen on July 27.

What did they find?

An hours-long search warrant executed at their home on Heather Court earlier this week proved critical in bringing Naresh into custody.

Prosecutors told the court that investigators at the scene saw what looked like blood spatter and staining in the master bedroom and bathroom areas of their home. Some of that blood appeared as if someone had been dragged.

Investigators said technology used at the scene helped to identify that large amounts of blood had once been on the bathroom floor and saw that blood was stuck in parts of the bathtub.

Investigators have not yet confirmed if the blood belongs to Mamta. They are awaiting test results.

Elaborating on that search of their home, prosecutors say investigators found the home in disarray Wednesday. Many items were already boxed and packed up, with passports for both Naresh and his one-year-old daughter ready to go.

What happened leading up to and after her disappearance?

As for the days leading up to Mamta’s disappearance and the days that followed, prosecutors painted a new timeline in court Friday.

Police initially said Naresh last saw Mamta on the evening of July 31. He later said he last saw her in the early hours of Aug. 1, before her coworkers at a local hospital called in a welfare check on her Aug. 2.

During that welfare check, prosecutors say Naresh told police she may have been in Texas or New York, adding that throughout the investigation he made inconsistent statements about her whereabouts.

On July 27, prosecutors said her phone was still receiving data and communication, adding that she was active on social media and known to keep in frequent contact with friends and family.

On Aug. 1, her phone completely died and last pinged from a Loudoun County cell phone tower near a cafe Naresh told police he visited.

Prosecutors said they recovered evidence of Naresh’s purchases around the time Mamta went missing, saying he traveled to Chantilly on July 30 where he bought three knives.

The next day, July 31, they said he went back again to buy cleaning supplies.

Investigators were not able to find two of the three knives he allegedly purchased.

Prosecutors say Naresh sold his car, a Tesla, last week and had also looked into selling the house in recent weeks.

His public defender said the state has no evidence Naresh actually disposed of her body, and police are still searching for a body.

What’s next?

A memorial of flowers, candles and photos has been growing outside of their Heather Court home as the search for Mamta continues.

“Anyone who’s met her will tell you she’s a sweet, nice, dedicated mother, and unfortunately a dedicated wife,” said Mamta’s former coworker Holly Wirth.

The community is coming together to rally around Mamta’s one-year-old daughter.

“You know, both mom and dad have been taken assumedly and I know she’s someone, but she’s now a daughter of all of us,” said her neighbor.

Community members have raised more than $80,000 in an online fundraiser for her daughter’s and her mother’s travel in less than 24 hours, with others helping to donate and gather essentials for the baby’s care in the meantime.

Friends are working to bring Mamta’s mother to the U.S. from Nepal, after an emergency visa was granted for her travel, they tell DC News Now.

Former FBI special agent and NewsNation Law and Justice contributor Jennifer Coffindaffer told DC News Now she believes the investigation will continue to see if more charges – potentially murder – could come.

“They’re looking to bolster and see what evidence is out there,” she said. “Because they’re constantly building a case.”

Coffindaffer said one of the biggest pieces of evidence investigators will comb through is cellular device tracking.

“Where did [Naresh’s] cell phone go? … I believe there’s going to be a trail to follow,” she said. “This isn’t a guy that has a criminal history. When you have that as the situation, those types of criminals that do crimes like this, they make mistakes.”

While the search for Mamta continues, Coffindaffer said future charges could come regardless of the discovery of a body, though the case would have to be prosecuted differently.

“You can prove a case of murder without a body, but they’re going to need to find things like blood, hair, possibly a weapon,” she said.

Naresh will remain behind bars through at least the weekend – with a bond hearing set for Monday.

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