Husband of missing Virginia mom is accused of killing her in their home then dragging her body outside, court documents show

(CNN) — The husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old Virginia mother who has been missing for over three weeks, is accused of killing her inside their home and dragging her body outside, court documents obtained by CNN affiliate WJLA show.

Naresh Bhatt faces a felony charge of prohibition against concealment of a body, according to court records, and he was taken away in handcuffs Thursday after authorities conducted a search warrant on the couple’s home. Bhatt was in court Friday morning for an arraignment.

He has not been formally charged with murder, but the preliminary criminal complaint obtained by WJLA states that, “on or about July 30, 2024, the accused, Naresh Bhatt, murdered his wife, Mamta Bhatt.”

“There was evidence in the residence indicating the body was inside the residence and dragged out of the residence,” a handwritten addition to the statement says, signed with what appeared to be the charging law enforcement officer’s initials.

“During the course of this investigation, a substantial amount of digital and forensic evidence consistent with her death was recovered,” the complaint says.

CNN has reached out to the prosecutor’s office for comment on whether Bhatt faces upgraded charges to reflect the murder allegation made by the officer.

Kafle Bhatt was last seen on July 27 at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, according to police. The next day, she spoke with a friend and on July 31, she was last seen by her husband at the dinner table, he previously told police.

On August 2, police conducted a welfare check at the couple’s home and spoke to her husband, who “provided additional information” and told investigators he didn’t want to report her as missing at the time, police said. Three days later, he reported her missing, authorities said in a news release on August 15.

The welfare check request came from Kafle Bhatt’s work colleagues, CNN affiliate WUSA reported.

Detectives conducted an exhaustive investigation from August 5-8, they said, and found there was significant lack of recent contact between Kafle Bhatt and her family, friends, employer and on social media, so they elevated her missing status to involuntary/critical missing person status.

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