In the eight weeks since missing Manassas Park mother Mamta Kafle Bhatt was last seen, more evidence has been released surrounding her disappearance.
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TIMELINE: Evidence released so far in disappearance of Manassas Park mom Mamta Kafle
In the eight weeks since missing Manassas Park mother
Mamta Kafle Bhatt was last seen, more evidence has been released surrounding her disappearance.
On Friday,
a judge denied bond for Mamta's husband, Naresh Bhatt. Naresh is accused of killing her but is officially charged with concealing her body, which still hasn't been found.
Inside the courtroom Friday, friends of Mamta sat in stunned silence when the Commonwealth began to present evidence in Naresh's bond hearing. Prince William County prosecutors stated a K9 cadaver dog detected a dead body in the Bhatt's master bedroom and bathroom and that 150 gallons of water were used in a one-hour period after Mamta disappeared.
The Commonwealth stated Naresh dropped several bags in dumpsters on July 30 and 31, around the timeframe Mamta was last seen. On July 30, Naresh searched Google around 4 a.m. for anatomy of a brain and “chicken farm near me,” according to the prosecution.
Prosecutors had disclosed at a prior hearing that Naresh purchased a set of three knives on July 30, but during a later search warrant at his house, two of those knives were unaccounted for.Naresh was captured on video footage at a Walmart in Fairfax County buying multiple cleaning products, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also said Friday that Naresh was caught on camera on August 1 in Loudoun County — near where Mamta's cell phone was last pinged — dropping a bag into a clothing donation bin, which police told them contained a bath mat with blood on it.
Text messages submitted into evidence by the prosecution on Friday show on August 5, Naresh texted one of the officers, “Mamta Kafle is not back” and that he hasn’t had “any contact.” The officer replied if he’s “exhausted all methods of figuring out her whereabouts” and believes “she has gone missing, please dial 911.”
Naresh's attorney repeated his argument Friday that, since Mamta's body has not yet been found, there is no probable cause to keep Naresh in custody. His attorney argued that he should be set free until his December trial, alleging Naresh and Mamta were in the process of separating and that she left to visit family out of state. However, authorities countered that Mamta's family members have not heard at all from her.
Officials have been searching nearby parks and other areas in hopes of finding evidence that would lead them to answers about her disappearance.
Prosecution and Police Timeline:
This information was compiled from court documents as well as statements from prosecution and police
February: Police summoned to the Bhatt residence over allegations of disorderly conduct. Mamta told officers Naresh wouldn’t give her her documents and destroyed her phone. No charges were filed.
April: Naresh did a Google search asking how long does it take to get married after spouse dies.
July 27: Prince William Hospital surveillance cameras showed her sitting outside the hospital with a friend before entering an unknown black four-door sedan driven by an unknown driver around 8:17 p.m. A court order to Uber showed her last transaction to Uber was around that time and this trip was noted as “canceled by rider.”
July 29: Mamta spoke with her mother over FaceTime. This is her last known contact. Phone records show her phone was operational until July 29, with multiple calls between Mamta and Naresh until this date.
July 30: Naresh searched Google around 4 a.m. for anatomy of a brain and “chicken farm near me”
July 30: Naresh purchased a set of three knives. During a later search warrant at his house, two knives were unaccounted for.
July 30-31: Naresh was captured on video discarding bags at different dumpsters
July 31: Naresh was captured on video footage at a Walmart in Fairfax County buying multiple cleaning products.
July 31: Naresh told police this was the day he saw Mamta last.
Aug. 1: Mamta’s phone was pinging in the area of Aldie, VA. Naresh stated to police he was at a café in that area on that day. Prosecutors later stated in court he left a bag in a clothing donation bin, saying police tracked it down to find a white bath mat with blood on it, which was similar to other bath mats in the house.
Aug. 2: Prince William Hospital requested a welfare check for Mamta after she failed to appear for work or call her supervisors for two consecutive days. Naresh told responding officers at his home that she was in Texas or New York visiting her sister and that she destroyed her phone before she left. Prosecutors later stated in court her biological family is in Nepal and she has no sisters.
Aug. 5: Naresh texted one of the officers involved in the welfare check, saying “Mamta Kafle is not back” and he hasn’t had “any contact.” The officer tells him if he’s “exhausted all methods of figuring out her whereabouts” and believes “she has gone missing, please dial 911.” Naresh called MPPD and reported Mamta as missing.
Aug. 5-9:Detectives interviewed family, friends and coworkers. Multiple sources stated it was abnormal for Mamta to leave for several days without her child, to leave without contacting anyone, to be without her phone. They said she was regularly active on multiple social media platforms.
Aug. 8: Police post Mamta’s missing person flyer on social media.
Aug. 15: Naresh told the detective the last time he saw Mamta was July 31 at home, saying he went upstairs to go to sleep and she stayed downstairs. He told police he was making preparations to send the baby back to Nepal.
Aug. 16: Magistrate approves police search warrant around 10:30 p.m. for Google records, including location data, search history and account information, from July 27 to August 1. The warrant points to a Virginia code which makes it “unlawful to commit Abduction and Kidnapping; Forced Labor; Punishment.”
“Mr. Bhatt, of his own admission, later verified that he was in the vicinity of what was later discovered to be Ms. Kafle’s last known cellular location,” the search warrant affidavit states, saying Naresh’s Google account has “location specific data pertinent to the discovery of Ms. Kafle’s whereabouts.”
Aug 21: Police conducted a search warrant at the Bhatt residence, finding cell phone packaging different from Naresh’s cell phone, notebooks/journals, and what appeared to be possible blood/blood spatter in different rooms
Aug. 21: Search warrant submitted to magistrate after 7 p.m. for buccal swabs to obtain Naresh’s DNA sample. Search warrant affidavit goes through a timeline of events, stating: “There exists now probable cause to believe Ms. Kafle is currently being prevented from returning home on her own free will there exists now evidence in this residence of an Abduction.”
Aug. 22: Police continued searching the Bhatt residence. Before 11 a.m., officers escorted Naresh into a police car. His daughter was taken to the care of the Department of Social Services. Mamta’s loved ones told 7News she later was transferred to friend and now her mother and brother are her caretakers.
The criminal complaint sworn before a judge that afternoon states, “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.” Naresh was arrested and charged with concealing a dead body.
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