Nearly two months after the mysterious disappearance of a Northern Virginia mother, her husband will ask on Friday to be released on bond.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt was last seen in Manassas Park in late July. The 28-year-old nurse’s disappearance sparked a major search and community outcry as the mother missed her daughter’s first birthday.
Her husband, Naresh Bhatt, was arrested in connection with her disappearance and accused of concealing his wife’s dead body.
New court documents obtained by News4 show Bhatt’s attorney challenged some grisly evidence in the case.
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In a bond motion filed this week in Prince William County Circuit Court, Bhatt’s lawyer says a detective made what the lawyer argued was a “false statement” that prosecutors used to obtain an arrest warrant.
In the criminal complaint, a detective initially said investigators found evidence a body was dragged out of the Bhatt family’s home on Heather Court.
The detective later clarified investigators only found a body was dragged from one room to another inside the house.
In court records, a Manassas Park police captain said in a Sept. 4 statement to the commonwealth’s attorney the detective admitted “she may have used the wrong words.”
The captain said the detective cited working for more than 30 hours straight and had no malicious intent.
The defense says prosecutors improperly waited until Sept. 16 to tell them about the Manassas Park police captain’s statement.
Naresh Bhatt’s lawyer also sought in the bond motion to cast doubt on the blood detection system investigators used inside the Bhatts’ home, and whether it was the defendant who allegedly used a computer in the home to conduct internet searches on remarrying after a spouse’s death.
Prosecutors say they have ample evidence of blood, missing knives and a cleaning supply purchase they link to Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s disappearance. A search warrant shows prosecutors requested her husband's Google records as part of the investigation.
A judge is expected to consider Naresh Bhatt’s request for bond Friday afternoon.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s family and supporters urged the judge not to release her husband on bond. They said they would attend his court appearance “with trepidation in our hearts over the possibility of Naresh Bhatt being released back into the community.”
“Naresh Bhatt should remain in custody until the full justice is served. Keeping Naresh Bhatt detained is the safest action for the community, Mamta's parents, and most importantly, Mamta's young child,” a statement from a family spokesperson said.
They asked prosecutors to pursue more serious charges against the suspect and praised the work of Manassas Park police.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
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