The husband of a Northern Virginia woman who has been missing for more than three weeks was arrested Thursday and charged with concealing a dead body, authorities say. The search for the missing Manassas Park, Virginia, woman is ongoing.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old nurse originally from Nepal, was last seen nearly a month ago. Manassas Park police initially said she was last seen on July 31 based on information from her husband. Since his arrest, authorities now say she was last seen on July 27, the last day she showed up to work.
She’s been the subject of a major search, as colleagues, friends and community members plead for answers and hope she’s safe.
Naresh Bhatt was arrested at the family’s home in Manassas Park on Thursday morning and charged with concealment of a dead body, a felony charge, prosecutors and police said in a statement hours later.
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News4 video shows officers walking Naresh Bhatt out of the house in handcuffs and into a squad car.
- Editor's note: Chilling details were revealed Friday as Naresh Bhatt was arraigned in court. Here are the latest updates.
The charge that Naresh Bhatt faces means police have evidence that a dead body was concealed, not necessarily that a body was found.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt still has not been found as of Thursday evening.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth briefly spoke with reporters outside the family’s home on Thursday afternoon.
“Is she alive?” News4 asked.
“We don’t know! We don’t know! But we are working this investigation. We’re working carefully, and there’s just a lot of things moving very quickly right now," Ashworth said. More information is expected later Thursday.
Detectives have repeatedly searched for signs of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, the mother of a little girl who just turned a year old.
During a search Wednesday, “detectives obtained additional evidence,” the statement from prosecutors and police on Thursday said, without detailing what they found or what it suggested.
"The Manassas Park Police Department is still investigating the disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt and hoping to locate her," the statement said.
“There are additional investigative leads being actively pursued and may result in additional charges being brought,” it continued, in part.
The Bhatts’ daughter is safe and is in the care of the Department of Social Services, authorities said.
News4 video on Thursday morning showed officials take a young child out of the house with a blanket over the child’s head.
Naresh Bhatt was held without bond and is set to be arraigned Friday. It wasn't immediately clear if he has a lawyer.
Timeline: Manassas Park mom has been missing for more than 3 weeks
Mamta Kafle Bhatt reported to her job as a pediatric nurse at the UVA Prince William Medical Center on July 27, according to a police timeline. She spoke to a friend on July 28. In earlier stages of the investigation, police said she was last seen at her home by her husband on July 31.
Her coworkers requested a welfare check on Aug. 2, after she failed to show up for work. Officers went to the home and spoke to her husband, who at that time gave them additional information and said he didn't want to report her as missing.
Three days later, he contacted police and reported her missing.
Her disappearance was not declared involuntary until Aug. 8. The pace has frustrated her friends.
Manassas Park police say the missing woman's credit cards, bank statements and phone have showed no activity since her disappearance.
As her daughter turned 1 year old this week, her friends saw a time to try to renew interest in her disappearance. Some met with the police chief on Monday and said their friend's disappearance was unlike her.
Naresh Bhatt briefly spoke with News4 last week.
“The main message: I need my wife, my baby’s mom, back,” he told News4’s Jackie Bensen.
When Bensen asked Naresh Bhatt if he was worried that someone had harmed his wife, he replied, "I'm worried about a lot of stuff, yes.”
Police executed a search warrant at the couple's Manassas Park home Wednesday evening. A heavy police presence was seen surrounding the home. Forensic investigators were inside the family's home on a cul-de-sac, taking pictures in what appeared to be the primary bedroom on the second floor.
When asked if Mamta Kafle Bhatt's husband was cooperating with police, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo responded, "No, he is not."
Police have conducted hundreds of interviews and received hundreds of leads, Lugo said.
A large crowd at Wednesday night's news conference grew heated. Friends of Mamta Kafle Bhatt and members of the Nepalese community grew frustrated with what they perceive as a lack of information. Lugo gave his statement and then tried to leave, but he returned to the podium as people yelled questions. Only then did he answer that her husband was a person of interest.
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Mamta Kafle Bhatt is 5 feet tall and about 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact Manassas Park police.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
