Northern Virginia man has been ordered to remain in police custody amid the disappearance of his wife, three days after prosecutors laid out chilling details in court involving evidence of pooling blood and missing knives.
Naresh Bhatt was ordered held without bond Monday. He was arraigned Friday on a charge of concealing a dead body.
His wife, 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt, has not been seen for nearly a month. She missed her baby girl's first birthday.
Naresh Bhatt was arrested at the family’s Manassas Park home Thursday The charge against him means police have evidence that a dead body was concealed. However, Mamta Bhatt's body has not been found.
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Evidence that husband was packing up home and selling car was presented at Friday court appearance
Prosecutors said Friday there was evidence of pooling blood in the primary bedroom of the home, and blood splatter in the primary bathroom. They said investigators found indications that a body was dragged. News4 video showed investigators carrying what appeared to be large swaths of rolled-up carpet into a Prince William County police van.
While laying out its case, the prosecution said Naresh Bhatt changed his story numerous times about when he last saw his wife.
Her cellphone was still active on Aug. 1, the day after Naresh Bhatt told police he last saw his wife. The phone last pinged in Loudoun County, where police say they have video showing Naresh Bhatt at a Walmart purchasing cleaning supplies.
He also went to a Walmart in Prince William County and purchased a set of knives. Two of those knives are now missing, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said there’s evidence that Naresh Bhatt was in the process of packing up his home and selling his car. Passports for him and his daughter were in full view when police entered the home for a search. He appeared in court Friday wearing an orange jumpsuit. He had nothing to say to the judge and used an interpreter to help him understand the proceedings.
The defense attorney argued that he should be released, saying Bhatt hadn’t fled and that anyone could buy cleaning supplies. The attorney said that there’s no evidence the blood found in the home is Mamta's or that she had been killed.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a nurse, was reported missing after failing to show up for her shifts at work. Friends said that was highly unusual since she was caring for her baby and often active on social media.
Her friends filled the small courtroom and listened Friday as prosecutors laid out the evidence supporting the charge. Outside the courthouse, Holly Wirth, a spokesperson for the friends and family, told reporters that they weren't prepared to hear the horrific details.
“What we heard was worse than we could have ever imagined. I have to give credit to the commonwealth attorneys. She spoke as frankly as she could. But the details are absolutely shocking," Wirth said.
Not long after the arrest, a police officer carried the couple’s daughter from the home. As of Thursday, the little girl was in the care of the Department of Social Services, but Mamta Kafle Bhatt's mother was granted an emergency visa to come to the U.S. to take care of her. Friends and family were raising funds for a plane ticket.
Husband said he last saw Mamta Kafle Bhatt on Aug. 1; prosecutors now believe he killed her July 30
The missing woman was last seen at her job as a pediatric nurse at the UVA Prince William Medical Center on July 27, according to a police timeline. No one except her husband has reported seeing her since then. She spoke to a friend on July 28, police previously said.
Prosecutors now believe she was killed by her husband on July 30 and that he began covering his tracks July 31.
Her husband told police that he last saw her on July 31.
Mamta Bhatt's 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 of the investigation frustrated Mamta Bhatt's friends and community at times. Wirth, the family's spokesperson, said she lost faith in the Manassas Park police at one point but regained confidence after speaking to the chief. The chief changed her mind by explaining there were details they couldn't share with anyone to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Manassas Park police say Mamta Bhatt's credit cards, bank statements and phone have showed no activity since her disappearance.
