Hundreds of residents gathered at Signal Hill Park on Saturday, August 24, for a vigil to share their thoughts about the missing Manassas Park mother, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, who is believed to have been murdered in her home.
The sound of children playing at the park was poignant as Kafle Bhatt disappeared just weeks before her daughter celebrated her first birthday. Speakers at the event highlighted that Mamta means “loving mother” in her native Nepal.
On Thursday evening, more than 200 community members gathered at the Manassas Park home of a missing mother, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, who was last seen earlier this month. Her husband, Naresh Bhatt, was arrested and charged Thursday morning with felony concealing a body.
At a hearing on Friday morning in the Prince William Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Bhatt remains in custody without bond. According to court documents, “a substantial amount of digital and forensic evidence” was found inside Bhatt and Kafle Bhatt shared.
Update 5:40 p.m.: Naresh Bhatt has been charged with concealing a dead body. It is a felony charge of Prohibition Against Concealment of Dead Body in violation of Section 18.2-323.02 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. He is being held without bond at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center.
Manassas Park police are expected to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to share more details on the case. MPPD has not yet announced if they have found a body in connection with Kafle’s disappearance.
9:38 p.m. — Manassas Park Police have determined the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, Naresh Bhatt, is a person of interest. They also said he is no longer cooperating.
Police just wrapped up a press conference with details on tonight’s search of the home. More as we have it.
Insidenova.com: “The Manassas Park High School football team has adopted a new motto this season. They call it RTH, which means “Ruin Their Homecoming.”
Cougars second-year head coach Mark Teague came up with the slogan after he had to explain to his players why opponents scheduled them last season for their homecoming games on at least two occasions.”
Police and residents have been searching for 28-year-old Mamta Kafle, who has been missing since late July. The case has been classified as an Involuntary/Critical Missing Person, prompting an intensified search effort.
The investigation began on August 2, after she failed to report to her job at Prince William UVA Hospital the day before. Officers with MPPD responded to her home in the Blooms Crossing neighborhood to do a welfare check. At that time, her husband, Naresh Bhatt, provided information to the police but did not report her as missing. It was not until eight days after anyone besides her husband last saw her that Bhatt reported his wife missing. Police began a formal investigation but waited three more days to inform the public of the disappearance. Despite the delay in reporting, Police say that Bhatt has cooperated with the investigation.
