The disappearance of Mamta Kafle Bhatt began with missed shifts at a Virginia hospital and grew into a two-year investigation that has now placed her husband, Naresh Bhatt, on trial for murder.
Mamta, 28, was a nurse and mother whose last known days included conversations with people close to her.
She spoke with a friend by phone, posted a TikTok video showing her baby crawling up the stairs on July 28 and apparently video-called her mother the following night.
After Mamta stopped showing up for work, concerns about her whereabouts led to a welfare check at the family’s Manassas Park home on Aug. 2. The check was prompted by her friends and neighbors.
According to WUSA9, Naresh told officers that Mamta had left to visit relatives in Texas or New York. Prosecutors later said Mamta had no family in the United States. Naresh reported her missing three days later.
The case soon drew widespread support from the local Nepali community. Her friends and volunteers organized search parties, while supporters gathered outside the police department to keep attention on her disappearance.
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Nadia Navarro, a friend and former roommate, said Mamta was unlikely to simply leave.
“Mamta is not an impulsive person, she’s a very responsible person, she’s a very calm person,” Navarro told WUSA9. “So to hear that she might be missing, I really doubt she would run away.”
Police searched the Bhatt home on Aug. 21. The following day, Naresh was arrested and charged with concealing a dead body. Prosecutors later charged him with murder.
Mamta, however, has not been found.
Much of the prosecution’s case centers on what investigators say Naresh did after Mamta disappeared.
Court documents cited in the supplied information say investigators found blood evidence in the primary bedroom and adjoining bathroom and reported signs that a body had been dragged through the house.
Prosecutors have also outlined a series of purchases and movements. They say Naresh searched his phone for “diagram of brain” and a nearby chicken farm early on July 30.
He later left his daughter with a babysitter, where prosecutors say he was seen disposing of trash bags.
That morning, he allegedly purchased gloves and three knives at Home Depot. Prosecutors say two of the knives remain missing. Later, they say, he bought heavy-duty trash bags at Lidl.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured Naresh disposing of bags at several locations, including a trash compactor in Falls Church. Investigators also reported that about 150 gallons of water were used at the Bhatt home during a one-hour period on July 31.
Other evidence cited by prosecutors includes cleaning supplies purchased at Walmart, Naresh’s movements in his Tesla and activity in Loudoun County.
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Investigators said Mamta’s phone last pinged a cell tower there on Aug. 1. A bag containing blood-stained white bath mats was later found in a clothing donation bin, according to the supplied information.
Prosecutors have also cited internet searches allegedly made months before Mamta disappeared, including questions about divorce and what happens if a spouse dies.
About a month before her disappearance, Mamta sent her brother in Nepal a photograph showing her face swollen and bruised. Prosecutors say she kept the photograph as a backup in case something happened to her.
The trial follows repeated delays. Defense attorney Tracey Lenox sought additional preparation time, saying she was facing a large volume of evidence, but Judge Kimberly Irving rejected the request.
Naresh later sought to fire his attorneys, alleging they had lied to him and were biased against him because of his skin color and religion. The judge denied that request as well.
Both sides expect the trial to last up to seven weeks.
Naresh has remained in custody since his arrest. His daughter, who was an infant when Mamta disappeared, is being cared for by family.
The prosecution must prove its allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Until a verdict is reached, Naresh remains presumed innocent.