VA VA - Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, mom & pediatric nurse, 'involuntary missing,' husband reported her missing Aug 5, Manassas Park, 31 July 2024 *Arrest* #2

[citizen_sleuth]

UPDATED: Manassas Park woman missing under 'involuntary circumstances'

A Manassas Park woman has been missing since July 31 under "involuntary circumstances," city police say.

www.insidenova.com

<snipped & BBM>
A Manassas Park woman has been missing since July 31 under "involuntary circumstances," city police say.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, mother of a 10-month-old baby and a pediatric nurse at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, was reportedly last seen in Manassas Park on July 31. City police issued a missing person alert over the weekend.

Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo said Bhatt's husband reported her missing Aug. 5. He said police don't have a clothing description from when she was last seen, and she does not own a car.

[...]

Anyone with information on Bhatt's whereabouts is asked to call Manassas Park Police at 703-361-1136.


Thread #1

 

[Knitty]

Please continue here.

 

[vls12345]

Prosecutors must hand over evidence to Naresh Bhatt's defense in missing Manassas Park mom case, judge rules

Lawyers for Naresh Bhatt, the husband of the missing woman, requested the couple's cellphone data, GPS records and police reports from Manassas Park Police.

www.wusa9.com

On Friday, a Prince William County judge ordered prosecutors to hand over some evidence they have collected; the hearing and motion was requested by Naresh Bhatt's public defender. Specifically, the lawyers requested the couple's cellphone data, the GPS record on Naresh Bhatt's car, police reports from his first two interactions with Manassas Park Police following the disappearance of his wife, and surveillance video from July 27 in which Mamta Kafle Bhatt was seen talking to a colleague outside the UVA Health Prince William Medical Center.

The judge ordered prosecutors to turn over the July 27 video and any conversations that Naresh Bhatt had with Manassas Park Police.

Naresh Bhatt is due back in court Monday morning, when a trial date could be set sometime between December and February.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Prosecutors must hand over evidence to Naresh Bhatt's defense in missing Manassas Park mom case, judge rules

Lawyers for Naresh Bhatt, the husband of the missing woman, requested the couple's cellphone data, GPS records and police reports from Manassas Park Police.

www.wusa9.com

Hopefully she will be located soon, that will be the easiest case for the prosecution to make, with enhanced charges.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 13, 2024

Judge orders release of video in missing Manassas Park mom Mamta Kafle Bhatt's case

Naresh Bhatt, the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt is set to appear in court Friday morning for a motions hearing.

wjla.com

Bhatt’s public defender argued in court that the reason the video is so significant for the case is that they still claim she could be alive and the case is still in the “investigation stage” trying to figure out where Mamta is.

The judge partially granted the motion, ordering the Commonwealth to release the video to Bhatt’s attorney, but denied the request to release any cell phone data, GPS data from the Tesla, and most police reports. He did add that if there are police reports indicating that police asked Bhatt to wait a few days before reporting his wife missing, those reports must also be released to the public defender.

Judge orders prosecutor to turn over video of Mamta Kafle Bhatt leaving work; defense claims missing Va. mom is still alive - WTOP News

A judge ordered prosecutors in Prince William County to turn over to the defense a video showing Mamta Kafle Bhatt leaving work at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center several days before her…

wtop.com

Prosecutor Sweet argued against the release, saying Naresh Bhatt is charged solely with concealing a body, and the defense was engaged in a “fishing exhibition,” trying to learn what evidence prosecutors have.

“We’re talking about a dead body,” Sweet told the judge. “Any information surrounding her ‘aliveness’ is not Brady.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/09/13/naresh-bhatt-mamta-bhatt-missing/

... public defender Shalev Ben-Avraham asked that a judge order prosecutors to turn over a video of the missing mother and pediatric nurse leaving work with an unknown woman on July 27...

The video, Ben-Avraham argued, suggests that Bhatt was planning to leave on her own and was not harmed by her husband, 37-year-old Naresh Bhatt.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 13, 2024

Judge orders release of video in missing Manassas Park mom Mamta Kafle Bhatt's case

Naresh Bhatt, the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt is set to appear in court Friday morning for a motions hearing.

wjla.com

[...]

TIMELINE OF MAMTA'S DISAPPEARANCE:​

July 27: Mamta was last seen at the UVA Health Prince William Medical Center
July 28: Mamta spoke to a friend
July 31: Naresh last saw Mamta
Aug. 2: Police responded to a welfare check at Mamta's residence and spoke to her husband, who did not want to report her as missing at that time
Aug. 5: Naresh officially reported Mamta as missing to the police

[...]

 

[TristanP]

Ah yes, planning to leave on her own after cutting herself and leaving blood all over their apartment. (Rolling my eyes)

 

[?!?]

Ah yes, planning to leave on her own after cutting herself and leaving blood all over their apartment. (Rolling my eyes)

And leaving her child behind....

 

[mlhenn]

Husband of missing woman says prosecutors can’t prove his guilt

It’s clear that Naresh Bhatt, who has been charged with concealing a dead body in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, wants to go to trial as soon as possible. On Friday, he filed a motion saying prosecutors can't prove he's guilty.

www.princewilliamtimes.com

But the reasons behind the legal strategy were murky until Friday when his defense counsel alleged in a motion that the commonwealth’s attorney’s office can’t prove its case against Naresh Bhatt with the evidence it has gathered so far.

The motion also asks the court to order prosecutors to turn over evidence that may show Naresh Bhatt, 37, was not with his wife when she disappeared.

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys argued that prosecutors charged him prematurely.
“They chose to charge this. They had all the time in the world,” Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox said during a court hearing on Thursday, Sept. 5.

Police have said they have video footage of Mamta Kafle Bhatt taken on Saturday, July 27, when she was seen leaving work at UVA Prince William Medical Center in “an unknown black, four-door sedan driven by an unknown subject at around 8:17 p.m.”

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys want that video footage and any information relating to the identity of the person driving the vehicle, along with all of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s cellphone data and all GPS data in police possession.

Naresh Bhatt will return to court on the motion on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.

 

[gitana1]

SEP 13, 2024

Judge orders release of video in missing Manassas Park mom Mamta Kafle Bhatt's case

Naresh Bhatt, the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt is set to appear in court Friday morning for a motions hearing.

wjla.com

[...]

TIMELINE OF MAMTA'S DISAPPEARANCE:​

July 27: Mamta was last seen at the UVA Health Prince William Medical Center
July 28: Mamta spoke to a friend
July 31: Naresh last saw Mamta
Aug. 2: Police responded to a welfare check at Mamta's residence and spoke to her husband, who did not want to report her as missing at that time
Aug. 5: Naresh officially reported Mamta as missing to the police

[...]

Is anyone willing to give me a synopsis of some of the key things about this case that aren’t apparent in any random article? What do we know about the relationship and possible DV?
Are there any good articles I can be directed to?

Thanks friends!

 

[PommyMommy]

Is anyone willing to give me a synopsis of some of the key things about this case that aren’t apparent in any random article? What do we know about the relationship and possible DV?
Are there any good articles I can be directed to?

Thanks friends!

HI gitana1! Here's a bit about their relationship and DV. There's so many more details but hopefully this will help.

In February of this year, LE was called to their home for "disorderly conduct." Mamta told them that her husband her husband “would not give her her documents and destroyed her phone," per her friend, Sami.

Also in February, Mamta and her baby arrived at her friend's home without money, a car or a working phone, so her friend bought her a used phone and added her to her family's phone plan. Mamta briefly had her own apartment in Falls Church, and posts from Mamta's FB account began appearing in a closed group for single mothers in the area, asking for help.

Naresh performed several suspicious Google searches on his work laptop in April including “how long does take to get married after spouse dies” and “what happen in the event of dying spouse.”

Also per Sami, an unnamed friend of Mamta’s told LE that Mamta was a victim of domestic abuse and “suffered bruises in the months leading up” to her disappearance. The friend described Mamta as “depressed.”

During the Aug 2 wellness check at the home, Naresh allegedly told LE that he and Mamta were in the process of separating.

On Aug. 15, Naresh said he was making preparations to send their 1-year-old daughter back to Nepal.

Judge deems Naresh Bhatt a flight risk and danger to community; prosecutors reveal more chilling details

Naresh Bhatt's Google history in the months before the disappearance of his wife included searches for how long to wait to marry again after a spouse's death and what happens "in the event" a spouse dies, according to prosecutors.

www.insidenova.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/08/17/mamta-bhatt-missing-mother-manassas-park/

Mamata Kafle case: Family prepares to travel to US to get updates

Mamata’s parents and other kin are suspicious of foul play in her mysterious disappearance.

kathmandupost.com

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/24/us/mamta-kafle-bhatt-missing-virginia-mother-timeline/

 

[LadyL]

SEP 13, 2024

Judge orders release of video in missing Manassas Park mom Mamta Kafle Bhatt's case

Naresh Bhatt, the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt is set to appear in court Friday morning for a motions hearing.

wjla.com

Bhatt’s public defender argued in court that the reason the video is so significant for the case is that they still claim she could be alive and the case is still in the “investigation stage” trying to figure out where Mamta is.

The judge partially granted the motion, ordering the Commonwealth to release the video to Bhatt’s attorney, but denied the request to release any cell phone data, GPS data from the Tesla, and most police reports. He did add that if there are police reports indicating that police asked Bhatt to wait a few days before reporting his wife missing, those reports must also be released to the public defender.

Judge orders prosecutor to turn over video of Mamta Kafle Bhatt leaving work; defense claims missing Va. mom is still alive - WTOP News

A judge ordered prosecutors in Prince William County to turn over to the defense a video showing Mamta Kafle Bhatt leaving work at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center several days before her…

wtop.com

Prosecutor Sweet argued against the release, saying Naresh Bhatt is charged solely with concealing a body, and the defense was engaged in a “fishing exhibition,” trying to learn what evidence prosecutors have.

“We’re talking about a dead body,” Sweet told the judge. “Any information surrounding her ‘aliveness’ is not Brady.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/09/13/naresh-bhatt-mamta-bhatt-missing/

... public defender Shalev Ben-Avraham asked that a judge order prosecutors to turn over a video of the missing mother and pediatric nurse leaving work with an unknown woman on July 27...

The video, Ben-Avraham argued, suggests that Bhatt was planning to leave on her own and was not harmed by her husband, 37-year-old Naresh Bhatt.

[bbm]

is that the first we've heard that it was a woman?
I don't recall reading that before

 

[PommyMommy]

[bbm]

is that the first we've heard that it was a woman?
I don't recall reading that before

I think it is. IIRC, previous articles just said she was sitting outside with a friend?

I just came across this article too, with some information that is new to me.

Reflections of Mamta: Friends, coworkers share memories of missing Manassas Park mother

Over a month after her disappearance and with uncertainty swirling over her whereabouts, friends and coworkers are remembering 28-year-old nurse and mother Mamta Kafle Bhatt as a living embodiment of her name’s Hindi significance. “In Hindi or Nepali, [Mamta] means love, care … her character is...

www.insidenova.com

Bhatt completed her secondary studies outside her native Nepal, traveling to India for greater educational opportunities, according to friends.

“For high school and above – it might have been earlier – she went to India. There were more opportunities in India to study, so her parents actually sent her to India,” Nadia Navarro, Bhatt’s friend and former roommate, told InsideNoVa. “From there, she did nursing school as well, in India as well, so she finished everything – all her studies, completely. But when she came here, she just had to take the [National Council Licensure Examination].”

 

[Maat99]

Police have said they have video footage of Mamta Kafle Bhatt taken on Saturday, July 27, when she was seen leaving work at UVA Prince William Medical Center in “an unknown black, four-door sedan driven by an unknown subject at around 8:17 p.m.”

The video, Ben-Avraham argued, suggests that Bhatt was planning to leave on her own and was not harmed by her husband, 37-year-old Naresh Bhatt.

Given that she couldn’t drive and it doesn’t look like her unemployed husband was there to pick her up in his Tesla, maybe a colleague gave her a ride home.
Regardless, she arrived safely home that evening and her husband still tried to clean up a lot of her blood in their bedroom and bathroom - some of which was there because he dragged her body on the floor. So not really buying that this video proves she wasn’t harmed by her husband.

 

[gitana1]

HI gitana1! Here's a bit about their relationship and DV. There's so many more details but hopefully this will help.

In February of this year, LE was called to their home for "disorderly conduct." Mamta told them that her husband her husband “would not give her her documents and destroyed her phone," per her friend, Sami.

Also in February, Mamta and her baby arrived at her friend's home without money, a car or a working phone, so her friend bought her a used phone and added her to her family's phone plan. Mamta briefly had her own apartment in Falls Church, and posts from Mamta's FB account began appearing in a closed group for single mothers in the area, asking for help.

Naresh performed several suspicious Google searches on his work laptop in April including “how long does take to get married after spouse dies” and “what happen in the event of dying spouse.”

Also per Sami, an unnamed friend of Mamta’s told LE that Mamta was a victim of domestic abuse and “suffered bruises in the months leading up” to her disappearance. The friend described Mamta as “depressed.”

During the Aug 2 wellness check at the home, Naresh allegedly told LE that he and Mamta were in the process of separating.

On Aug. 15, Naresh said he was making preparations to send their 1-year-old daughter back to Nepal.

Judge deems Naresh Bhatt a flight risk and danger to community; prosecutors reveal more chilling details

Naresh Bhatt's Google history in the months before the disappearance of his wife included searches for how long to wait to marry again after a spouse's death and what happens "in the event" a spouse dies, according to prosecutors.

www.insidenova.com

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/08/17/mamta-bhatt-missing-mother-manassas-park/

Mamata Kafle case: Family prepares to travel to US to get updates

Mamata’s parents and other kin are suspicious of foul play in her mysterious disappearance.

kathmandupost.com

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/24/us/mamta-kafle-bhatt-missing-virginia-mother-timeline/

Wow! Thanks for all that. I feel like I’m totally up to date now.

I wonder what that video shows.

Also, I hope her parents are able to get custody of the baby for now and not his mother.

 

[gitana1]

[bbm]

is that the first we've heard that it was a woman?
I don't recall reading that before

So the video shows her leaving work on July 27? But he claims to have seen her after that, no? And her parents spoke to her on the 30th?

 

[MassGuy]

Husband of missing woman says prosecutors can’t prove his guilt

It’s clear that Naresh Bhatt, who has been charged with concealing a dead body in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, wants to go to trial as soon as possible. On Friday, he filed a motion saying prosecutors can't prove he's guilty.

www.princewilliamtimes.com

But the reasons behind the legal strategy were murky until Friday when his defense counsel alleged in a motion that the commonwealth’s attorney’s office can’t prove its case against Naresh Bhatt with the evidence it has gathered so far.

The motion also asks the court to order prosecutors to turn over evidence that may show Naresh Bhatt, 37, was not with his wife when she disappeared.

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys argued that prosecutors charged him prematurely.
“They chose to charge this. They had all the time in the world,” Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox said during a court hearing on Thursday, Sept. 5.

Police have said they have video footage of Mamta Kafle Bhatt taken on Saturday, July 27, when she was seen leaving work at UVA Prince William Medical Center in “an unknown black, four-door sedan driven by an unknown subject at around 8:17 p.m.”

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys want that video footage and any information relating to the identity of the person driving the vehicle, along with all of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s cellphone data and all GPS data in police possession.

Naresh Bhatt will return to court on the motion on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.

Charged "prematurely" my *advertiser censored*.

There was evidence of a brutal crime, efforts to cover it up, a baby involved, and he was making efforts to flee the country. They simply could not wait.

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 13, 2024

'It's actually quite strong of a case' | Expert on 'No Body' cases weighs in charges against Mamta Kafle Bhatt's husband

Naresh Bhatt, her husband, has been charged with concealing a dead body. His trial date is expected to be set on Monday.

www.wusa9.com

[...]

"It's a very common defense, of course, that the person is alive, which would take away this charge, concealing of a body and certainly a murder charge," said Tad DiBiase.

[...]

"Here there was some clear evidence of marital discord between these two people. Then you had blood found in the home. You have evidence that the defendant had purchased three knives and only one was recovered, and then searches that are not particularly helpful like how soon can you get married after your wife dies. So, you have evidence of recent purchase of a weapon. Damning statements entered in to google. Blood in the house. All of those types of things are things you see in these types of cases. While 'no body' cases can often be very difficult to get to trial. When you have that type of evidence early on. To me that's an indication of the government having a strong case," said DiBiase.

[...]

 

[MassGuy]

SEP 13, 2024

'It's actually quite strong of a case' | Expert on 'No Body' cases weighs in charges against Mamta Kafle Bhatt's husband

Naresh Bhatt, her husband, has been charged with concealing a dead body. His trial date is expected to be set on Monday.

www.wusa9.com

[...]

"It's a very common defense, of course, that the person is alive, which would take away this charge, concealing of a body and certainly a murder charge," said Tad DiBiase.

[...]

"Here there was some clear evidence of marital discord between these two people. Then you had blood found in the home. You have evidence that the defendant had purchased three knives and only one was recovered, and then searches that are not particularly helpful like how soon can you get married after your wife dies. So, you have evidence of recent purchase of a weapon. Damning statements entered in to google. Blood in the house. All of those types of things are things you see in these types of cases. While 'no body' cases can often be very difficult to get to trial. When you have that type of evidence early on. To me that's an indication of the government having a strong case," said DiBiase.

[...]

And you throw in him lying about where she was, the delay in reporting her missing, and him claiming she destroyed her cell phone while he has it with him the next day (or whatever it was).

There’s just so much here, body or not.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Husband of missing woman says prosecutors can’t prove his guilt

It’s clear that Naresh Bhatt, who has been charged with concealing a dead body in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, wants to go to trial as soon as possible. On Friday, he filed a motion saying prosecutors can't prove he's guilty.

www.princewilliamtimes.com

But the reasons behind the legal strategy were murky until Friday when his defense counsel alleged in a motion that the commonwealth’s attorney’s office can’t prove its case against Naresh Bhatt with the evidence it has gathered so far.

The motion also asks the court to order prosecutors to turn over evidence that may show Naresh Bhatt, 37, was not with his wife when she disappeared.

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys argued that prosecutors charged him prematurely.
“They chose to charge this. They had all the time in the world,” Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox said during a court hearing on Thursday, Sept. 5.

Police have said they have video footage of Mamta Kafle Bhatt taken on Saturday, July 27, when she was seen leaving work at UVA Prince William Medical Center in “an unknown black, four-door sedan driven by an unknown subject at around 8:17 p.m.”

Naresh Bhatt’s attorneys want that video footage and any information relating to the identity of the person driving the vehicle, along with all of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s cellphone data and all GPS data in police possession.

Naresh Bhatt will return to court on the motion on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m.

They did NOT have all the time in the word, he had sold car and was trying to short sale home and was getting ready to leave the country. When LE arrived, passports for him and baby and half packed suitcases were visible. MOOO.