Community comes together to remember the missing Virginia mother whose husband is accused of killing her
By Lauren Mascarenhas and Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN
(CNN) — The Northern Virginia community that rallied to raise awareness and demand answers when a 28-year-old woman was reported missing earlier this month is now coming together to remember the young mother, while her husband faces charges in connection with her disappearance.
Naresh Bhatt’s bond was denied during a Monday morning bond hearing, state court records show. Bhatt faces accusations he killed his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, inside their home and dragged her body outside in late July. Bhatt is facing a felony charge of concealment of a body, according to Manassas Park Police.
A preliminary criminal complaint obtained by CNN affiliate WJLA states, “on or about July 30, 2024, the accused, Naresh Bhatt, murdered his wife, Mamta Bhatt.”
Police escorted Bhatt from the couple’s home in handcuffs Thursday morning, according to video from WJLA, a day after police said a search warrant was served at the residence.
A makeshift memorial filled with pictures, flowers and candles has continued to grow in front of the house since that day, WJLA reported.
Hundreds of friends, fellow nurses and community members gathered at Signal Hill Park Saturday to honor Kafle Bhatt, CNN affiliate WTOP reported. The park’s pavilion was soon filled with droves of people who came out to show their support, so organizers had to shift participants to a hill in the park.
“Mamta has a big, emotional family. We care about her. She is loved. And, also, we have a big responsibility to take care of Mini Mamta,” event co-organizer and former co-worker Sunita Basnet Thapa told WTOP.
Video shows authorities carrying an infant out of Bhatt’s home after they took him away.
Virginia state Sen. Danica Roem joined the community Saturday to show support and acknowledged the women who “knew something was wrong immediately and really, really raised their voices consistently and persistently.”
After Kafle Bhatt was initially reported missing, friends and community members took to social media to raise awareness about her disappearance and share updates in the investigation. The Nepali American Community Center in Manassas said it established a line of communication with police to stay on top of updates in the case.
Friends of Kafle Bhatt also helped launch a GoFundMe to support search efforts.
Kafle Bhatt was seen on July 27 at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, where she worked as a registered nurse in the medical surgical unit. The next day, she spoke with a friend and July 31 was the last day her husband claimed to have seen her, according to police.
The health system said it is cooperating with investigators.
“UVA Health is heartbroken to learn the devastating news that Mamta Kafle Bhatt is presumed deceased,” UVA Health Prince William Medical Center spokesperson Eric Swensen said in a statement to CNN on Friday. “First and foremost, we extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Mamta’s loved ones, friends and colleagues, and we grieve together with our community and all who knew Mamta.”
Kafle Bhatt’s colleagues requested a welfare check when she didn’t report for work, CNN affiliate WUSA reported. Bhatt initially declined to declare his wife missing when police conducted the welfare check on August 2, but did report her missing three days later, authorities said in a news release.
Community rallies behind young daughter
Bhatt, a former US Army Reserve automated logistics specialist, is now being held without bail, according to WJLA.
Some members of the community said they weren’t surprised to see Bhatt charged in connection with his wife’s disappearance.
A neighbor, Ivy Freedman, told CNN affiliate WUSA9, “The mother wouldn’t leave her baby. Definitely wouldn’t miss her first birthday.”
Community members are making sure Kafle Bhatt’s young daughter isn’t being forgotten in the tragedy.
“The baby is innocent in any circumstances,” a community member, Adrian Pokharel, told WUSA9. “We got to protect her. That’s our baby. That’s our community baby. That’s the way I look at it.”
Members of Kafle Bhatt’s family, who live in Nepal, have obtained visas and are in the process of the traveling to the United States to try to get emergency custody of the baby, who was in the care of the Department of Social Services, said Bandita Sharma Dhal, an immigration attorney working with the family, on Friday to CNN.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Naresh Bhatt’s first name.
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CNN’s Emma Tucker contributed to this report.
