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Naresh Bhatt admits to dismembering Mamta Kafle's body
Naresh Bhatt testified Thursday that he dismembered his wife's body after finding her dead on their bedroom floor. Bhatt faces charges of first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and defiling a dead body in connection with his wife's disappearance.
MANASSAS, Va. - Naresh Bhatt testified Thursday that he dismembered his wife's body after finding her dead on their bedroom floor, stopping when he lacked the strength to continue.
He described the actions while on the stand in his murder trial. Bhatt testified that he discovered the lifeless body of Mamta Kafle Bhatt on the morning of July 30, 2024 with vomit on her face and on the floor. He said the vomit contained blood, food particles, pill capsules, and evidence of Celphos, a high-potency agricultural fumigant used to kill insects.
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Bhatt told the court he touched his wife, attempted to speak to her, performed CPR, and took other lifesaving measures before deciding to cut her body into pieces, beginning with an effort to separate her legs from her torso.
According to Bhatt, he moved her body into the bathroom but stopped dismembering her on that first day because he lacked the physical strength to go on. He testified that he blocked the bedroom door using a baby changing station before going to pick up, feed, and put the couple's baby to sleep.
Bhatt told the court he was unable to sleep that night. When asked whether he entered the room the family used for prayer, Bhatt testified that he did not because he was scared.
Bhatt faces charges of first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and defiling a dead body in connection with his wife's disappearance. Her body has not been found, and Bhatt has remained in custody since his arrest in August 2024.
Naresh Bhatt testifies he dismembered wife's body after finding her dead in bedroom
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Police began investigating after Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a nurse at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, failed to report for work. Bhatt initially told officers he did not believe his wife was missing, claiming he last saw her on July 29, 2024. Friends and family told authorities she would not have abandoned her infant daughter.
Bhatt filed a missing persons report on Aug. 5, 2024, telling investigators his wife had threatened to leave and suggested a divorce. Police arrested him on Aug. 22, 2024, after discovering bloodstains in the couple's primary bedroom and bathroom. Investigators also recovered a power saw containing hair fragments.
The Source: Information in this article comes from court proceedings and original FOX 5 DC reporting.