Naresh Bhatt trial continues Wednesday following day of witness testimony

MANASSAS, Va. - The murder trial of Naresh Bhatt, the Manassas Park man accused of killing and dismembering his 28-year-old wife, pediatric nurse Mamta Kafle Bhatt, continues Wednesday following a full day of witness testimony.

On Tuesday, the court heard from a family babysitter, a disposal business owner, and a co-worker and friend of Mamta Kafle Bhatt. The friend testified about her first encounter with Naresh Bhatt at the hospital shortly after his wife gave birth.

Bhatt, who has remained in custody since his arrest in August 2024, faces charges of first-degree murder, concealing a dead body, and defiling a dead body.

The case began when Mamta failed to report for her shift at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center on Aug. 1, 2024. Her co-workers requested a welfare check at the couple's Heather Court home the following day after she missed two consecutive shifts.
Bhatt initially told responding officers he did not believe his wife was missing, claiming he last saw her on July 29. However, family and friends insisted she would never abandon her infant daughter.

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Bhatt called police to file a missing persons report on Aug. 5, 2024. Investigators initially lacked information suggesting she was in danger, as Bhatt told an officer she threatened to disappear and raised the possibility of a divorce. However, authorities officially declared her involuntarily missing on Aug. 5, 2024.

Investigators arrested Bhatt on Aug. 22, 2024, after discovering large bloodstains in the primary bedroom and bathroom. According to court documents, investigators seized a power saw containing hair fragments from the residence and gathered evidence indicating Bhatt visited multiple trash disposal sites. Her body has not been recovered.

 

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