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 was ordered held without bond during a Monday morning hearing, CNN affiliate WUSA has reported. 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. He is due back in court October 24, state court records show.

“We all stand here feeling very relieved,” Holly Wirth, a friend and colleague of Kafle Bhatt, told reporters after the hearing. “We’re all here with a tremendous sense of relief that Naresh Bhatt remains where he needs to be, which is in custody.”

CNN has reached out to the public defender’s office, which is representing Bhatt. The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park, Amy Ashworth, declined to comment Monday afternoon.

“On or about July 30, 2024, the accused, Naresh Bhatt, murdered his wife, Mamta Bhatt,” a preliminary criminal complaint obtained by CNN affiliate WJLA states.

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. Authorities carried an infant out of Bhatt’s home after they took him away, video shows.

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 Saturday at Signal Hill Park Saturday to honor Kafle Bhatt, CNN affiliate WTOP reported. The park’s pavilion soon filled with supporters, so organizers shifted 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.

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.”

Kafle Bhatt was seen 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.

Kafle Bhatt’s colleagues requested a welfare check when she didn’t report for work, WUSA reported. Bhatt initially declined to declare his wife missing when police conducted the welfare check on August 2, then did report her missing three days later, authorities said in a news release.

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.

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.”

Community rallies behind mother and child

Basnet Thapa has been more than a former colleague and mentor to Kafle Bhatt – she’s been her “didi” or “di” – her “sister,” in South Asian culture. The pair met last June and quickly became close, Basnet Thapa told CNN on Monday.

Even though the two women worked opposite schedules, Kafle Bhatt would make sure Basnet Thapa was fed – often bringing her breakfast or lunch.

Then last February, Kafle Bhatt mentioned she was in a domestic violence situation with her husband, Basnet Thapa told CNN.

“I gave all the resources, I told her leave that house immediately, I offered my home to come, or go to shelter, I offered all help,” Basnet Thapa said.

But later on, “she sent me a message saying, ‘Di, I’m gonna go to family counselor, and wanted to give him one chance. And I realized how much I love him and I want to give him a chance, hoping he could be a better father, better person. Just I did not want to put him in problem.’ That’s what she said to me.”

Bhatt’s court-appointed counsel argued in court Friday his client should be released on bond, saying there’s “no evidence” Bhatt did anything wrong, according to Inside NoVa. “They actually haven’t released a shred of evidence that he did anything wrong,” said the attorney, whom the publication did not name. “He has no violent history … he has no allegations of abuse.”

Basnet Thapa described Kafle Bhatt as a humble, hardworking, independent, innocent person excited about her future who enjoys cooking, loves music and is a devoted mother who loves her daughter more than anything in the world.

Some members of the community have said they weren’t surprised to see Bhatt charged in connection with his wife’s disappearance. “The mother wouldn’t leave her baby. Definitely wouldn’t miss her first birthday,” a neighbor, Ivy Freedman, told WUSA.

And community members are making sure Kafle Bhatt’s young daughter isn’t being forgotten in the tragedy.

“We are Mamta’s voice,” Wirth said Monday. “We are here for Mamta, but even more importantly is making sure that their daughter is cared for.”

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.

“The baby is innocent in any circumstances,” a community member, Adrian Pokharel, told WUSA. “We got to protect her. That’s our baby. That’s our community baby. That’s the way I look at it.”

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.