Husband charged in case of missing Virginia woman

Police arrested and charged the husband of a missing Virginia woman Thursday after the young mother vanished last month.

Naresh Bhatt is facing charges of concealing a dead body in connection to the July 31 disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, according to Manassas Park police and the Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.  

Neither the police nor the prosecutor’s office detailed the evidence used to charge Mr. Bhatt. 

Officials said the suspect will be arraigned Friday.

The couple’s 1-year-old daughter has been handed over to the county’s Social Services department. 

Manassas Park officers were seen leading Mr. Bhatt out of his home in handcuffs around 11 a.m. Thursday after authorities searched the home overnight.

Prosecutor Amy Ashworth told reporters outside the home that investigators still didn’t know the whereabouts of the missing 28-year-old woman or even whether she is alive.

The family’s home had been cordoned off by crime scene tape since Wednesday evening when authorities were scouring for clues about what happened to Mrs. Bhatt.

Hours earlier, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo named the husband as a person of interest in the case. 

He added that Mr. Bhatt had become uncooperative with the investigation that had stretched past three weeks. 

Mrs. Bhatt’s coworkers first called the police for a welfare check on Aug. 2 when the working nurse missed her shift at the UVA Health Prince William Medical Center.

Mr. Bhatt originally told authorities his wife wasn’t missing because he hadn’t exhausted all search options, according to local Fox affiliate WTTG. He formally reported her missing on Aug. 5.

A missing person’s flier describes Mrs. Bhatt as 5 feet tall and 132 pounds with black hair and dark brown eyes.