Recently filed court documents detail DNA and blood evidence were submitted to Virginia’s forensics lab in the case against the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a Manassas Park mother who has been missing since July.
Earlier this month, Naresh Bhatt, 37, was indicted by a Prince William County grand jury on the charges of murder and physically defiling a dead body. Bhatt was charged in August with concealing the body of his 28-year-old wife, whose body still hasn’t been found.
This week, prosecutors filed four certificate of analysis reports from the commonwealth’s Department of Forensic Science, which provides insight to evidence police believe they have in the case against a defendant.
Items submitted include Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s hairbrush, since an item she used often would likely contain her DNA on the brush handle, as well as strands of hair.
Buccal swabs taken from inside the cheek of Naresh Bhatt, as well as the couple’s young daughter, were submitted.
Swabs from a garbage can were found to have blood inside them. Prosecutors have outlined evidence of a cleanup of a bloody scene in the couple’s home.
Also submitted to the crime lab was a piece of carpet with blood on it that prosecutors said was Mamta’s. While DNA doesn’t rule out Mamta and her daughter as contributors, “No conclusions can be made regarding Naresh Bhatt as a possible contributor to this DNA mixture profile.”
Prosecutors said they have video of Bhatt dropping several plastic and trash bags into a dumpster after dropping the couple’s child off with a babysitter on July 30.
Later that evening, according to Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Sarah Sami, Naresh Bhatt purchased a “40-pack of extra strong black trash bags.” The heavy-duty trash bags were in addition to a set of knives he bought earlier in the day after shopping at Home Depot and Walmart.
On July 31, at 1:30 a.m., Naresh Bhatt was also caught on video retrieving bags from his Tesla and putting them into a trash compactor, according to investigators.
Bhatt’s trial for murder, physically defiling a dead body, and concealing a dead body is scheduled to begin in Sept. 2025.
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