Family and friends of a missing Manassas Park, Virginia, woman gathered Friday to mark the two-year anniversary of her disappearance.
Many at the vigil, held at the Manassas Park police station, were wearing red, which was Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s favorite color. Supporters, like her friend and former co-worker, Holly Wirth, spoke about their pain and how much they miss her.
“Mamta may not physically be here with us, but I can tell you her light is shining bright,” Wirth told the crowd.
Mamta Bhatt, a nurse and mother, is presumed dead, but her body has never been found. She was last heard from July 29, 2024.
Over the next two days, surveillance video showed her husband, Naresh Bhatt, visiting several stores, where he bought garbage bags, carpet cleaner, two pairs of rubber gloves and a three-pack of knives, according to prosecutors. Police recovered one of those knives, the other two were never found.
Court documents say surveillance cameras in Northern Virginia also captured Bhatt dumping bags of trash at several dumps and trash compactor sites, including one in Falls Church at 1:30 a.m.
Investigators say Bhatt’s internet searches included a diagram of the human brain and “chicken farm near me.” In the months before Mamta Bhatt’s disappearance, he also searched what happens to financial debt if someone disappears and how divorce proceedings are affected when a spouse goes missing.
Naresh Bhatt, was charged with murder and other charges. He goes on trial in October.
On July 10, a Prince William County Circuit Court judge on Friday said she is inclined to allow audio and podcast recording devices in the courtroom for Naresh Bhatt’s 25-day jury trial.
Speaking through a translator at the vigil was Mamta’s mother Gita Kafle.
“Whoever did this to my daughter, he has to get punished. I have been waiting for that day,” Kafle said.
Another supporter of the family, Prabha Bhattari, said those who care about Mamta, will never let up until they receive justice: “The grieving continues going on for all of us until the justice is done.”
Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo also spoke at the vigil.
“We stand with Mamta’s family and loved ones as they remember her life, not how it ended but the kindness, love, strength she brought to those around her,” Lugo said.
Court records indicate blood was found on a reciprocating saw in the home. Police said other evidence expected to be presented at trial will show Naresh Bhatt killed his wife and dismembered her body.
People who attended the vigil held up signs that read, “Two years gone, but your love stays,” and “Gone too soon, but never forgotten.”
WTOP’s Diane Morris contributed to this report.
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