One year later: Mamta Kafle Bhatt still missing, husband awaits murder trial

MANASSAS PARK, Va. (DC News Now) — This week marks one year since Manassas Park mother Mamta Kafle Bhatt went missing. After dozens of searches in the months that followed, her husband, Naresh Bhatt, is now awaiting trial on murder charges, though her body has never been found.

Earlier this month, a Prince William County judge pushed back his trial by more than a year, now scheduled for next fall in October 2026.

A timeline, laid out by police and prosecutors, says Mamta was last heard from during phone calls around this time one year ago, making calls to friends and to family back in Nepal.

In the days and weeks that followed her disappearance, a new family formed in Northern Virginia: searching and fighting for answers for Mamta.

Mamta’s community of supporters started with ground searches in early August 2024, looking for signs of her around Manassas Park.

Support at those searches quickly turned into support in packed courtroom hearings, after Naresh was charged with concealing a dead body, about three weeks after she went missing.

In December 2024, those were upgraded to murder charges, though Mamta has never been found.

Prosecutors say they found large amounts of blood in the Bhatt home, damning Google searches, purchases Naresh made at local stores, along with evidence of abuse in their relationship.

One year later, one of Mamta’s biggest advocates, Holly Wirth, says she’s waiting for justice. Wirth participated in early searches for Mamta and has attended many of the court hearings since.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been a year without her, and unfortunately, we really don’t have answers. We don’t have Mamta back. I think, to me, that’s one of the hardest things, is knowing it’s been 365 days and we still haven’t had any closure as far as where she is and what exactly happened,” said Wirth.

Holly Wirth has been an outspoken supporter of Mamta’s and hopes to keep her story in the headlines.

“While we don’t know exactly what happened in the home, we do know there was domestic violence. At the end of the day, if there are people [who] are victims in their home, I hope they hear Mamta’s story and stand up and step out of their vulnerable situation,” said Wirth.

DC News Now reached out to the Manassas Park Police Department on Tuesday for an interview and updates in the case. We have not yet heard back.