Virginia man charged with murder of wife, months after she disappeared

A Virginia man who allegedly looked up “How long does it take to get married after your spouse dies” online before his wife disappeared has been charged with murder.

Naresh Bhatt, 37, was charged Monday with first-degree murder and physical defilement of a corpse. This is in addition to the charges he received in August for hiding a body – although authorities still have not found his wife’s remains, WUSA9 reported.

Three months before 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt went missing, Naresh Bhatt was searching on his work laptop: “How long does it take to get married after spouse dies?” and “What happens to late spouse’s debts,” they said Prosecutors.

Authorities said Mamta Kafle Bhatt likely died in a bloody fight at the couple’s home in July. Blood found in the couple’s bedroom and bathroom matched Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s DNA, and an examination showed her body was likely dismembered, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo said.

“The Prince William County Forensic Division said it was one of the worst crime scenes they had ever seen. That was a statement they made on the day Naresh was arrested,” he said.

Although her body was not recovered by authorities, Lugo said the DNA results were the catalyst for the two new charges.

The 28-year-old has not been seen since July 29th, but her husband only reported her missing on August 5th.

Prosecutors also accused Naresh Bhatt of going to Walmart on July 30 to buy three knives, two of which were missing. The next day, he was caught on surveillance footage buying cleaning supplies at another Walmart, prosecutors said.

Authorities said they have been searching intensively for Mamta Kafle Bhatt for months, but Lugo says they do not believe she is still alive.

“Searches – we’ve done over 10. We did grid searches – searches with K9s,” Lugo said. “As far as search warrants and subpoenas go, I think we’re probably pushing for 30 that we’ve submitted and received information on.”

The couple had been together for more than three years and had a one-year-old daughter together, who has been in the care of Mamta Kafle Bhatt’s family ever since.

“My heart is hurt,” her grieving mother Gita Kafle told WUSA9 last month.

“She was a very hard-working, very beautiful (and) very honest person. She aspired to be someone great and she worked really hard and she could be that. I don’t know what to say because I can never forget her, but whenever I think about it, I feel sorrow.”