Husband Found Guilty of Murdering Missing Virginia Mom After Admitting He Dismembered Her Body

More than two years after 28-year-old nurse and mother Mamta Kafle Bhatt vanished, her husband has been found guilty of murdering her. Naresh Bhatt, 39, was convicted of first-degree murder on November 10, 2026, along with charges of concealing and defiling a dead body. The verdict came just days after he made a shocking admission during his own testimony: he had dismembered his wife’s body and attempted to dispose of her remains.

Mamta was last seen in July 2024 in Manassas, Virginia, where she lived with her husband and their infant daughter. Her disappearance came to light in early August after she failed to show up for work, prompting colleagues to request a welfare check. Her family and friends quickly became concerned, especially because she had been preparing to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday. Despite extensive searches and a lengthy investigation, Mamta’s remains have never been recovered.

For much of the investigation, Naresh denied knowing what had happened to his wife. But during the six-week trial, he took the witness stand and offered a different account. He claimed that he woke up in the early hours of July 30, 2024, and found Mamta unconscious on the bedroom floor, surrounded by vomit and pills, with an insecticide packet nearby. He testified that he tried to revive her for about an hour but eventually panicked and decided to conceal her body rather than call emergency services.

Naresh admitted using knives and a reciprocating saw to cut up Mamta’s body after allegedly realizing it would not fit inside a trash container. He said he placed the remains into multiple garbage bags and disposed of them in a trash compactor at an apartment complex. He also acknowledged taking their young daughter with him on some of the trips. Although he admitted concealing and dismembering his wife’s body, he insisted that he had not killed her and claimed she had died by suicide.

Prosecutors strongly disputed that explanation, arguing that Naresh deliberately killed Mamta before attempting to hide what happened. During the trial, they presented forensic evidence from the couple’s home, internet search histories, and a power saw that investigators said contained suspected blood and hair fragments. Prosecutors also pointed to text messages between the couple that they argued revealed serious conflict in the marriage and helped establish a possible motive. After hearing testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, jurors rejected Naresh’s account and found him guilty of all three charges.

Following the verdict, Mamta’s family members embraced in the courtroom as the long-awaited decision was announced. Naresh now faces the possibility of life in prison for first-degree murder, with additional penalties possible for the other convictions. His sentencing is scheduled for March 12, 2027, and the judge revoked his bond. Although the verdict brings a major development in the case, Mamta’s remains have still not been found, leaving her family without the chance to bring her home for a final farewell.