Search continues for missing Virginia woman, her husband accused of hiding body

MANASSAS PARK, Va. — It’s been more than a month since a Virginia woman went missing. Authorities say she likely died in a bloody fight at her Manassas Park home.

Police are still searching for the body of Mamta Bhatt, 28, a mother and pediatric nurse who was last seen in late July, The Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, her husband, Naresh Bhatt, 37, is in jail and charged with concealing a body.

The investigation has drawn international attention. It is also drawing scrutiny from defense attorney Naresh Bhatt, who told a judge last week that the crime charge against his client “demands a delay.”

“Put simply, they are dealing with blood,” said Shalev Ben-Avraham, a senior assistant public defender representing Naresh Bhatt, the Post reported.

But Prince William County Prosecutor Sarah Sami told a judge that the amount of blood found in the home in the northern suburbs of Virginia, the nation’s capital, indicated “non-survivable injuries.”

Naresh Bhatt waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will remain in custody without bail until his next hearing in early October.

NBC Washington reported that as part of the ongoing missing persons investigation, officers searched a local park over the weekend.