MANASSAS PARK, Va. (7News) — The mother and brother of missing 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt of Manassas Park entered the country from Nepal on emergency visas and have been reunited with Bhatt’s 1-year-old daughter, according to the family’s immigration attorney.
Mamta has been missing since last month and police said she was presumed dead after her husband was arrested and charged with violating the ban on corpse concealment.
Immigration attorney Bandita Sharma Dahal told 7News she immediately went to work to expedite the visa process so that Mamta’s mother and brother could come to the U.S. from Nepal to help care for Mamta’s baby.
Dahal said Mamta’s family members arrived on Tuesday and made the following statement:
We want to let everyone know that Mamta’s mother and brother are reunited with Mini Mamta. We request the public and media to give them privacy. They will come forward when they feel comfortable. We will not disclose their whereabouts at this time. They are in unimaginable pain so please be kind to them.
#justiceformatta
Dahal said custody of the baby is currently with a friend of Mamta.
One of Mamta’s friends has set up a GoFundMe campaign for Mamta’s daughter, which you can find here.
Naresh Bhatt, the baby’s father and Mamta’s husband, is due to appear in court again on Thursday morning.
Prosecutors have painted a gruesome picture of pools of blood mopped up in the couple’s master bedroom and bathroom. Naresh’s public defender argues prosecutors do not even know where Mamta is or whether the blood in the house was hers.
According to Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo, police have conducted several searches for Mamta and are continuing to search for her.
“We are following up on the tips we receive and continuing to investigate this case,” Lugo said in an email to 7News on Tuesday.
“I never thought something like this would happen here,” said Holly Giehler, who lives in the neighborhood. “I know it’s a cliche, but I never thought something like this would happen here. And I walk by here all the time and I never imagined what was going on here.”
