No Body, No Remains: Naresh Bhatt Trial Begins Without Wife's Body as Prosecutors Cite Blood and Saw Evidence

More than two years after Mamta Kafle Bhatt disappeared, prosecutors are preparing to try her husband for murder without having recovered her body.

Naresh Bhatt's long-awaited murder trial is beginning in Virginia, with prosecutors preparing to build their case around blood evidence, a handheld power saw and the movements they say Bhatt made after his wife disappeared.

Bhatt is accused of killing his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old nurse and mother, inside their Manassas Park home in July 2024 before allegedly dismembering and concealing her body. Mamta's remains have never been recovered.

Bhatt has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

He is due to be formally arraigned on Monday before jury selection begins in Prince William County Circuit Court. Around 300 prospective jurors have been summoned for a trial expected to last approximately seven weeks.

Prosecutors Will Try Murder Case Without Mamta's Body

Mamta was last seen during a video call on 29 July 2024.

Her disappearance triggered extensive searches across Northern Virginia before investigators increasingly focused on the home she shared with Bhatt and their young daughter.

Bhatt was initially arrested in August 2024 and charged with concealing a dead body. A grand jury later indicted him on additional charges including murder and physically defiling a body.

Prosecutors allege Mamta was killed inside the couple's home, despite investigators never finding her remains.

That means jurors will be asked to decide a murder case largely through forensic and circumstantial evidence.

Blood Evidence Could Become Central to Trial

Investigators have said testing found Mamta's blood in areas of the couple's bedroom and bathroom.

During the early investigation, prosecutors described apparent blood pooling and spatter in the bedroom, traces leading towards the bathroom and evidence detected inside the shower.

A separate piece of evidence expected to draw particular attention is a handheld reciprocating power saw seized during the investigation. According to court filings, blood found on parts of the saw yielded a DNA mixture profile consistent with a profile derived from Mamta's hairbrush.

The forensic report put the reported chance of an unrelated person matching the saw's DNA mixture profile at less than one in eight billion. Bhatt and the couple's daughter were excluded as contributors to the sample tested from the saw.

Additional testing disclosed in 2026 found human hairs and hair fragments on the tool, with several hairs referred for further DNA analysis.

Trash Bags, Knives and Video Evidence Also Expected

Prosecutors have also outlined evidence relating to Bhatt's movements in the days surrounding Mamta's disappearance.

Investigators say surveillance footage showed him disposing of bags in dumpsters away from the couple's home. Prosecutors have previously said he purchased knives and heavy-duty rubbish bags during the same period and later placed bags into a rubbish compactor.

The prosecution is expected to call forensic specialists, blood-pattern experts and mapping analysts to help jurors understand evidence they say reconstructs Bhatt's movements before and after Mamta disappeared.

Bhatt's defence will have the opportunity to challenge the interpretation, reliability and relevance of that evidence.

Domestic Violence Claims Could Surface in Court

One of the final disputes before trial concerned whether prosecutors could refer to allegations of domestic violence during jury selection and opening statements.

Bhatt's lawyers sought to restrict such references, arguing they could prejudice prospective jurors before the evidence was heard.

Judge Kimberly Irving rejected the broader request, while making clear the defence could object during trial if prosecutors failed to establish the basis for particular claims. The case now moves from more than two years of investigation and pre-trial litigation to a jury.

With no body recovered, the central question will be whether prosecutors can use forensic evidence, digital records and Bhatt's alleged movements to prove not only that Mamta is dead, but that her husband killed her.