LURAY, Va. — This week, a Northern Virginia man was convicted of murdering his wife, whose 2024 disappearance led investigators to consider the Battle Creek landfill as a possible location for her remains.
Naresh Bhatt was found guilty on Tuesday of first-degree murder in the death of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old nurse and mother from Manassas Park.
Jurors also convicted him of concealing and defiling her body.
Bhatt, 39, insists that he did not kill his wife, claiming he found her dead, dismembered her body, and disposed of her remains in the trash.
Mamta was last seen July 27, 2024, after finishing her shift at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas.
Authorities conducted a welfare check on August 2, but Bhatt did not report his wife missing until August 5.
He claimed he had last seen her July 31.
The investigation included searches of the couple’s home, backyard and several trash disposal sites in Northern Virginia.
In March of 2025, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo told FOX 5 DC that investigators, working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, had turned their attention to the Page County Landfill in Luray.
Lugo said investigators believed trash containing Mamta’s remains may have been transported there, but determining its exact location would be difficult because waste from Northern Virginia was transferred between trucks before reaching its final destination.
On March 20, 2025, the Page County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement confirming its involvement.
“The Page County Sheriff’s Office is committed to assisting the Manassas Park Police Department and the FBI in the search for the remains of Ms. Mamta Bhatt,” the department said.
The sheriff’s office noted that the landfill was one of several final disposal sites for waste from Northern Virginia companies and emphasized that Manassas Park police remained the lead agency in the investigation.
Mamta’s body has never been found.
A GoFundMe has been started to create a memorial trust for the couple’s daughter, who is now three.
Bhatt faces up to life in prison for the murder conviction and an additional five years for each of the two charges involving his wife’s remains.
He’s due to be sentenced in March.
