Family, community continue desperate search for missing Manassas woman
UPDATE: Husband of missing Manassas Park woman charged with concealing a dead body
MANASSAS, Va. - -----------------------------
The friends and family of a Virginia woman missing for two weeks said they want more transparency in how the investigation is going.
Mamta Kafle, 28, was last seen on July 31. Her husband Naresh Bhatt said she works in healthcare and he now works in IT, so he’s used to both of them working long and sometimes irregular hours while caring for their 11-month-old daughter.
"I don’t have any words. I don’t have any words," Bhatt said. "Mentally, emotionally, physically, whatever it is, I’m suffering from a lot."
When his wife did not come home Thursday, Aug. 1, Bhatt said he looked for her in the neighborhood and assumed that she may have gone to a neighbor’s house. When he did not find her, he told FOX 5 he thought she might have needed some time to herself.
READ MORE: Family questions timeline of Manassas mother's disappearance
"That’s the problem. We do not have any conflict. It’s been like since April. We don’t any kind of argument. We do not have that," he said.
The next day on Friday, Aug. 2, Bhatt said police came to his home after a coworker called police worried and asked for a welfare check. FOX 5 asked Bhatt why he did not officially report his missing until Monday, Aug. 5.
Search continues for missing Manassas Park woman
The search continues for missing northern Virginia mother Mamta Kafle who was last seen at her Manassas Park home over two weeks ago. Her husband reported her missing to police several days later. FOX 5's Nana-Séntuo Bonsu has what investigators are revealing.
He told FOX 5 he thought he was following the instructions of police when they spoke Friday and that he reported it once efforts to find her had been exhausted.
"I have only one message for her. If you are anywhere, if you able to listen to this…for my baby, you got to be here as soon as possible," he said Wednesday.
On Wednesday, about 80 community members gathered outside of the Manassas Park Police Dept. hoping to hear from police on the case. There were moments of frustration and anger, as some say they are growing more concerned with each passing day that Mamta remains missing.
Sarita Neupane, a co-worker and close friend of Kafle, told the crowd Kafle had left home in the past. She stayed with her earlier this year for a few days but at the time, family members knew where she was.
READ MORE: Search intensifies for missing mother in Northern Virginia
This time, nobody knows where Kafle is and Neupane said that’s why friends and family believe there’s a reason to be concerned.
"After a couple of weeks after that, she left again. She went to Falls Church," she said. "She stayed for eight days. Her husband was able to follow her. He convinced her they were going to work it out. This was all of the conversation in February."
FOX 5 was there when police were at the couple’s home Wednesday. Bhatt said they asked him about their routine and relationship, which he said he has disclosed to investigators.
When asked whether police had updates on the investigation Wednesday, Manassas Park police chief Mario Lugo said there were no updates Wednesday.
"Detectives are following up on some leads. If anything develops, I will let you know," an email to FOX 5 reads.
FOX 5 followed up Wednesday afternoon to see if the police would speak with the crowd gathered outside of the police department, but we have not heard back as of this writing.