Two days after a Manassas Park man was charged with concealing a body in relation to his wife’s disappearance — community members gathered to honor the missing woman.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a 28-year-old mother and nurse from Manassas Park, Virginia, has been missing since July 31. On Thursday, Prince William County police confirmed her husband, Naresh Bhatt, had been charged with a felony count of prohibition against concealment of a dead body.
The event co-organizer, Mamta’s former co-worker Holly Wirth, said Saturday’s event was originally planned before Naresh’s arrest as a call to action.
“When we heard what developments there were, we quickly shifted to coming together peacefully,” Wirth said.
The event, which drew hundreds to Signal Hill Park, gave the community a place to pause and reflect. Wirth said it was a day about focusing on love and positivity, not a memorial.
When Wirth originally requested the park for the event, organizers thought 50 people might show up. To her surprise, hundreds flooded into the park’s pavilion.
Midway through the event, organizers had to shift participants to a hill in the park when the pavilion became too full.
“Mamta has a big, emotional family. We care about her. She is loved. And, also, we have a big responsibility to take care of Mini Mamta,” event co-organizer and former co-worker Sunita Basnet Thapa said.
“Mini Mamta” is the name organizers gave to identify Mamta’s daughter, who they’re raising money for through a GoFundMe.
Co-workers and members of the local Nepali community shared prayers and memories of Mamta. Many also spoke about bringing attention to domestic violence.
“It’s OK to feel really hurt and angry and every other feeling that you have,” Virginia State Sen. Danica Roem said to the crowd. “Especially the women who are here who knew something was wrong immediately and really, really raised their voices consistently and persistently to flag something that we should have recognized right from the start … you need your community the most.”
Wirth said another goal of the group is to ultimately find Mamta, whose body has not been recovered.
“We want to focus on joy, finding Mamta. We know she’s out there,” Wirth said. “We still want to find her, but we’re trying to focus on love and positivity today.”
