The evidence was recovered from a reciprocating saw seized from the Manassas Park home where prosecutors say Mamta Kafle Bhatt was killed.

MANASSAS PARK, Va. — Investigators found human hairs and hair fragments on a handheld power saw seized from the home of a Virginia man charged with killing his wife, a new forensic report filed in court says.

The report adds a fresh layer to the case against Naresh Bhatt, 39, who is accused of killing 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt, concealing her body and physically defiling a dead body. Her remains have not been found. Prosecutors are building a case that relies on forensic testing, surveillance, digital records and statements made after Mamta vanished in late July 2024.

The April 29 forensic report says examiners recovered three human hairs, 13 human hair fragments, apparent fibers and debris from a reciprocating saw found in the Bhatts’ home. The report says the three hairs may be suitable for nuclear DNA testing and were sent for further analysis. Kelly Knight, a professor in George Mason University’s Forensic Science Program, said the finding could matter because usable hair evidence is not always found at crime scenes. “Three hairs is more than enough to get a DNA profile,” Knight said in an interview about the report.

The hair fragments were not found suitable for DNA testing, according to the report, but investigators sent the hairs to the Forensic Biology Section for more work. The results have not been released. Earlier testing on the same saw had already drawn attention from prosecutors. An October 2024 forensic report found blood on parts of the reciprocating saw. Investigators compared DNA from those stains with a profile developed from Mamta’s hairbrush. Naresh Bhatt and the couple’s young daughter were eliminated as contributors or major contributors to stained swabs from the saw, while Mamta could not be eliminated.

Authorities have not publicly identified a murder weapon. Prosecutors have said the saw is part of a wider pattern of evidence that points to a killing inside the couple’s Manassas Park home, about 30 miles southwest of Washington. A reciprocating saw is a handheld tool whose blade moves back and forth and is commonly used to cut wood, drywall and other material. Investigators believe Mamta was killed in the home and that her body was dismembered and moved, though the precise location of her remains remains unknown.

Mamta was last seen on July 27, 2024, at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas, where she worked as a nurse. A friend received two calls from her phone the next day, and her frequent social media activity stopped on July 29. On Aug. 2, after she missed work, her supervisor asked police to check on her. Officers went to the home, where Naresh Bhatt answered the door while holding the couple’s child. Body camera footage later released showed him telling officers that his wife might have gone to New York or Texas and that the couple was separating.

Investigators later said they found blood evidence inside the home and signs that a body had been dragged from the master bedroom to a bathroom. Prosecutors also have described surveillance video they say shows Naresh Bhatt discarding plastic and trash bags after dropping the child off with a babysitter on July 30, 2024. Later that evening, prosecutors said, he bought a 40-pack of extra strong black trash bags. Earlier that day, he had bought knives after shopping at Home Depot and Walmart. The next morning, investigators said, video showed him retrieving bags from his Tesla and putting them in a trash compactor.

Naresh Bhatt was arrested Aug. 22, 2024, on a charge of concealing a dead body. A grand jury later indicted him on murder and defiling-a-body charges. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody while the case moves through Prince William County Circuit Court. Defense attorneys have sought more time to review a large volume of discovery, including digital records. A judge delayed the trial until October 2026, with pretrial proceedings continuing before jury selection.

The new forensic report is likely to be debated in court before trial. Prosecutors may use any DNA result from the hairs to strengthen their account of what happened inside the home. The defense may challenge how the evidence was collected, stored or interpreted. The absence of Mamta’s body also leaves central questions unresolved, including where her remains are and whether any new searches will follow from the forensic testing.

Mamta’s disappearance has drawn steady attention in Northern Virginia and in the Nepali community, where supporters have held searches, vigils and courthouse gatherings. Her family and friends have described her as a nurse, mother and active social media user whose sudden silence was alarming. Supporters have continued to attend hearings, saying the delay has added to the pain of a case already marked by uncertainty.

The next milestone is expected in Prince William County Circuit Court as lawyers argue over evidence before jurors hear the case. The case now stands on pending forensic analysis, earlier blood evidence and a trial set for October 2026.

Author note: Last updated June 22, 2026.