Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - MISSING MOM MAMTA, 28: "PINK STAIN" ON CARPET, BLOODY BATHTUB SEIZED, HUSBAND SUSPECT

Episode Date: August 26, 2024

Investigators searching for Mamta Bhatt arrived at her home with search warrants and were shocked to find the house in disarray upon entering the front door. They noticed packed luggage and, in plain view, passports belonging to Mamta's husband, Naresh, and their daughter, Neema. Inside the home, officers used Bluestar Technology, a forensic tool that reveals invisible blood traces at crime scenes, uncovering pools of blood and blood spatter throughout the house. In the master bedroom, the bed had been moved to block access to the closet. After moving the bed, detectives observed a light pink stain on the carpet, which they suspected to be blood. Following the discovery of the light pink stain in the master bedroom, investigators noticed what appeared to be a blood trail leading from the bedroom to the master bathroom. Using Bluestar technology in the bathroom, detectives were shocked as the entire bathroom floor illuminated with what appeared to be blood. In the master bathroom, investigators carefully removed the bathtub and confirmed, with the naked eye, what they believed to be blood—not only around the tub area but also trapped in the caulking. Investigators suspect that Naresh Bhatt killed his wife, dragged her body, creating a blood trail, and concealed it in a location that has yet to be discovered. Although the body has not been found, investigators believe the amount of blood detected in the master bedroom and bathroom is inconsistent with survival. Naresh Bhatt has been charged with murdering his wife and concealing her body. Joining Nancy Grace today:  Nadia Navarro - Friend of Mamta and GoFundMe organizer Adrian Pokharel - Acquaintance of Mamta’s husband Dr. Angela Arnold – Psychiatrist, Atlanta GA. Expert in the Treatment of Pregnant/Postpartum Women, Former Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology: Emory University, Former Medical Director of The Psychiatric Ob-Gyn Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital Brian Fitzgibbons – Search and Rescue expert; Vice President, Operations, USPA Nationwide Security; Instagram: uspa_nationwide_security Nana-Sentuo Bonsu - Reporter for FOX 5 Washington D.C. Station Website: X https://x.com/NSBonsu_/IG - https://www.instagram.com/nsbonsu_/?hl=en   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The missing mom, Momta, just 28. In the last hours, we learned about a pink stain, according to police, on the carpet in the home. We also learn, invisible to the naked eye but discovered with luminol, blood specks on the bathroom caulking. That bathtub now seized by police. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. Mamda is an incredibly dedicated person. Being a nurse was her absolute dream and she was

completely committed to it. You don't become a NICU nurse without being a very, very dedicated nurse. And the gender reveal had already happened. They knew they were having a baby girl. Nothing was going to stop her. Where is Mamta? In the last hours, disturbing evidence is being uncovered. We learn not only has Luminol detected blood in the bathroom, The bathtub has been seized. Also issues regarding blood traces in the master bedroom. Again, thank you for being with us in our search for Momta. If you know or think you have evidence on her whereabouts, tip line 703-361-1136. Repeat 703-361-1136. Repeat, 703-361-1136.

Recall, her entire family lives in Nepal. She's got nobody. The search for her was launched by her friends at a baby shower. They banded together to bring her case to the national forefront and they have. What does her husband have to say? Listen to our friends at WUSA. Yeah it's been very terrible time you know like we are just you know like my baby and then myself we are just waiting minute and second every minute and second just waiting like to get the you know I don't know how to explain.

And more from our friends at WUSA. Listen to Mamta's husband. I've been, like, you know, very good, like, you know, since, like, two months. You know, like, before that, you know, one time we had, like, some arguments because, you know, yeah. Do you want to grab her? Yeah. Now, I'm very curious about one other, well many other statements made by her husband Naresh Bhatt.

But I want you to hear this from WSA 9. I'm the sufferer one. I'm the suffering. My baby and then myself, you know, like we are suffering the most. She's the one missing. I'm hearing about invisible to the naked eye, blood in the bathtub, blood in the caulking around the edges of the bathtub, blood traces in the bedroom and he's suffering. Can I hear that one more time? This is Monta's husband speaking to WUSA 9. Listen.

I'm the sufferer one. I'm the sufferer. My baby and then myself, you know, like we are suffering the most. No, you're not. You are not suffering the most. That's just the kind of statement I don't want to hear. Joining me in all-star panel to make sense of what we know right now. But I've got to go.

Before I go to our investigative reporter, I've got to go straight out to one of Momta's dear friends who actually brought this case to the forefront, who has been looking for Momta, who has been at her own expense, been out there making digital flyers, putting them out, speaking for mom to has created a GoFundMe to help the organization of the search with me is Nadia Navarro. Did you hear the husband say, and I quote, I'm the suffering one. I'm suffering. We're suffering the most. What? I think he's a ridiculous man. Truly. I think a lot more than that. Can you expound?

He just has no empathy and he's tone deaf. Okay. You know what? I think that you are kind and gracious. I'm not. Let me go straight out to Adrian Pacquerel, who is an acquaintance of the husband. Mr. Pacquerel served 14 years in the U.S. Army, has been a congressional candidate and was an acquaintance with the husband, Naresh Bhatt. Mr. Pockerell, thank you for being with us. First of all, you believe that you have been misconstrued in the press.

And I want to get to that in just one moment. But first, I want to deal with the facts before us. His wife is missing. The mother of his child. Did you have any idea this guy would come out with a statement, I'm the one suffering? First of all, thank you for having me. The statement, the guy, pretty much if you ask me, I would call him a psychopath. Completely a lot of lies there, a lot of lies.

He's lying again and again. Even the conversation he was having with some of the veterans who decided to step in to ensure the baby's protected. We did not know the extreme. He has gone, but we definitely have a doubt that he has something to do with it because. Well, hold on. Let me be very clear, Mr. Pockerill, before you go any further. Sure. When you have a friend or an acquaintance and you know them in routine life, you may

have no idea that they have a dark side. In fact, having prosecuted many, many violent felonies, more than I can even count, and worked at the Batter Women's Center. One thing about batterers and abusers, they can be very charming. And I've got Scott Peterson on my mind. I don't know if you've ever heard of him, but he was convicted in murder of his wife and unborn son. Yet everybody that knows him other than Lacey's family think he was very charming, outgoing, the life of the party you would never suspect. So I'm very curious about this dichotomy, how someone can be so charming and likable to his friends, but then at home, he is a violent abuser. And again, this guy, Mamta's husband, Naresh Bhatt, has not been convicted of anything. And under our jurisprudence, he remains innocent until proven guilty. If, in fact, he ever goes to trial.

But back to what I'm asking to Adrian Pacquerel. You stated that you believe he lied to a group of veterans he was speaking to. What was he saying? So the first question we all ask is, do you have anything to do with it? Lots of other veterans asked the same thing. But I was just watching and trying to listen to his answer. Because I told him, no matter whatever it is, be honest. For me, we have, you know, ethos.

One of them is honesty. And I say, make sure you be honest whatever it is but he never answered that question like if somebody asked me about my spouse and it has anything to do with it most likely my expression would be are you out of your mind what are you trying to say you know those kind of things but he always say we haven't have any argument for since april four or five months he never say yes or no and that was the right there uh the indication that i picked okay he has something and joining me is a very dear friend of Momta's, Nadia Navarro, and a friend and acquaintance with the husband, Naresh Bhatt. So when you guys asked him, just be honest, did you have anything to do with it? He wouldn't say yes or no.

I never directly asked him. Hold on. I'm throwing this to Adrian. Sorry, Nadia. Adrian, so the question is did he ever did he never say yes or no that is correct he would never say yes or no he would always say we haven't had fight or even simple argument for four or five months and that is really the first thing i picked on the first time I met him in his house,

first time I went to his house with other veterans. Because before this event, I had probably met him about two to three times during the election. So you went into the home. When was that? So I was notified on the 6th by the MP Nepalese reporter. Like I said, I knew him as a Nepali veteran, Nepali-American veteran. There was a group. When I talk on the phone, I ask him,

because I'm a PTSD survivor and I'm a mental health advocate too, so I ask him if there's any bad thoughts in his head. He says, a human, you know, here and there. So I immediately wanted to sit down and talk to him and just to see, you know, his behavior and behavior to the child. So from there, my biggest focus became a child. So much ground to cover. Let's switch off what we know of the husband's questionable or curious behavior and talk about the evidence that we

believed was found in the home. Joining me is Nona Sentu Bonesu, investigative reporter of Fox 5. Nona, thank you for being with us. What's your understanding of what has been found inside Momta's home? Hi, Nancy. Thanks for having me. So a lot of different things came out in the court documents, but what we know for sure is that there were some blood stains found somewhere near the master bedroom and bathroom area. We also know that their bathtub has been taken away for evidence. We were actually outside, I believe it was Wednesday, when Prince William County Police and Manassas Park Police had the home taped off in costume tape, crime scene investigators going in and out with bags, paper bags, plastic bags, gloves, coming out of the house with carpet

and different items from inside the residence. But what we know for sure is that there was some form of bloodstains found in the master bedroom and that bathroom. Joining me is Nana Santu-Bonesu from Fox 5. Also with me, Brian Fitzgibbons, Director of Operations, USPA, Nationwide Security. Brian, thank you so much for being with us. Have you analyzed the evidence that you were learning about, taken from the home and discovered in the home? Yeah, thank you for having me, Nancy. In addition to that blood, investigators found a tremendous amount of digital evidence, and that's going to be crucial in this case as they piece together Naresh's activities in the last days that they were sure that Mamta was at that residence. You know, that's very cryptic, Brian Fitzgibbons, and we have one

hour to cover the evidence. Brian Fitzgibbons, when you say there was a lot of digital evidence, let's just break it down. Are you referring to searches made on Google, on Naresh Bhatt's computer, on his devices, such as how long to marry after spouse dies? That search, that digital search. Are you more concerned with what happened debt after spouse dies? What happened debt after spouse dies? What happened debt after spouse dies? How long to marry after spouse dies? Those are the Google searches among many others that we have just learned about. Is that troubling to you? Is that the digital evidence? Are you referring to the ping, P-I-N-G evidence?

This is going to be everything, Nancy. So you have the ping in Loudoun County, 10 to 15 miles to the north as a potential disposal site. And you're dealing with these Google searches, which resonate and sound quite a bit like the Brian Walsh case in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Guys, we are talking about the evidence found inside the home. Brian Fitzgibbons has led us to another prong of the evidence, and that is digital evidence. You know what I like about digital evidence and blood evidence? It cannot be refuted. You might want to put a spin on it, but it cannot be refuted, Brian Fitzgibbons. That's correct, Nancy. There's going to be a, we call it digital exhaust from Naresh's activities immediately following whatever happened

with Manta that led to her disappearance. And it seems like investigators have a mountain of this right now. Discovering a pink stain on the carpet in the master bedroom, investigators notice what appears to be a blood trail leading from the bedroom to the master bedroom's bathroom. Using Blue Star technology in the bathroom, detectives are shocked as the entire bathroom floor is illuminated with what appears to be blood. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The last time I spoke to her was July 28th. Got a call from a friend I met at Mom Says Baby Shower. According to her co-workers, she did not show up for her shift on the 1st.

I thought that was impossible. She would never have missed a shift. I mean, nobody knew that she was missing. Her neighbors were not even aware. Her next-door neighbors had no idea. I wasn't going to let that happen. Where is missing mom Mamta? Is she alive?

Is there any chance she is still alive? Listen to what we've learned. Investigators looking for Mamta Abbott arrive at her home with search warrants and walking in the front door are shocked to see the home in disarray. It appears that luggage has been packed and in plain view for all to see. Passports for Mamta's husband Naresh and their daughter Nima. Officers inside the home use Blue Star technology, a forensic kit allowing criminal investigation technicians with a complete tool to reveal the presence of invisible blood traces at a crime scene, uncovering pools of blood and blood spatter in the home. In the master bedroom, the bed is moved to obstruct access to the closet. After moving the bed, detectives observe a light pink

stain on the carpet they suspect to be blood. Straight A to Brian Fitzgibbons joining us, Director of Operations, USPA Nationwide Security. Brian, and to all of our guests, thank you for being with us. And to Nadia Navarro, who is a very dear friend of Momto's. I know this evidence must be overwhelming to you to hear about bloodstains and potential pools of blood and peeing evidence. And it just goes on and on. Is there a chance Momta is alive? Brian, if you could explain Blue Star Technology. Blue Star Technology, Nancy, is very similar to Luminol. And this is one of the most

effective new blood reagents in the markets used by crime scene techs that's going to have very high sensitivity to detect traces of blood that would be not seen by the naked eye. You know, I'm very curious. One thing that is disturbing among so many is the potential cleanup, blood, for instance, in the case of Jennifer Dulos, a missing mom of five out of Connecticut, there was a vast quantity of blood in her garage and blood elsewhere in her home. She and her husband were separated at that time. Based on the amount of blood that was found in her garage, it was easily deduced

that wherever she was, she was no longer alive. To Nana, same to Bonesu joining us from Fox 5, a lot of items were taken from the home. We know in particular,

police are looking at the bathtub and the bedroom carpet. What can you tell us about items removed from the home? You know, right now we've asked about these items that were pulled out of their home. And police, like they've been doing for the past couple of weeks, aren't sharing too much information with us. But what we gathered is that this is all evidence that will be used in this investigation. But while we were at the house, we also saw that police spent a lot of time in the garage.

They actually took some cardboard papers to cover the windows so that the news crews outside couldn't see what was going on in this garage. So in addition to this bathtub and the carpets that they removed from the house, we know that they were focusing in this garage area. What exactly was going on? We don't know. But it's also important to note that court documents showed, as well as neighbors informed us, that Naresh sold his Tesla not

too long before police showed up to the house with that search warrant. Not a sentient boncee, you're absolutely correct. Listen. On August 19th, Nourish Bhatt sells his Tesla and friends say he inquires about selling his house as well. When investigators arrive to serve the search warrant, detectives find what can only be described as a chaotic scene. The home appears packed with a suitcase and passports for both Bhatt and his daughter visible. Additionally, police speak to two individuals who claim Naresh Bott discusses selling his home the same day he sold his Tesla. To Dr. Angela Arnold joining us, renowned psychiatrist out of the Atlanta jurisdiction.

You can find her at AngelaArnoldMD.com. Her specialty is dealing with women. Dr. Angie, thank you for being with us. Dr. Angie, all of that seems ominous, very ominous in light of the fact that no one can find Momta, that the passports were there, the suitcases were packed. What would you say, Dr. Angela Arnold, is the single most dangerous time for a woman that has been abused? Unfortunately, Nancy, the single most dangerous time for a woman that has been abused. Unfortunately, Nancy, the single most dangerous time for a woman is from the time they is pregnant to one year postpartum than any medical complication that the woman could have during that time. And I want women to know that homicide and suicide are the number one way that a woman in that time dies. Joining me is Nadia Navarro, friend of Momtos and who has engineered the GoFundMe. She organized that. Nadia, did you ever speak with the husband Naresh? Yes, I did.

Could you describe what happened? Well, it was at the baby's birthday party. And there were a lot of people there. Nobody wanted me to be alone with him. He said that he needed to speak to me privately, and he asked to speak to me alone, and I said later, but I didn't stick around. I left early, and he said he would call me. So Nadia Navarro, when you were at the baby's birthday party it was the first birthday party is that correct yes which is dr angie curious because it dovetails with what you just told us momta's baby girl had just turned one why is it that no one wanted you to be alone with not as but because everyone was suspicious of him. What about an incident where you took Mom to the, you were trying to take her to the spice store? He called me multiple times that day and he demanded that I turn back. And I basically said no and he was shocked and angry and he screamed at me.

What exactly did he say? It was in, he started screaming in Nepali. Did you know what he was saying? No, I had no idea. What was Mamta's reaction with him screaming into the phone? She got really quiet, and she apologized. I find that very curious. Okay, the part that, the part of what he said that was not in Nepali, what was he saying in English that you could understand?

He was he was like, what? I guess no one had really or maybe a woman hadn't said no to him before. What was he saying? Well, he was demanding that I turn around and I I'm my own person in my own car. I'm a grown woman. And I said, no, we're just going to the spice store. I don't, I don't want to turn around. Dr. Angela Arnold joining me, a renowned psychiatrist. You just told me that the most dangerous time for a woman in an abusive home is, I think you said leading up to pregnancy and up to one year after giving birth. I find that extraordinarily curious and possibly probative that the baby was just turning one when mom disappears.

It's horrible. You know, Nancy, what I'm wondering is what was happening in that home leading up to this? I am so curious about that. There are so many things that seem to be left unsaid right now. How did he treat her during the pregnancy? How did he treat her soon after the birth? And what in the world led up to this right before the baby turned one year old? Those are the questions that I'm wondering about right now. That's a question we've all been asking. Why did it take so long? She's now been away from her baby girl for quite some time. So this is a very concerning case. Every day that goes by, there's a baby that doesn't know where her mother is. The chances

of her coming home alive go down with every hour that passes and and i have really bad feelings for this mother because i don't believe she's alive at this point we are learning evidence uh fast and furious for one thing we're learning about those i say prob, which means it proves something. Other people may just call it curious. Google searches performed by the husband, Nadesh Bhatt. For instance, how long to marry after spouse dies? Also, what happened debt? D-E-B, brother T.

What happened debt after spouse dies? We are also learning that Momta's mother has just been granted an emergency visa and family is trying to get her from Nepal here on the scene. I'm also curious right now about what was seen inside the home. To not as sent to Bones who joining us from Fox 5 I'm going to circle back to you Brian Fitzgibbons regarding digital data phone data but not what more do we know about searches of the computers searches of phones and searches of the home. I understand when police arrived at the home, it's a very chaotic scene.

Bags were packed. Passports were out. What do you know? Yes, exactly, Nancy. There was a lot going on in the house, and it looked like someone who was ready to leave, to leave his home and to possibly leave the country because we understand that there were passports for him and his one-year-old daughter, Nima. But we're also learning recently that in court documents that there were a number of searches in his phone as well. That's that digital evidence. And one of the biggest concerns is that Google search about what happens to what appears to be debt, financial debt, if your spouse dies. So all of these things are now coming out. And I only believe we're going

to continue to hear more from prosecutors. And again, that presence that was outside the house, we know there has to be more. It can't just be this couple of rugs that we saw in this bathtub that was collected. I'm interested to see what exactly police and the prosecutors will continue to share with us when it comes to evidence. But, you know, we also heard going back to the digital really quickly that there was a trip to a nearby store or grocery store for cleaning supplies and knives and those kinds of things. So this is just part of the evidence that we're going to continue to learn more about as this case continues to go on. But the most recent things that we're hearing about are those Google searches. What happens to financial debt if your spouse dies? I'm very curious about the bathtub being taken out. That

most recently occurred in famous cases in the Rex Heuermann Long Island serial killer cases bathtub the entire bathroom was totally dismantled sometimes difficult to get evidence out of a bathtub drain or a sink drain but it can be done if it's done in time. We're going to learn a lot about that blood evidence. And we know that the blue star kit was used, a luminol search was done. We understand that a bed in the master bedroom was moved. And when the bed was moved, it revealed blood evidence that leads me to say what you're redecorating you spring cleaning you just feel like moving your bed suddenly have you ever noticed how husbands certainly suddenly turn neat nicks when their wives go missing and they're mopping and they're using detergent

they're doing the laundry they're moving the bed around and coincidentally blood under the bed. Curious. I also want to circle back to Nadia Navarro. We've got a lot to cover. We're going in all different directions to Nadia Navarro, friend of Momtas. You stated that at a birthday party for baby Nima, who turned one year old baby girl, that no one wanted you to speak to the husband alone. No one wanted you to be alone with the husband, not Ashbat, because they were suspicious. Let me understand the timeframe here. Baby Nima turned one before or after mom to disappears after aha no wonder the suspicion

next who threw the the birthday party um it was my idea I wanted to see the baby and um I've been avoiding contacting Naresh and he did ask me why haven't you called me? Why haven't you checked in on me when we got to the birthday party? I'm very curious. So he did not consider having a one year birthday party for the baby? No, people begged him on my behalf. They were like, she really wants to have one. And it's also good for the baby because Mamta would have wanted a party for her. And he finally relented because we said, it's not about, it's not about you. It's about the baby and the people that want to celebrate with the baby. Nadia Navarro, what was the husband Nadesh Bhatt's behavior, his demeanor at the birthday party? Oh my God. It was the strangest I have ever seen him. He was completely different,

and his eyes had a frantic energy about them, just the way they would flip back and forth, and he would constantly look up at me to see if I was looking at him, which I was. I was staring. I was watching how different he was. He kept randomly disappearing from the party as well. When we were on the deck, he would take the baby and go downstairs anytime the baby started to cry, which was often.

And then he'd come back up and we didn't know why he went down and nobody followed him down. But when he did go down every time, the baby would stop crying. Guys, I want to talk about very quickly hard evidence, hard evidence. Listen. Naresh Bhatt makes inconsistent statements to police when they arrive at the home to conduct a welfare check on his wife, Momta, on August 1st. Naresh tells police his wife isn't home because she's visiting family in Texas or New York and refuses to file a missing person report. On August 6th, investigators say Naresh Bhatt contacts the police to report his wife missing, stating she's been visiting family and was last seen in the early hours of July 31st. He later changes his story, saying he last saw her in the

early hours of August 1st. When asked about Mamta Bhatt's cell phone, Naresh claims Mamta destroyed her phone before she went missing. Destroyed her cell phone? That's a new one on me. So his statement to police, Brian Fitzgibbons, is that Monta destroyed her cell phone before she went away? That's unbelievable, Nancy. And the police are going to be able to get a tremendous amount of data even off of Monta's phone if Naresh destroyed it. At this point,

given the physical evidence, they're going to be able to get warrants to expand that digital search as well. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. We have learned more about the hard evidence, and I'm referring to digital evidence. Regardless of what husband and father Naresh Bhatt may say about his wife, Momta, destroying her cell phone before she goes missing, it pinged. Listen. Police know that Momta's phone is not destroyed, as the phone continues to receive data until July 29th, after which all calls went to voicemail.

By August 1st, investigators say the phone has completely died. The last known location of her phone was in Loudoun County, Virginia. Naresh claims he was at a cafe in Loudoun County and provides proof, which coincides with the last area where Momta's phone pinged a cell tower after she vanished. Naresh Bhatt is seen on surveillance footage inside the Chantilly, Virginia Walmart as he buys a three-pack of knives on July 30. Investigators look for the knives as they serve the search warrant on the Bhatt residence. They find one of the knives.

Two knives are still missing. One day after buying the knives, Naresh Bott goes to the Walmart in Loudoun and buys cleaning supplies. Straight out to Nana Sentu Bonesu joining us from Fox 5. I assume that the surveillance video within that store at the Walmart and the one in Chantilly where he's buying cleaning supplies and knives respectively has been curated, has been obtained by police? Yes, that's what we're gathering, that they use this surveillance footage to recognize that these

are the things he purchased on or around the 30th, not too far away from the day that they say he possibly murdered his wife. So we're learning that, you know, as reporters, you were asking a lot of questions. What is going on? Why aren't you guys searching? But it seems like, you know, they were on to something. They were just waiting to get their hands on some of that surveillance video that we just discussed. I hope that they have preserved the trash outside of his home. Also, we're learning about the surveillance footage inside the Chantilly Walmart. And then he goes to another Walmart in Loudoun to make further purchases. Interesting.

Why did he go to one not as close to his home? But also during all this time at Backtrack, he just buys a set of three knives and all of a sudden, literally within hours, two of the knives are missing. And that said, he is acting like everything's normal. Listen, this is from our friends at WUSA 9. We don't have like any type of that. You know, it was like normal day, like other regular days. Just, you know, like, you know, we were taking care of our babies. It was like very normal.

A normal day? According to him, his wife is missing and she destroyed her cell phone before she took off. That's not normal. Take a listen to more and watch his demeanor. This is from our friends at WSA 9. Oh, you know, like she wasn't fair at her work and then she's very like, you know, focused on her work. And then once we know like, you know, she's not at work, then, you know, like that makes very serious to me. So serious you had not reported her missing. Okay, there's more. Listen.

In the master bathroom, investigators carefully remove the bathtub. Invisible to the naked eye, detectives confirm what they believe to be blood, not just around the tub area. But blood appears to be stuck in the caulking. Investigators believe Naresh Bhai kills his wife and drags her body, creating a blood trail and conceals the body in a place that is yet to be located, even though they haven't found a body. Investigators believe the amount of blood detected in the master bedroom and bathroom is inconsistent with life. Naresh Bhatt is charged with murdering his wife and concealing her body. With us is Adrian Pacquerel, who knows the husband, Nadesh Bhatt. Adrian, 14 years in the U.S. Army, a former congressional candidate. Adrian, thank you for being with us. What went through your mind when you learned Nadesh Bhatt has been suspected in

murder and has actually been charged as it relates to getting rid of a body or destroying evidence. It was shocking and shaking at the same time because we are a small team. We decided to make sure his behavior and nothing happens to Nima. We are the military. We put the uniform to serve our nation, protect our nation, protect the people. And the thing I heard was very, very, very disturbing to me. It was very disturbing. And I was upset. I was angry in every single way, frustrated, and many, many things i can't really describe that in the

last hours there has been a preliminary hearing of sorts it was very brief and lasted a little under an hour joining me right now nana sent to bonesu with fox five what have we learned after the hearing yes nancy so this morning, it was a bond hearing for Naresh Bhatt. It's important to note that he is actually in custody for concealment of a body, but police still do not have Mamta's body. So his charge is for concealing a dead body. For his bond hearing, obviously, it's when the judge will decide, will we let him out on bond or we're gonna keep him in? The decision was we are gonna keep him inside with no bonds.

Now, I do have a colleague who was in that courtroom and she did say for a second, people got nervous because the defense said, well, the prosecution or the state doesn't have a body. So why is he in jail or why is he in custody for concealment of a dead body? But obviously the judge still said not strong enough. So we're going to keep him in custody. So Narashbet still inside a detention center with no bonds. And again, that charge is for concealment of a dead body still searching for where Mamta is, her remains, or whatever the case may be.

To Nadia Navarro, a very dear friend of missing mom Mamta, Nadia, I want to hear your reaction when you learned Nadesh Bat had been arrested, not for murder, but for transport and concealing or altering a dead body? I screamed. I happened to be in public, so I had to go into the police station and I went to the bathroom and I sat down and screamed. What are your thoughts at this juncture? I no longer think she's with us. And I'm horrified and in pain.

And I'm so angry. To you, Brian Fitzgibbons, joining us, Director Operations, USPA, Nationwide Security. What will it take for a murder charge? Nancy, there's a mountain of evidence that investigators have already collected. Now, at this juncture, you've got to be thinking that somebody could come forward. Somebody close to Naresh could come forward with information. There's going to be more digital evidence being uncovered here as warrants are produced in this case. There have been many other cases where husbands typically, sometimes wives, begged for the return of their spouse.

Does the name Chris Watts ring a bell or maybe Shanann? Listen. Shanann, Bella, Celeste, if you're out there, just come back. Like if somebody has her, just please bring her back. I need to see everybody. I need to see everybody again. This house is not complete without anybody here. Please bring her back. That's from our friends at KMGH Denver 7. Chris Watts later convicted in the murder of not only his wife, but his two little girls. In this case, baby Nima is safe. Baby Nima is safe.

Praise the Lord for that. We have been told by a reliable source that baby Nima is with friends of mom, Mamta Bhatt. But as we go to air tonight, where is Mamta? We wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.