A man has been charged with his wife's murder after a damning clue was left in his Google search history.
On Monday (December 2), Naresh Bhatt from Virginia was charged with two felonies in Prince William County Circuit's Criminal Division, as reported by PEOPLE.
Per online documents, the charges involved first-degree murder and physically defiling a dead body in relation to the disappearance of his wife, 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt, even though the victim's body has not yet been discovered.
Back on August 5, Manassas Park Police reported Mamta - who was originally from Nepal - as "missing" after her workplace deployed a wellness check on her when she failed to turn up for her shift.
She was said to have initially disappeared on July 29.
According to a report published by WUSA9, during the welfare check, Naresh told authorities that he and his wife were in the process of separating.
Almost two weeks later, her husband was charged with concealing a dead body after Virginia authorities found evidence in the couple’s home of a body being dragged out.
Prosecutors also accused Naresh of going to a Walmart in Chantilly on July 30 to buy three knives, with two still being unaccounted for.
Just a day later surveillance footage at another Walmart picked up footage of the perpetrator buying cleaning supplies, prosecutors added.
Not only that, but they also found evidence that he discarded a bloodied bath mat in a donation bin outside of a Loudoun County gas station and was seen wearing gloves as he discarded bags into a trash compactor in the early morning hours after his wife's disappearance.
The Washington Post also reports that the Google history on Naresh's work laptop was also used against him during the case, as he used the search engine to search for answers to questions such as: "How long does it take to get married after spouse die [sic]" and "What happen to debt died spouse," in the wake of the alleged crime.
He also apparently googled: "What happens if spouse disappears in Virginia."
In response, Naresh's legal council has argued in court that the 28-year-old is still alive, per the Post.
"My heart is hurt," her mother, Gita Kafle, told WUSA9. "She was a person who was very hardworking, very beautiful [and] very honest. She aspired to be somebody great and she worked really hard and she could be. I don't know what to say because I can never forget her but whenever I think about it I have my heartache."
The mother-of-one and Naresh share a daughter, who has now been in the care of family members, according to PEOPLE.
Our thoughts are with the family during this difficult time.
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