A Virginia man has been charged with the murder of his missing wife after investigators allegedly found a chilling 11-word search in his Google history.
Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, was last seen on July 29 and was reported missing on August 5 after she failed to turn up to work.
Local police in Manassas Park arrived at the couple's home to perform a wellness check where Mamta's husband Naresh Bhatt - with whom she shared a one-year-old child - told police that they were in the process of separating.
However, on August 22, Naresh was charged with concealing a dead body after authorities reportedly found evidence that a body had been dragged out of the couple's home.
On December 2, Naresh was charged with first-degree murder and physically defiling a dead body.
The additional charges came after prosecutors claimed that Naresh had carried out a suspicious internet search in April, months before Mamta disappeared.
In the search, Naresh allegedly wrote: "How long does it take to get married after spouse die," and also reportedly searched: "what happen to debt died spouse".
Naresh is also accused of visiting a Walmary in Chantilly, Virginia, on July 30 to buy three knives, before allegedly visiting another Walmart the following day to buy cleaning supplies.
After Mamta vanished, Naresh allegedly stopped at a Loudoun County gas station and threw a bloodstained bath mat in a donation bin, and was reportedly seen throwing bags into a trash compactor with gloves on.
Prosecutors claim the amount of blood that was allegedly found in the couple's master bedroom and bathroom appears to point to Naresh having killed his wife.
Defense lawyers working for Naresh have claimed that the fact that no body has been found is enough to argue that Mamta is still alive.
Police have conducted over 27 searches for Mamta but the mother has yet to be found.
Holly Wirth, Mamta's friend and former co-worker, said she and the community are "very pleased" that further charges have been brought against Naresh.
She said: "As a community that loves Mamta, we’re very pleased that the additional charges have been brought.
"It sadly demonstrates the horrific things that we suspected happened to Mamta and we want Naresh Bhatt to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Mamta's young daughter, which has already received over $244,000 in donations.
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