Investigators put police tape around missing Manassas Park mother's home

MANASSAS PARK, Va. — Three weeks after Mamta Kafle Bhatt was reported missing, police returned to her home Tuesday, this time putting up crime scene tape. 

The 28-year-old Manassas Park mother was considered to be missing under "involuntary circumstance" after she disappeared on July 31. 

Mamta Kafle Bhatt's disappearance made headlines as friends and complete strangers came together to try to find her. The community has been open about frustrations with Manassas Park Police as the agency has been tight-lipped about the investigation. 

The latest update from Manassas Park Police came on Thursday. They wrote in a post on social media that they have requested assistance from Virginia State Police and all other U.S. policing agencies to assist in the search for Bhatt. 

They also shared this timeline:

Other than that update, the police department hasn't shared much info about the investigation with WUSA9 or the community.

The last person to see Mamta was her husband, Naresh Bhatt. While Mamta disappeared on July 31, he did not report her missing until days later. 

Police Chief Mario Lugo confirmed to WUSA9 that on Aug. 2, his officers responded to Mamta's home following concerns from her colleagues at Inova Fairfax Hospital. Naresh reported his wife missing on Aug. 5, according to authorities.

Naresh Bhatt told WUSA9 that this wasn't the first time Mamta has gone missing, referencing three other disappearances. 

"At that time, she has some demands so that's why she just step out and stay with a couple times with her friends and one time she moved to Falls Church, to someone, I don't know the name but she has an apartment," said Naresh Bhatt.

He said she's never been gone this long before. 

"I am suffering through a lot," Naresh told WUSA9.

Friends say Mamta never showed up to work for her Aug. 1 shift at UVA Health Health Prince William Medical Center. Her former roommate Nadia Navarro took to Facebook to start a group dedicated to sharing information and hoping to help find her friend. 

"Mamta is not an impulsive person, she's a very responsible person, she's a very calm person. So to hear, that she might be missing, I really doubt she would run away," Navarro added.

She further explained that she has a very difficult time believing that the first-time mother would leave her 10-month-old daughter. 

Up to this point, community members have rallied outside the police department asking for answers. Some have also organized searches on their own. But still, nearly three weeks later, Bhatt is nowhere to be found.