MANASSAS PARK, Va. — Manassas Park Police say a mother is considered to be missing under "involuntary circumstance" after not being seen since July 31.
Investigators released information about the missing person's case on Aug. 8.
Friends tell us Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, never showed up to her Aug. 1 shift at UVA Health Health Prince William Medical Center. Bhatt's former roommate Nadia Navarro says she does not understand why it took so long for police to notify the community that her close friend was missing.
"I last heard from her personally on July 28. She called me a couple times, but I was asleep. And I got a call from someone I met at Mamta's baby shower and she asked me if I knew where Mamta was," Navarro told WUSA9 in a Manassas parking lot as she organized a search party for her friend.
Over the weekend Navarro launched a Facebook group dedicated to sharing information about Bhatt's case. The group went from social media to actually conducting searches in Prince William County.
Navarro says she met Bhatt when she first came to the United States and they both bonded over their experience being immigrants. She says Bhatt is originally from Nepal and the two grew so close they considered each other family.
"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.
Navarro says she has a very difficult time believing that the first-time mother would leave her 10-month-old daughter.
After being at the Manassas Park Police Department for hours, we found Bhatt's husband, Naresh Bhatt.
"I am suffering through a lot," Bhatt told WUSA9.
Bhatt did not want to go into detail about the case but told WUSA9 that he was calling on the community to help him bring his wife home.
Among the concerned community members who felt compelled to join Navarro's search was Autumn Parker.
"I really want to feel like, if something happened to one of us, that our community would come out and be a huge part of that response, and I didn't see that. I want to do what I can, that's all," she said.
In a statement, Manassas Park Police wrote:
"This case is active and ongoing. What we can share at this time is the following: the investigators have conducted several follow-ups with neighbors, friends, co-workers and the husband. The investigators are also utilizing several investigative tools to help in an attempt to locate Mamta Kafle."
Manassas Park Police is asking anyone with information to contact them at (703) 361-1136.
Correction: WUSA9 initially reported that Mamta worked at Inova Fairfax Hospital. Colleagues tell us that is her former employer and that she had recently transferred to UVA Health Health Prince William Medical Center.