Officials in northern Virginia are asking the public for help locating a mother who is thought to have disappeared in July under "involuntary circumstances," police said earlier this month.
Mamta Kafle, 28, was last seen July 31 in Manassas Park, Virginia, according to the City of Manassas Park Police Department. The department said her disappearance is thought to be involuntary because of the length of time she has been missing.
The city is part of the Washington D.C. metro area, located roughly 30 miles west of the nation's capital. As of the latest census Manassas Park's population consisted of just over 17,000 residents.
Manassas Park police reported the young mother has not had any contact with family or friends since she vanished.
Officers responded to Kafle's home on Aug. 2 after colleagues at Inova Fairfax Hospital raised concerns, Police Chief Mario Lugo told local outlet WUSA-TV. The woman's husband, Naresh Bhatt, reported her missing Aug. 5, per multiple local reports citing Lugo.
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Her missing person's case was assigned to the department's Investigative Services Division, police said, and remained active Thursday morning.
"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," police posted in an update on the agency's Facebook page.
USA TODAY has reached out to Kafle's family and her friend, Nadia Navarro, who created an online fundraiser to find her.
"We need help funding the search efforts," Navarro posted on a Facebook page created to spread word about the fundraiser. As of Thursday it had raised more than $5,000. "Any donation, no matter the size, could make a huge difference, and if you can't donate, sharing the link would mean the world to us."
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Navarro, who also organized a gathering this week on the missing woman's behalf, told WJLA-TV it's not like Kafle to leave her 11-month-old daughter.
According to WRC-TV a crowd gathered earlier this week in support of Kafle and her husband spoke to the crowd by phone, saying he couldn't attend because he was caring for their daughter.
"It's like very tough," Bhatt, her husband, told WUSA-TV in an interview Wednesday adding the couple has been married for three years. "We ate on the evening of (July 31)."
Bhatt told the outlet he and Kafle did not have any ongoing arguments.
"She's a special person for me because she's caring and loving. I'm very sad."
According to police, Kafle stands five feet tall, weighs 132 pounds and has black hair and dark brown eyes.
She was last seen wearing blue scrubs, police said.
Anyone with information to call the Manassas police at 703-361-1136 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
