Update Feb. 25, 2025 – From Prince William police:

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Missing Person:
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office needs your help locating Tony Eugene Jones. He was last seen leaving his residence in South Stafford by a family member. If you have any information, please reach out. pic.twitter.com/zHdV38n146

— StaffordCoSheriff (@staffcosheriff) October 16, 2024

Updated: Landon Von Darnell, who was reported as missing and endangered yesterday afternoon, was deceased earlier today, October 2, in the Sperryville area. There are no signs of foul play or need for public concern, police said.

Original post — The Prince William County Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Landon Von Darnell, a 21-year-old white male last seen at his residence on Tenbury Ct. in the Bristow area. Landon, who is 5’9″, 135 lbs., with brown hair and eyes, may have voluntarily gone missing and could be heading towards Sperryville. He is considered endangered and may need help. Anyone with information is urged to contact the police at 703-792-6500 or their local police department. His current clothing description is unknown.

Press release:

MISSING ENDANGERED ADULT: The Prince William County Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating Landon Von Darnell. Landon was last seen at his residence on Tenbury Ct. in the Bristow area of Prince William County on October 1 before leaving the area and may be heading towards the Sperryville area. Landon is believed to be missing under voluntary circumstances and may be in need of assistance which qualifies him as endangered. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of this person is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or your local police department.

Landon Von Darnell is described as a white male, 21 years of age, 5’9”, 135lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes

His current clothing description is unknown

The Prince William County Police Department is seeking help in locating missing juvenile Phoenix Marsalis Lewis, who left his home on Pearson Dr. on September 25, 2024. He is known to frequent the Sable Ct. and Portal Ct. areas of Dale City, and anyone with information is urged to contact local authorities.

Press Release from Prince William County Police:

MISSING ENDANGERED JUVENILE:

The Prince William County Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing and endangered juvenile, Phoenix Marsalis LEWIS. The investigation revealed Phoenix left his home on Pearson Dr. in the [Dale City] area of Prince William County and was reported missing on September 25. During the ongoing investigation, detectives received additional information which has prompted Phoenix to now be considered endangered. He is known to frequent the Sable Ct. and Portal Ct. areas of Woodbridge. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of this juvenile is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or your local police department.

Phoenix Marsalis LEWIS is described as a black male, 17 years of age, 5’9”, and 140lbs, with black hair, brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored Puffer-style coat, dark-colored pants, and carrying a blue duffle bag.

Report #: 2024-004536

If you have any information on Antonia’s whereabouts, contact the police at 540- 373-3122. To make an anonymous tip, send a text to “847-411” and text “FPDtip” followed by your tip. Or, download the free FPD Tip app available for Android and iPhones. To download the app, search “FPD Tip” in the Google or iTunes App Store.

The Virginia State Police issued a critically missing adult alert on behalf of the Fredericksburg Police Department on August 26, 2024.

The Fredericksburg Police Department is looking for Nancy Elizabeth Briesemeister, race: White, sex: female, age: 86 years old, height: 5’4″, weight: 100 lbs., with blue eyes and white hair.

She was last seen on August 26, 2024, at 3:30 PM in the 2200 block of Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her clothing description is unknown at this time. She is possibly driving a gray 2019 Toyota Camry displaying Virginia plates: TXZ-4778.

This disappearance poses a credible threat to her health and safety as determined by the investigating agency.

Please contact the Fredericksburg Police Department [24/7 dispatch] with any information regarding her whereabouts at (540) 654-5911 or you may find complete information at https://vsp.virginia.gov/active-alerts/.

The Prince William County Police Department is urgently seeking public assistance to locate Caleb Anthony Beer, a missing endangered adult last contacted on April 6, known to frequent areas in Culpeper, Stafford, Woodbridge, and Dumfries, with his safety currently in question due to undisclosed reasons.

*MISSING ENDANGERED ADULT: The Prince William County Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating Caleb Anthony BEER who was reported missing by family members on April 19. Family members became concerned after not hearing from Caleb for several days with the last known contact with Caleb being on April 6. During the ongoing investigation, additional information was recently obtained by detectives leading to increased concern for Caleb’s wellbeing and has prompted him to now be considered endangered. Currently, it is undetermined if Caleb is missing due to voluntary reasons, or possible foul play. Caleb is unhoused and known to frequent Culpeper, Stafford, Woodbridge, and Dumfries, and unhoused encampment areas. Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of this person or information that can otherwise aid in the investigation is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or your local police department.

Caleb Anthony BEER is described as a black male, 22, 6’1”, 150lbs with black hair and brown eyes

Update 5:40 p.m.: Naresh Bhatt has been charged with concealing a dead body. It is a felony charge of Prohibition Against Concealment of Dead Body in violation of Section 18.2-323.02 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended. He is being held without bond at the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center.

Manassas Park police are expected to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to share more details on the case. MPPD has not yet announced if they have found a body in connection with Kafle’s disappearance.

Update 1 p.m. — In a significant development, police arrested Naresh Bhatt, the husband of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, whose disappearance in late July has gripped the Greater Manassas community. The arrest was made around 11 a.m. today, marking a turning point in the investigation.

Witnesses reported seeing police take Bhatt into custody and, separately, a child believed to be the couple’s baby was taken from the home by authorities approximately 20 minutes later. Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth was on the scene following the arrest.

Crime scene investigators were observed removing items that appeared to be rugs from the property, possibly as evidence in the ongoing investigation. However, the atmosphere remains uncertain as officials remain tight-lipped about the details.

Despite the visible actions taken today, Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth has not confirmed the arrest of Naresh Bhatt. Similarly, there is no official confirmation that the child taken by social services is the couple’s baby.

Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo was present during the arrest but did not provide any comments on the unfolding situation.

The community continues to monitor this troubling case closely, and more updates are expected as the investigation progresses.

Update 11:30 a.m. – Naresh Bhatt, 37, was arrested Thursday morning around 10:45 a.m. in the case of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, disappearance in late July. It’s not yet clear what charges have been filed, but he was taken out of their shared home in handcuffs by Manassas Park Police. Their daughter was taken by authorities separately from Bhatt.

Original Post — Police say the husband of a Manassas Park woman not seen since late last month is now a person of interest in the case.

Manassas Park Police Department Chief Mario Lugo held a press briefing Wednesday night after city police and officers from the Prince William County Police Department crime scene analysts were seen searching the home of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, a Manassas Park woman last seen by friends on July 28.

“Our investigators have executed over ten search warrants and conducted hundreds of interviews related to this case, including the search tonight,” Lugo said.

Lugo named her husband Naresh Bhatt a person of interest and said he is uncooperative with police. “He is a person of interest. He’s been a person of interest; everybody knows that.” This is the first time police have named Bhatt a person of interest. Up until this press conference, the police said Bhatt was cooperating with investigators and urged the community not to speculate.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt disappeared in late July. Bhatt told police he last saw his wife on July 31, and she last reported to work as a nurse at the UVA Prince William Medical Center in Manassas on July 27.

Police have been searching for her since Aug. 5, when her husband Bhatt first reported her missing. Manassas Park police conducted a welfare check on Aug. 2 when they visited the residence, but Bhatt did not file a missing person report.

Mamta Kafle Bhatt missed her daughter’s first birthday on Tuesday, Aug. 20. At a birthday party hosted by close friends, the father asked that pictures of their child’s face not be posted to social media.

“We’re not going anywhere.”

Some 150 community members huddled behind the press during the press conference outside city police headquarters. Many, like Sundar Sherpa, were agitated after Lugo’s two-minute statement. “We’re not going anywhere,” shouted Sherpa after Lugo abruptly ended the briefing without taking questions. “He calls that a press briefing? He didn’t say anything we don’t already know,” Sherpa said.

“As you can hear, the community is not satisfied with what the police had to say, but I personally appreciate that Chief Lugo came out and updated us to the best of his ability,” Holly Wirth, a fellow nurse and former co-worker of Kafle Bhatt, said.

“For me, it’s a win. In a small group meeting on Sunday, [Chief Lugo] would not say that he had a person of interest. So, to say between Sunday and Wednesday he’s identified [Bhatt] as a person of interest is big progress in the case,” Wirth said.

Unanswered questions

Questions remain as to why it took so long for police to investigate after co-workers reported her missing when she failed to attend a scheduled shift on Aug. 1. Elected officials present during the press conference, like Mayor Jeanette Rishell and City Councilman Michael Carrera, had little to say.

While the mayor stood silent, Carrera said there would be an investigation into how the police handled the case but that he still had “full faith and confidence in both Chief Lugo and the MPPD.”

On the rocks

A screenshot of a Feb. 16 social media post to a divorce support group purported to be by Kafle Bhatt sought advice and help regarding leaving her husband. The post stated her husband threatened to “send the child to custody,” which others in the group understood to mean foster care. Kafle Bhatt was listed as a “top contributor” to the site.

In a statement to the Nepalese language news site enepalise.com, Bhatt said that the couple have been having “strained relations” but were committed to working on it, saying their relationship has been improving since May.

Lugo said he would provide more information when the crime scene analysts submit their findings.

Police urge anyone with information on Kafle Bhatt’s whereabouts to come forward. Those with information are asked to contact Manassas Park police at 703-361-1136. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Solvers at 703-330-0330 or online at manassascrimesolvers.org.

The Virginia State Police issued a missing/endangered alert on behalf of the City of Manassas Police Department on February 22, 2024, at 7:15 p.m.

Sultan Abdu Menfot is a 44-year-old Black male, standing 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. Menfot has brown eyes and black hair.

He was last seen on February 17, 2024, at 17:17 hours in the 6800 block of Frontier Drive, Springfield. At the time of his disappearance, Menfot was wearing an olive green jacket, khaki pants, and a black and white striped shirt. Authorities believe he is on foot and not operating a motor vehicle.

The  Manassas Police Department has expressed grave concern for Menfot’s well-being, indicating that his disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety.

Residents are urged to contact the Manassas at 703-257-8000 with any information regarding Sultan Abdu Menfot’s whereabouts.

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