MANASSAS PARK, Va. (7News) — A prayer and solemn candlelight vigil outside the home of 28-year-old Mamta Kafle Bhatt, the Manassas Park mother who has been missing for more than three weeks, capped a day of grief for those who knew her.

The day began with police officials arresting her husband, Naresh Bhatt, and charging him with violating the ban on corpse concealment in connection with her disappearance.

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The vigil came hours after Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo held a closed meeting with community members and friends of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, where he informed them of the arrest and told them she was presumed dead.

Ganesh Pandey was at this meeting.

“They said Mamta was no longer with us but they did not know where her body was. They told us they would continue searching for Mamta and they asked us to continue searching for Mamta,” Pandey said.

Pandey told 7News that he had invited the Bhatt family to his house for dinner several times.

He and the other participants in the meeting were dismayed after learning of this latest development.

“We are all heartbroken, we have tears in our eyes. We all cried. It is so sad what is happening to our small minority community,” Pandey said. “She was very kind. She was innocent. I really liked her as a sister. She was loved by the community. She was so kind.”

Prabha Deuja, a community leader who was also present at the meeting, told 7News that many people still have hope of finding Mamta alive.

“It’s quite painful. We’ve been waiting to hear this. We know there was a search yesterday,” said Deuja. “We were very hopeful at the time. Hearing this news is devastating for our entire community.”

Adrian Pokharel told 7News that he knew Naresh.

He said he asked the husband, who has since been arrested, whether he had anything to do with the disappearance.

“I said, ‘Be honest. If you have something to do with it, be honest. If you have nothing to do with it, be honest. Whatever happened, happened,'” Pokharel said. “Surprise, anger, shock, all these emotions that are hard to believe. Still, do I believe what is happening is real or a nightmare? Either way, it’s a nightmare.”

Detectives and prosecutors spent part of the day at the Bhatt family home, but did not provide any further details about the case.

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“We are working on this investigation. We are working diligently and things are moving very quickly right now,” Prince William County District Attorney Amy Ashworth said shortly after leaving the Bhatt family home on Thursday.

Meanwhile, friends are worried about Mamta’s little child.

“The baby. The baby is the first thing I think about,” said Nadia Navarro. “I want answers and I want justice. I want security. This baby has a very delicate future. She has no other family here.”

“They are in the process of bringing Mamta’s parents here. Hopefully she will be safe there and well taken care of,” Pandey added.

An immigration attorney is working to expedite the visa process for Mamta’s parents so they can come to the United States from Nepal to care for their child.

Naresh is scheduled to appear in court for the first time on Friday morning.