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But on the night of April 12, 2015, something unimaginable happened.
Surveillance cameras captured the couple walking into the storage room behind the store. Palak had no idea those would be her final moments alive.
“She obviously had no awareness that she was about to be murdered—whether it’s due to her, you know, trusting nature or the way that he snapped in the moment,” said Special Agent Jonathan Shaffer. “But she clearly had had no idea. There was no struggle in the seconds just prior to her murder.”
The footage shows Bhadreshkumar moving with a sense of urgency, leading Palak into the back room. What happened next was nothing short of savage.
He allegedly stabbed his wife multiple times with a sharp object, killing her on the spot. Customers were still in the shop at the time—completely unaware that a murder had just occurred behind the counter.
Cold, Calculated—and Gone Without a Trace
According to investigators, what followed made the crime even more disturbing. Rather than showing remorse or shock, Bhadreshkumar coolly plotted his escape.
“What was common in domestic violence cases like this—that the perpetrator oftentimes expresses remorse immediately after. And yet in this situation, Bhadreshkumar did not,” Agent Shaffer explained. “He immediately formulated a plan to evade law enforcement and to flee the area.”
After the attack, he slipped out the back door, returned to his apartment, changed clothes, grabbed his belongings, and vanished. The next morning, he was spotted at Newark-Penn Station in New Jersey. And then—nothing.
Nearly a decade later, he’s still missing.
FBI Offers $250,000 for Information
The manhunt went federal fast. Patel was charged with murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The FBI added him to their Ten Most Wanted list and is now offering one of the largest rewards available: a whopping $250,000.
Agent Shaffer pleaded with the public: “I would plead for anyone that believes they know the whereabouts of Bhadreshkumar Patel to come forward and provide information to the FBI about where he may be at this point.”
“He may have changed his identity, moved overseas, or is hiding in plain sight,” investigators believe. “But someone, somewhere, knows where he is.”
A Family Left in Ruins
Palak’s grieving mother still holds onto hope that justice will be served. The young woman’s death shattered her family—and it all came just weeks after her parents visited the couple in the U.S.
They noticed something troubling: Palak was never alone with them. Bhadreshkumar hovered constantly.
In her native language, Palak’s mother pleaded: “I want justice for my daughter. This was a clear betrayal on her husband’s part for no reason. She just wanted to return to India. Our family will never be the same. We love and miss Palak very much. I am not losing hope. I am confident that one day Bhadreshkumar will be caught because everyone in this case is working hard for justice.”
The Search Isn’t Over
Now 35 years old, Bhadreshkumar Patel is described as 5’9”, weighing about 165 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He may also go by “Bhadresh.”
“Even though ten years [have] passed since Palak’s murder, we continue to actively search for Bhadreshkumar and follow every lead that comes into the FBI,” Shaffer said. “And we remain committed to arresting him and bringing him back here to Maryland to face justice for the murder.”
The public is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov if they have any information.
Palak Patel came to America with dreams of education, family, and a better life. Instead, she became the victim of a brutal betrayal—one that continues to haunt both her family and the investigators still chasing justice.
With a quarter-million dollars on the table and the weight of justice behind it, there’s never been a better moment for someone to come forward.
