Friday, July 4, 2025 - An Oklahoma pediatrician is facing a first-degree murder charge after authorities say she killed her 4-year-old daughter in Florida and staged the scene to look like an accidental drowning.
Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, was on vacation in El Portal, a
neighborhood in Miami, with her daughter, Aria Talathi, when she called 911
around 3:30 a.m. on June 27 to report finding the child unresponsive in the
pool of their short-term rental home.
Responders arrived to find Aria still in the water,
immediately pulled her out, and began CPR. She was rushed to Jackson Memorial
Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center but was pronounced dead about an hour later.
Gupta initially told investigators that after a day at the
beach and riding jet skis, they had dinner around 9 p.m. and went to bed
together by 12:30 a.m. She claimed she awoke at 3:20 a.m. to an “unidentified
noise” in the backyard, found Aria in the pool, and tried to rescue her for
about 10 minutes before calling 911—despite saying she could not swim.
What first appeared to be a tragic accident soon took a
darker turn. An autopsy found no water in the child’s lungs or stomach,
evidence that typically points away from drowning—and revealed injuries inside
her mouth and cheeks consistent with smothering. The medical examiner concluded
Aria likely died before being placed in the pool. Additionally, her empty
stomach contradicted Gupta’s claim that they had eaten dinner hours earlier.
Detectives also gathered surveillance footage and other
evidence, which, combined with inconsistencies in Gupta’s statement and
consultations with prosecutors, led investigators to believe she staged her
daughter’s death.
By the time an arrest warrant was issued, Gupta had already
returned to Oklahoma. Miami-Dade detectives, assisted by the Oklahoma City
Police Homicide Unit and U.S. Marshals, tracked her down and arrested her. She
is now awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County.
Gupta’s attorney, Richard Cooper, criticized law enforcement,
claiming they “succumbed to pressure and rushed to judgment,” adding, “as a
result, a grieving mother who just lost her daughter is in jail.” He expressed
confidence a full investigation would reveal the truth.
Court documents reveal Gupta was in a bitter two-year custody
battle with her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, who told authorities he was
unaware she had taken their daughter out of state. Gupta had unsuccessfully
sought sole custody, and a judge ultimately ordered her to pay Talathi $79,000
in legal fees. His attorneys recently filed to garnish Gupta’s wages or assets.
The case was marked by accusations on both sides, including Gupta’s short-lived protective order request alleging domestic violence, which was later dismissed for lack of evidence.
Shortly
before her arrest, Gupta was terminated from Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and
the University of Oklahoma. In a joint statement, the institutions confirmed
she was removed from patient care in late May and was no longer employed at
either facility.
Gupta now faces the prospect of life in prison if convicted, as her case moves back to Florida courts where she will be formally arraigned.
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