Oklahoma Doctor Charged With Murder in Daughter’s Death After Allegedly Staging Drowning, Authorities Say
An Oklahoma doctor faces a first-degree murder charge after allegedly smothering her 4-year-old daughter and staging the death as a drowning in Florida.
An Oklahoma pediatrician has been arrested and is facing a first-degree murder charge after authorities allege she smothered her 4-year-old daughter during a Florida vacation and attempted to stage the death as an accidental drowning. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, who stands accused in the death of her daughter, Aria Talathi.
Detectives traveled to Oklahoma City to take Gupta into custody following an investigation that unraveled her account of the tragic incident, according to a press release and a police affidavit.
A Late-Night 911 Call
The Initial Report
The investigation began in the early morning hours of June 27, when officers in El Portal, Florida, responded to a call at approximately 3:41 a.m. regarding an unresponsive child at a short-term rental home. According to the affidavit, Gupta directed first responders to the backyard, where they found her daughter “submerged in the deep end of the pool.”
Despite CPR and transportation to a local hospital, the child was pronounced deceased at 4:28 a.m., officials said.
Gupta, who was visiting from Edmond, Oklahoma, told authorities she had traveled to Miami with her daughter. She claimed the child was tired after a long day at the beach and fell asleep around 12:30 a.m. in the master bedroom with her.
According to her statement, Gupta was awakened around 3:20 a.m. by a noise and discovered her daughter was missing from the bed and a sliding glass door to the patio was open. She told investigators this is when she found Aria in the pool but was “unsuccessful” in her rescue attempt “due to the fact that she is unable to swim.” The affidavit notes she claimed to have tried to help her daughter for 10 minutes before calling paramedics.
Autopsy Uncovers Troubling Contradictions
Forensic Evidence Challenges Mother’s Story
The narrative provided by Gupta began to crumble after an autopsy revealed damning forensic evidence that contradicted an accidental drowning. A medical examiner’s report determined the child’s cause of death was not drowning, citing that her lungs and stomach were “dry” and contained no water.
The evidence pointed to a far more violent end for the young girl. Key findings from the autopsy included:
- Signs of Asphyxiation: The medical examiner noted “cuts within the mouth and bruising within the cheeks,” injuries consistent with smothering.
- Time of Death: Officials concluded the child was already deceased before being placed in the swimming pool.
- Empty Stomach: The report found the girl’s stomach was empty, which contradicted Gupta’s statement that her daughter had eaten dinner just hours before her death.
“Authorities then concluded that Gupta attempted to conceal the killing of her daughter by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool,” the police affidavit stated.
The case was further complicated by details of the family’s personal life. The child’s father, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, told investigators he was unaware that Gupta had taken their daughter out of Oklahoma. According to the affidavit, the parents were involved in an “ongoing custody battle.”
Following the investigation, detectives secured an arrest warrant and, with assistance from local law enforcement in Oklahoma, located and arrested Gupta. She is currently pending extradition to Miami-Dade County to face the murder charge. It is unclear if she has retained an attorney.
