Dr. Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old Oklahoma pediatrician has been accused of murdering her 4-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi, during a vacation in Florida.
Dr. Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old Oklahoma pediatrician has been accused of murdering her 4-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi, during a vacation in Florida. Gupta allegedly staged her daughter's death to look like drowning in a swimming pool.
According to the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office, Gupta dialed 911 around 3:30 am on June 27, reporting that her daughter had drowned in the pool of their rented El Portal vacation home. Responders rushed to the scene to find Aria unresponsive in the water. Emergency crews pulled her from the pool and immediately began CPR, before rushing her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead.
According to the New York post, Gupta, in her initial statement to police, recounted a day of beach outings and jet skiing, claiming they had dinner around 9 pm and went to bed at 12:30 am. She said she was awoken by a noise from the backyard at around 3:20 am, and then spent nearly ten minutes trying to rescue her daughter despite not knowing how to swim before calling 911. Later that day, she gave a recorded statement to authorities, accompanied by her attorney.
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What autopsy revealed
The autopsy report revealed that Aria had no water in her lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning as the cause of death. Instead, investigators found bruising and trauma to her mouth and cheeks, and determined she had died due to “asphyxiation by smothering.” The medical examiner further noted that the child’s stomach was empty contradicting Gupta’s claim that they had eaten at 9 pm.
As evidence mounted, including surveillance footage and forensic findings, Miami homicide detectives concluded that the drowning was deliberately staged. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office agreed there was enough probable cause for a search warrant. But by the time the warrant was obtained, Gupta had already left the state.
Detectives traveled to Oklahoma City with support from the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the US Marshals Service, and on Wednesday, they arrested Gupta. She is currently awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County, where she faces a first-degree murder charge.
Gupta’s attorney, Richard Cooper, criticized the pace and approach of the investigation.
“I’m disappointed that the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office succumbed to pressure and rushed to judgment,” Cooper told Local 10. “As a result, a grieving mother who just lost her daughter is in jail. We look forward to a full investigation which will uncover the truth of the matter.”
A bitter custody battle
A bitter custody battle between Gupta and her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, has also been detailed in court documents cited by the Miami Herald. Talathi reportedly had no idea that Gupta had taken their daughter out of Oklahoma. The divorce, filed in 2022 and finalized in 2024, ended with a judge denying Gupta’s plea for sole custody.
The documents also describe the custody fight as “highly contentious,” involving “aggressive tactics” and “protracted proceedings.” Gupta had previously obtained a temporary protective order against Talathi, alleging domestic abuse.
A judge ordered Gupta to pay $79,000 in attorney’s fees to Talathi, and his legal team recently moved to garnish her wages and property. Around the same time, Gupta lost her position at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, where she was a licensed pediatrician.
