Additional Coverage:
Miami-Dade police have arrested an Oklahoma pediatrician for allegedly murdering her four-year-old daughter while on vacation. Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, is accused of killing her daughter, Aria Talathi, and staging the scene to look like a drowning.
Officers responded to a call at an El Portal, Florida, residence around 3:41 a.m. on June 27. Gupta directed them to the backyard pool where Aria was found unresponsive. Despite life-saving efforts, Aria was pronounced dead at a local hospital less than an hour later.
Gupta, who shares custody of Aria with her ex-husband, told authorities they were vacationing in Miami. She claimed Aria was asleep in bed with her and that she awoke to a noise and discovered her daughter missing and the patio door open.
Gupta then allegedly found Aria in the pool. She told officers she tried to rescue her daughter, but couldn’t because she is unable to swim.
However, an autopsy revealed no water in Aria’s lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning as the cause of death. The medical examiner found injuries consistent with asphyxiation and determined Aria was deceased before being placed in the pool. Further contradicting Gupta’s story, the child’s stomach was empty, despite Gupta claiming she had fed her daughter hours earlier.
The girl’s father, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, was reportedly unaware his daughter had left Oklahoma and is involved in an ongoing custody dispute with Gupta.
Gupta was arrested in Oklahoma City and is awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County to face a first-degree murder charge.