Female pediatrician arrested after tragedy struck 'when she let daughter play in backyard pool at 3am'

Daily Mail​

02-07-2025

An Oklahoma pediatrician was arrested in connection with the death of her young daughter, who drowned in a backyard pool at a rental home in the middle of the night.
Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, of Oklahoma City, is accused of killing her four-year-old, Aria Talathi, who was found unresponsive in a residential pool around 3am last month while the family was vacationing in El Portal, Florida, according to a press release from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (MDSO).
Gupta now faces a first-degree murder charge following a weeks-long investigation and is currently awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County.
Just after 3.30am on June 27, El Portal police responded to a 911 call reporting a child drowning at a short-term rental in the 100 block of Northwest 90th Street - the home where Gupta was allegedly staying with her daughter during their visit to South Florida.
When officers arrived, they found four-year-old Aria 'floating in a pool' behind the home, completely unresponsive, as reported by NBC Miami.
Paramedics with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue performed CPR at the scene before transporting her to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead.
The tragedy was initially described as a 'horrible accident,' according to Gupta's attorney, Richard Cooper, who emphasized the shock and heartbreak surrounding the overnight incident, as reported by Local 10 News.
'I've been with her the whole morning,' Cooper told the outlet at the time. 'She is very sad, very distraught.'
However, perspectives on Aria's drowning began to shift after the MDSO took over the case from El Portal police, prompting investigators to take a closer look at the child's mother.
'The fact that a four-year-old at 3 o'clock in the morning would be outside is, to me, a little bit alarming,' a neighbor, identified only as Barbra, told Local News 10.
Officials said that, 'through investigative efforts and in consultation with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office,' an arrest warrant was issued for Gupta on a charge of first-degree murder.
With the combined efforts of multiple agencies - including the MDSO, the Oklahoma City Police Department's Homicide Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service - authorities were able to locate the 36-year-old mother in Oklahoma City and take her into custody.
Authorities have not yet released an arrest affidavit or provided further details regarding Gupta's alleged involvement in her daughter's drowning.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, Cooper said: 'My co-counsel, Michael Mirer, Esq, and I are upset to learn of this arrest. I've never seen an arrest for murder before toxicology reports are in.'
'We look forward to learning more as we conduct our independent investigation,' he added.
'All I know is a mother missed her daughter's funeral. It is one unimaginable tragedy on top of another.'