18 hours ago
Indian-origin doctor accused of killing 4-year-old daughter, staging drowning in pool
An Indian-origin pediatrician has been arrested for allegedly killing her four-year-old daughter and then staging a drowning to cover up the crime in Miami, a report by WSVN Miami said. Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old paediatrician from Oklahoma, was living at a short-term rental home with her daughter Aria Talathi,(X/@TrueCrimeUpdat)
Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old paediatrician from Oklahoma, was living at a short-term rental home in El Portal with her daughter Aria Talathi, whom she shared custody of with her ex-husband.
On June 27, police responded to a 911 call around 4.30 am to a 911 call reporting a child drowning in a residential pool. Aria was taken to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead.
At the time of the incident, Gupta had claimed the child accidentally drowned after she sneaked out of bed at night and wandered outside. However, her autopsy did not find any water in her lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning.
Instead, the Medical Examiner's Office found signs of trauma inside the child's mouth and cheeks, which led them to believe that she was asphyxiated by smothering. Police claim Gupta staged the scene to make it appear like an accidental drowning. 'Should have been able to save her'
Miami police travelled to Oklahoma to take Gupta into custody. The arrest shocked her neighbours, who accused her of not doing enough to save the girl's life.
'She's a pediatrician. She should've been able to save that child in some regard, got out there to try to get her out of that pool,' one of them told WSVN.
However, Gupta's lawyers have maintained her innocence, claiming that her daughter's death was "devastating" and a "tragic accident".
'What could be more devastating than losing your daughter in tragic accident, only to then be jailed and accused of causing her death? Dr. Gupta did not kill her daughter.'
The Indian-origin doctor will be extradited to Florida to face charges of first-degree murder.
