Oklahoma pediatrician allegedly smothered her 4-year-old daughter and staged drowning amid custody battle

EL PORTAL, Fla. (TCN) -- An Oklahoma pediatrician stands accused of killing her 4-year-old daughter in Florida and staging her death as a drowning.

According to a news release from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, on June 27, El Portal Police responded to reports of a child drowning and found a 4-year-old girl unresponsive inside a pool. The child, identified by WPLG-TV as Aria Talathi, was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

Upon further investigation, authorities learned Dr. Neha Gupta and her daughter, the victim, traveled to Florida from Oklahoma City and were staying at a short-term rental. During an interview, Gupta reportedly said her daughter was asleep when they arrived, and they slept in the same bed at approximately 12:30 a.m.

Gupta allegedly said she woke up shortly after 3 a.m. and noticed her daughter wasn't in the bed. She claimed she opened the door and found the girl submerged in the pool. The mother purportedly said she tried to pull her out, but she couldn't swim and tried to "assist the deceased victim" for around 10 minutes before calling law enforcement.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy on June 29, and a doctor determined there was no water in the victim's lungs and stomach, suggesting she didn't drown. There were also allegedly lacerations in Talathi's mouth and bruises inside her cheeks.

According to WPLG, preliminary findings reveal the child's injuries were consistent with "smothering," and Talathi likely died before she was in the pool. The news source cited the affidavit, which alleges that Gupta "attempted to conceal the killing of the deceased victim by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property."

Gupta and her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, allegedly shared custody of the girl, and they were going through a custody battle at the time. Gupta's ex reportedly didn't know the mother took their daughter out of Oklahoma.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Gupta, and she was taken into custody. Gupta will be extradited to Miami-Dade County, where she faces a charge of first-degree murder.

In a statement obtained by WPLG, OU Health and the University of Oklahoma said, "Dr. Neha Gupta was suspended from patient care, given notice of termination, and was no longer seeing patients at the health system as of May 30, 2025. She has also been given notice of termination by the University."

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