Pediatrician Murders 4-Year-Old Daughter During Florida Vacation, Stages it as Drowning: Police

An Oklahoma pediatrician is behind bars after police say she killed her daughter last month during a Florida vacation.

According to the Miami Herald, Dr. Neha Gupta is charged with first-degree murder in connection with her daughter, Aria Talathi’s, death. Miami-Dade police stated the incident happened June 27 at an El Portal Airbnb rental.

Gupta reportedly told police that Aria drowned while swimming in a pool, but investigators believe that Gupta intentionally killed the child.

Gupta, a licensed Oklahoma doctor, traveled to Florida on June 26 with her daughter. The day before the death, the pair went to the beach and rode jet skis, according to what Gupta told police.

When first responders arrived at the rental home, they found the victim unresponsive before performing CPR. Aria was then rushed to an area hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Gupta told investigators that she woke up to a noise she heard at 3:20 a.m., then discovered a sliding glass door had been opened.

Gupta claimed she went outside and discovered her daughter in the pool. She called police at around 3:40 a.m. and said she didn’t know how to swim to retrieve Aria,

“The complainant is advising [that] the juvenile is in the pool and she can’t swim to get to her,” a police dispatcher said.

An autopsy on June 29 indicated that Aria had no water in her lungs or stomach, but had “cuts within the mouth and bruising within the cheeks.”

Doctors reportedly said that the cuts and bruising didn’t appear to happen during the CPR attempts, but instead “the injuries” were “consistent with asphyxiation by smothering.”

Gupta said she traveled alone with Aria. The child’s father and Gupta’s former husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, was in Oklahoma at the time.

The warrant stated that Gupta and Talathi went through tumultuous divorce proceedings that lasted two years. A judge reportedly denied her fight for sole custody. She was also ordered to pay hefty attorney’s fees, totaling over $79,000.

Talathi didn’t know the pair had traveled out of state, according to the warrant.

Gupta’s defense attorney, Richard L. Cooper, told CBS News that the arrest warrant against her was “flimsy.”

“Let’s assume for a second that my client is innocent: She has had the worst tragedy imaginable occur, and then she’s locked up without bond and is missing her own daughter’s funeral. Common decency would dictate that a little more than 1 day’s worth of investigation transpire before making such a dramatic move.”

In another statement, Cooper claimed police acted hastily, adding that the toxicology report had not yet been provided.

“We are waiting for the facts to come to light. An autopsy was performed over the weekend. The toxicology reports aren’t back yet. We’re eager to know why the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office seemingly felt so sure to arrest and charge a grieving mother when all other signs point to a simple tragic accident.”

Gupta traveled back to Oklahoma after the incident. The Oklahoma City Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service located and detained her. She is awaiting extradition back to Florida.

Meanwhile, the University of Oklahoma and OU Health stated that 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,” the statement continued.

Check back for updates.

[Feature Photo via OCSO]