Oklahoma Pediatrician Neha Gupta Charged with First-Degree Murder After Daughter’s Death in Alleged Staged Drowning

Oklahoma pediatrician, Neha Gupta, is accused of murdering her 4-year-old daughter in Florida and staging her death to appear as an accidental drowning

An Oklahoma City pediatrician, Dr. Neha Gupta, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her four-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi, following what authorities allege was a staged drowning at a South Florida short-term rental on June 27.

Initially treated as a tragic accident, the case shifted dramatically after an investigation revealed inconsistencies in Gupta’s account. According to the autopsy report, there was no water in Aria’s lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning as the cause of death. Instead, the medical examiner found injuries to the child’s mouth and cheeks consistent with “asphyxiation by smothering,” concluding that Aria was likely dead before being placed in the pool.

Dr. Gupta, 36, had been terminated from her role at OU Health at the University of Oklahoma on May 30, just weeks before the incident. The university confirmed that she is no longer affiliated with its health system.

Gupta claimed to have been woken at 3:20 a.m. to an “unidentified noise” in the backyard and found her daughter in the pool

Court documents revealed that Gupta’s ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, requested that she undergo psychiatric evaluations after their divorce was finalized in 2024, though it remains unclear whether those evaluations occurred.

According to her attorney, Richard Cooper, Gupta and her daughter were vacationing in El Portal, Florida, when she called 911 at approximately 3:40 a.m. to report a child drowning. Officers arrived to find the child unresponsive in the deep end of the backyard pool. Despite CPR attempts, Aria was pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

The autopsy also contradicted Gupta’s statement that the child had eaten dinner at 9 p.m., citing an empty stomach at the time of death. These findings contributed to the arrest and charging of Gupta for premeditated murder.

Gupta now awaits extradition to Miami-Dade County, where she will be held without bond.

Her attorneys, Richard Cooper and Michael Mirer, criticized the arrest, stating: “We are disappointed that the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office succumbed to pressure and rushed to judgment. As a result, a grieving mother who just lost her daughter is in jail. We look forward to a full investigation which will uncover the truth of the matter.”