EL PORTAL, Fla. – A pediatrician from Oklahoma accused of murdering her 4-year-old daughter in Miami-Dade County was recently fired from her job and had been in a heated custody battle with the child’s father, according to court records obtained by Local 10 News.
Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, is facing one count of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Aria Talathi, whom Miami-Dade detectives say showed signs of “asphyxiation by smothering” and not drowning, as Gupta initially claimed.
Court records obtained by Local 10 News show that Gupta and her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, finalized their divorce in 2024.
A custody battle followed, during which Saurabh Talathi requested that Gupta undergo psychiatric evaluations. It remains unclear whether she complied.
OU Health, where Gupta practiced medicine, confirmed she was terminated from her position on May 30, nearly a month before her daughter’s death. The reason for her dismissal has not been disclosed. The University of Oklahoma also confirmed Gupta was no longer affiliated with its health system.
An arrest affidavit obtained by Local 10 News stated that Gupta and Aria had traveled to South Florida from Oklahoma City and were staying at a short-term rental home in El Portal when Aria was allegedly killed in the early morning hours of June 27.
According to police, officers and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the home just before 3:45 a.m. after a report of a child found unresponsive in a backyard swimming pool. Gupta led officers to the pool where they found Aria submerged in the deep end.
Detectives said first responders pulled the girl from the water and began CPR. She was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead at 4:28 a.m.
Initially, Gupta told detectives that the drowning was accidental, according to the report.
Gupta claimed that she and Aria returned to the rental home the evening before after a beach outing and went to bed together around 12:30 a.m., the report stated.
She said she awoke at 3:20 a.m. to a strange noise, noticed Aria missing from bed, and discovered the child in the pool, according to authorities.
Gupta told investigators she couldn’t swim and was unable to rescue Aria, despite trying to help her for about 10 minutes before calling 911, authorities said.
But detectives said her account began to unravel.
An autopsy performed on June 29 found no water in Aria’s lungs or stomach — ruling out drowning. Instead, the medical examiner discovered bruising inside her cheeks and cuts in her mouth, injuries inconsistent with CPR but consistent with smothering, the report stated.
Investigators also noted that Gupta claimed Aria ate dinner around 9 p.m., but the child’s stomach was empty, further casting doubt on the mother’s timeline.
Gupta voluntarily appeared at the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office headquarters the same day of her daughter’s death with her attorney and provided a recorded statement.
Detectives said surveillance video, the autopsy findings, and inconsistencies in Gupta’s version of events supported the theory that she staged the drowning.
“The subject attempted to conceal the killing of the deceased victim by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property,” the affidavit stated.
Authorities also confirmed that Saurabh Talathi told investigators he had no knowledge that Aria had been taken out of state.
Following a review of the evidence by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, an arrest warrant was issued.
Authorities said Gupta was arrested in Oklahoma City with help from the Oklahoma City Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.
They said she is awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County and is expected to be held without bond.
OU Health and the University of Oklahoma released a joint statement Wednesday after Gupta’s arrest:
“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.”
