MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A pediatrician from Oklahoma accused of murdering her 4-year-old daughter was booked into a Miami-Dade County jail early Thursday morning following extradition from Oklahoma City, according jail records obtained by Local 10 News.
Records show Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, is facing a charge of first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Aria Talathi.
Aria was found unresponsive in the deep end of a swimming pool at a short-term rental home in El Portal on June 27, but investigators later concluded that she died before entering the water.
Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the child showed signs of asphyxiation and not drowning, contradicting Gupta’s initial claim that her daughter had accidentally fallen into the pool.
Authorities said Gupta was arrested in Oklahoma City with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and local police after the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and issued an arrest warrant.
They said Gupta and her daughter had traveled from Oklahoma City to South Florida and were staying at the rental home.
Deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews were dispatched just before 3:45 a.m. on June 27 after a report of a child found in a pool.
Aria was pulled from the water and transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead at 4:28 a.m., according to investigators.
Gupta told detectives she woke up to a strange noise, found her daughter missing from bed, and discovered her in the backyard pool, according to an arrest report.
She claimed she attempted to help her daughter for about 10 minutes before calling 911, despite not knowing how to swim, the report stated.
But deputies said her story quickly unraveled.
According to a report from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, there was no water in the child’s lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning.
Instead, the autopsy revealed injuries inside the girl’s mouth consistent with smothering.
Investigators also pointed to surveillance footage, inconsistencies in Gupta’s statements, and an empty stomach at autopsy—despite her claim that the girl ate dinner around 9 p.m.—as further evidence the death was staged.
“The subject attempted to conceal the killing of the deceased victim by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property,” detectives wrote in the report.
The girl’s father, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, told investigators he was unaware Gupta had taken their daughter out of state.
He had been seeking full custody and, according to court records, had raised concerns over Gupta’s mental health.
Court records show that Saurabh Talathi submitted documentation indicating that he believed Gupta was dealing with untreated psychiatric issues and requested an evaluation “to ensure the safety of the minor child.”
Records show Gupta and Talathi finalized their divorce earlier this year, and the custody battle had been ongoing at the time of Aria’s death.
OU Health, where Gupta worked as a pediatrician, suspended her from patient care and issued a notice of termination on May 30. The University of Oklahoma also confirmed to Local 10 News that she is no longer affiliated with its health system.
Gupta is expected to appear in court Thursday.
Records show that she is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
