Oklahoma Pediatrician Neha Gupta Charged with Murder of 4-Year-Old Daughter in Florida Vacation Drowning Case

An Oklahoma pediatrician has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter during a Florida vacation, with authorities alleging she smothered the child and staged the death as an accidental drowning.

Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, was taken into custody Tuesday at an Oklahoma City home and faces extradition to Miami-Dade County, where she will be charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of her daughter, Aria Talathi, according to media reports.

The Incident

The case began in the early morning hours of June 27, when officers were called to a residence in El Portal, Florida, “in reference to a 4-year-old who was found unresponsive within a swimming pool,” according to a police affidavit obtained by ABC News.

Gupta directed officers to the backyard of the Airbnb rental property, where they found the child “submerged in the deep end of the pool,” the affidavit stated. Despite CPR and life-saving measures, Aria was pronounced dead at 4:28 a.m. at a local hospital.

According to court records cited by KOCO 5, Gupta told investigators she and her daughter had arrived at the rental property between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on June 26, after spending the day at the beach and riding jet skis. She said the child was tired and fell asleep, then was awakened for dinner around 9 p.m. before going to sleep again after midnight.

Gupta claimed she was awakened around 3:20 a.m. by an “unidentified noise” and discovered that her daughter was not in bed and that a sliding glass door leading to the patio was open, according to the affidavit reported by ABC News.

Drowning Claims

The case took a dramatic turn when an autopsy report revealed crucial evidence contradicting Gupta’s account. According to the Associated Press, the medical examiner found that the child’s lungs and stomach did not contain water, ruling out drowning as the cause of death.

Dr. Tuyet Tran, who performed the autopsy, also discovered “cuts within the mouth and bruising within the cheeks” of the child’s face, which are “consistent with asphyxiation by smothering,” the affidavit stated, as reported by ABC News. The medical examiner also determined that the child was deceased before being placed in the pool.

Additionally, the child’s stomach was empty, contradicting Gupta’s statement that her daughter had eaten dinner several hours before the incident, according to the affidavit.

Custody Battle Context

The case is complicated by an ongoing custody dispute. Gupta shares custody of Aria with her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, who told detectives he was unaware that Gupta and the child had traveled to South Florida, according to the Associated Press. The ex-husband indicated that he and Gupta were involved in an “ongoing custody battle” over the girl.

Based on surveillance video and Airbnb records, investigators determined that Gupta and her daughter were the sole occupants of the rental unit, the affidavit states.

Professional Background

Gupta practiced medicine at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, part of the University of Oklahoma’s health system, according to records from the Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision cited by the Associated Press. She also served as an assistant professor at the university’s health sciences center.

OU Health released a statement regarding Gupta’s employment status, as reported by KOCO 5: “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.”

The statement did not explain why Gupta had not been seeing patients as of late May, nor did it specify why the university cut ties with her.

Defense Attorney’s Response

Richard Cooper, Gupta’s Miami-based attorney, has strongly defended his client and criticized the charges. Cooper told the Associated Press that he and Gupta cooperated with authorities and were surprised when the first-degree murder charge was announced.

“No one thought in a million years that she would be charged with murder,” Cooper said in an interview with the AP. He described Gupta as “a victim of a terrible tragedy.”

Cooper told KOCO 5 that he believes authorities are “rushing to judgment without all the investigatory tools having come to fruition.” He added, “Someone who has experienced the unimaginable is now sitting in jail and is now being labeled as a murderer and is sitting in jail when she should be burying her child.”

The attorney also noted that when he visited the rental property after the child’s death, he found the latch to the sliding-glass door “so easily opened that he was able to do so with his pinky finger,” according to the Associated Press.

Cooper acknowledged that Gupta was “going through a rough patch in her life” and that “her life was crumbling a little bit — she lost her husband, her job was in a little bit of jeopardy.” However, he said, “to think that could ever lead to murdering your own child — it’s absurd.”

Gupta is currently being held without bond in the Oklahoma County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County, where she will face the first-degree murder charge. She is also accused of fleeing to the Oklahoma City area to avoid prosecution in Florida, according to jail records cited by the Associated Press.

Cooper has indicated he plans to arrange for an independent autopsy and said he has seen no real evidence that would support the charge.

The case continues to develop as authorities in both Oklahoma and Florida coordinate the legal proceedings.