Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old Oklahoma pediatrician, is accused of murdering her 4-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi in Florida. Additionally, she tried to show as if her daughter drowned in the swimming pool and died, as reported by New York post.They had gone to El Portal on a vacation, where according to the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office, she had called 911 on June 27th at around 3:30 am, complaining that her daughter had drowned in the pool at the place that they had rented.After the officers and fire rescue reached the scene, they saw the little girl not moving, still inside the pool, so they, quickly took her out and started giving CPR, according to Local 10 News.They then took her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was declared dead.Gupta told the detectives that they had dinner at around 9 pm after coming back from the beach and riding jet skis, and then went off to sleep at around 12:30 am.At around 3:20 am, a noise from the backyard reportedly caused Gupta to wake up. According to her statement, there was a 10 minute attempt to save her daughter, despite not knowing how to swim, before calling 911.On the same day, she went to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office headquarters with her lawyer and gave her recorded statement.However, it was revealed later that what at first looked like drowning was something even more unsettling.An autopsy was conducted and it revealed that there was no water in the lungs or stomach of the child. But, they discovered that she had injuries in her mouth and cheeks. The medical examiner also found out that she died because of “asphyxiation by smothering”, according to local 10 news.The medical examiner said that the girl was first killed and then placed in the water, and also that her stomach was empty, that contradicted the mother’s statement that they had dinner at 9 pm.Miami homicide detectives, said evidence ,including the autopsy report and the cctv footage and consulting with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, was good enough for them to accept that all of this was staged and make a search warrant.After getting the warrant, they got to know that Gupta has already left for her home state.The Miami-Dade police detectives then went to Oklahoma City on Wednesday and took the help of Oklahoma City Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the US Marshals to grt to gupta, and they did find her and arrest her.Neha Gupta is currently awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County, where she faces a first-degree murder charge.Following her arrest, Gupta’s lawyer, Richard Cooper, expressed disappointment with the handling of the case. “I’m disappointed that the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office succumbed to pressure and rushed to judgment,” Cooper told Local 10. “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.”Prior to Gupta’s arrest, homicide detectives uncovered details about a bitter custody battle taking place in Oklahoma between Gupta and her ex-husband, Dr Saurabh Talathi, according to the Miami Herald.Talathi informed investigators that he was unaware Gupta had taken their daughter out of state.Court records obtained by the Herald describe the custody dispute as “highly contentious,” involving “aggressive tactics” and “protracted proceedings,” as stated by an attorney involved in the case.The couple filed for divorce in 2022, with the divorce being finalized in an Oklahoma court in 2024. However, a judge denied Gupta’s request for sole custody of their child.Gupta had also received a temporary protective order against Talathi, alleging domestic violence. The order was later dismissed after investigators were unable to substantiate her claim.In addition, a judge ordered Gupta to pay Talathi $79,000 for attorney’s fees. Talathi’s lawyers have recently filed to garnish Gupta’s wages or property, the Herald reported.Around this time, Gupta, a licensed pediatrician at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, was terminated from her position.
