An Indian-origin pediatrician has been arrested for allegedly murdering her four-year-old daughter and staging a drowning to cover it up, according to a report by WSVN Miami.
Neha Gupta, 36, from Oklahoma, was staying at a short-term rental home in El Portal, Miami, with her daughter, Aria Talathi, with whom she shared custody alongside her ex-husband.
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On June 27, Miami police responded to a 911 call around 4:30 a.m. reporting a possible child drowning. Aria was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Gupta initially told authorities that Aria had wandered out of bed during the night and accidentally drowned in the residential pool. However, the autopsy results contradicted her claim. The Medical Examiner’s Office found no water in Aria’s lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning as the cause of death. Instead, signs of trauma in the child’s mouth and cheeks suggested death by smothering.
Police allege Gupta staged the scene to make it look like a tragic accident.
Shock and Outrage
Miami police later traveled to Oklahoma to arrest Gupta. The news stunned her neighbors, one of whom criticized her alleged inaction.
“She’s a pediatrician. She should’ve been able to save that child in some regard, got out there to try to get her out of that pool,” a neighbor told WSVN.
Despite the serious charges, Gupta’s attorneys have insisted on her innocence.
“What could be more devastating than losing your daughter in a tragic accident, only to then be jailed and accused of causing her death? Dr. Gupta did not kill her daughter,” her legal team said in a statement.
Gupta will be extradited to Florida to face first-degree murder charges.
