Doctor staged drowning to cover up daughter’s murder during Miami vacation: MDSO
Dr. Neha Gupta whisked her 4-year-old daughter nearly 1,300 miles away from their Oklahoma home for a secret Miami beachside getaway last week. But a sun-filled day riding atop Jet Skis ended tragically when her little girl was found dead in a pool from an accidental drowning — at least that’s what Gupta wanted cops to believe, new records the Miami Herald obtained Wednesday reveal.
But her story didn’t sit right with detectives, whose suspicions were confirmed when little Aria Talathi’s autopsy revealed she hadn’t drowned; her pediatrician mom is accused of staging her death in the pool, and she’s now facing a first-degree murder charge.
Her lawyers say she’s innocent and grieving the death of her daughter.
The saga began in the predawn hours of last Friday when officers from the El Portal Police Department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue rushed to a 911 call reporting a child found unresponsive in a swimming pool at 156 NW 90 St.
READ MORE: Child dies after being found floating in pool in El Portal, sheriff’s office says
When they arrived, officers met Gupta, a 36-year-old Oklahoma City pediatrician, who directed them to the backyard, where her daughter Aria was found submerged in the deep end of the pool, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, which took over the investigation from El Portal Police.
Rescue crews pulled Aria from the water and began CPR. She was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 4:30 a.m. by a hospital physician.
How Aria died and ended up in that pool Friday is still being investigated. Gupta and her attorney painted a picture of a mishap gone wrong. However, law-enforcement authorities say clues are pointing to a mother who murdered her daughter and tried to cover up the slaying.
Mom recounts her daughter’s death
Gupta, who records show has been a licensed medical doctor in Oklahoma for six years and practiced at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, was presumably taking a vacation with her daughter in South Florida, according to law enforcement.
They had traveled to Miami two days earlier, on June 25, and were staying in the El Portal home as a short-term Airbnb rental.
Surveillance footage and rental records confirm the mother and daughter were the only occupants during their stay, a newly released arrest warrant from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office details. Authorities say Gupta shares custody of Aria with her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, who remained in Oklahoma and was unaware that Aria had been taken out of state. He, too, is a pediatrician.
Gupta gave a voluntary statement to investigators last Friday with her attorney, detailing their time spent together and how it ended with Aria’s death, says the warrant, which outlines the alleged events leading up to the child’s death.
The day before, last Thursday, the pair relaxed on the beach and later rode Jet Skis before returning to their rental home between 7 and 8 p.m. Aria was tuckered out, fell asleep and was later awakened by Gupta around 9 p.m. to have dinner.
After their meal, they shared a bed and went to sleep. At around 3:20 a.m., Gupta said she was awakened by a noise and realized Aria was no longer in bed.
She told investigators she found the sliding glass door open and discovered Aria submerged in the pool. Gupta said she can’t swim but tried to rescue her for 10 minutes before calling 911.
Autopsy: She didn’t drown
The autopsy of Aria Talathi on Sunday poked holes in the story Gupta had given to deputies two days prior. Dr. Tuyet Tran of the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office described a different narrative based on the condition of Aria’s body.
Dr. Tran found no water in Aria’s lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning. Instead, she discovered bruising inside the child’s cheeks and cuts in her mouth — injuries inconsistent with any resuscitation attempts, the warrant read.
The findings suggested Aria had died from asphyxiation by smothering prior to being placed in the pool. Additionally, Aria’s stomach was empty, casting further doubt on Gupta’s claim that the child had eaten dinner hours before her death.
Investigators concluded that Gupta, as the parent caring for the child at the time, caused Aria’s death and attempted to stage it as an accidental drowning. Based on these findings, a warrant was issued for Gupta’s arrest.
Richard Cooper, Gupta’s attorney, said he was surprised by deputies’ decision to charge his client. He categorized the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office’s push for an arrest as a rush to judgment.
“Dr. Gupta fully cooperated with law enforcement and gave multiple statements that never wavered in consistency,” Cooper said. “Rather than conduct a thorough investigation, which could require multiple autopsies and toxicology analyses, the MDSO decided to apply for a warrant for a grieving mother going through the unimaginable. We look forward to all the facts coming to light.”
Gupta returned to Oklahoma City shortly after the incident. With the assistance of the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service, she was located and taken into custody in Oklahoma. She is awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County.
As of Thursday, the official cause and manner of death remained pending, but investigators say the preliminary evidence strongly points to homicide by smothering.
Messy divorce
Authorities have not released a potential motive behind Aria’s killing nor said why Gupta decided to take an impromptu trip to Miami. But the warrant shows Gupta has been embroiled in a divorce dispute with her ex-husband Saurabh Talathi.
A lawyer in the case described it as “a highly contentious and procedurally complex litigation spanning over two years, marked by aggressive tactics, repeated motions for extraordinary relief, and protracted proceedings,” according to Oklahoma court records.
Though an Oklahoma court did grant a divorce between Gupta and Talathi in 2024, a judge denied Gupta’s request to pursue sole custody of Aria with limited parental time for the father.
Gupta also had obtained a temporary protective order against Talathi, which did not extend to Aria. But it was later dismissed as she could not prove his alleged domestic violence.
Since the divorce was filed in 2022 and finalized in 2024, the ex-couple have been battling over attorney’s fees. A judge ruled in Talathi’s favor and ordered Gupta in May to pay him more than $79,000. His attorneys told the Herald they will not be discussing the case until the investigation is over.
Loses job
Talathi’s legal team recently filed a motion for Gupta’s wages or property to be garnished.
Gupta also lost her job as a pediatrician at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.
OU Health and the University of Oklahoma released a joint statement regarding Gupta’s employment with them, saying, “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.”
Chris Smith, Gupta’s divorce attorney, told the Herald the pending murder charge against his client does not reflect the person he knows.
“Neha Gupta is a caring and attentive mother, fully dedicated to her child...,” Smith said. “The idea that she could have harmed her child is completely inconsistent with her character and the life she has led. This is a grieving mother facing unimaginable loss, not a criminal. We are confident the truth will emerge, and when it does, it will show that Neha Gupta is innocent.”
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
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