Oklahoma Pediatrician Arrested After Allegedly Drowning Daughter During Vacation
The Oklahoma pediatrician accused of drowning her four-year-old daughter in Florida was found hiding in a laundry room when law enforcement executed a search warrant at her residence earlier this month.
On July 1, dramatic body camera footage released by the Oklahoma City Police Department captures officers and U.S. Marshals outside Neha Gupta’s home, demanding her to come outside and surrender.
“Neha Gupta, come to the front door immediately,” a U.S. Marshal commands. “We have a warrant for your arrest. Open the door now.”
Despite repeated requests, Gupta did not comply, leading officers to forcibly enter the home.
Upon gaining entry, officers searched the premises, encountering a child’s toy set in the living room as they looked for the 36-year-old suspect.
Armed with weapons, the video depicts a U.S. Marshal opening the laundry room door, discovering Gupta concealed in a dark corner.
“Hands! Show your hands! Step out!” an officer shouts, as they apprehend her, placing Gupta on the ground and handcuffing her.
She was subsequently escorted out through the garage.
This arrest followed the accusation that she had killed her daughter, Aria Talathi, while vacationing in Miami.
Gupta made a 911 call at around 3:30 a.m. on June 27, reporting an accidental drowning at a short-term rental where she and her daughter were staying.
First responders found Talathi unresponsive in the pool and rushed her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was declared dead approximately an hour after the call.
Gupta stated that she had been awakened by an unexplained noise and had discovered her daughter in the pool, claiming she couldn’t swim but attempted to rescue her for about ten minutes before seeking help.
However, an autopsy revealed that Talathi had no water in her lungs or stomach, but exhibited signs of injuries in her mouth and cheeks, indicating potential smothering.
The medical examiner concluded that the child likely died before being placed in the pool.
Additionally, it was noted that Talathi’s stomach was empty, contradicting Gupta’s assertion that they had dined at 9 p.m. earlier that evening, when she voluntarily went to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and provided a recorded statement with her lawyer.
This evidence led Miami homicide detectives to obtain an arrest warrant for Gupta.
By the time the warrant was issued, she had returned to Oklahoma. Miami-Dade police, assisted by the Oklahoma City Police Department and U.S. Marshals, were able to locate and apprehend her.
After her arrest, Gupta was extradited back to Florida and faces charges of first-degree murder. Currently, she is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Gupta is slated to appear in court for her arraignment in Florida on August 7.
Prior to this incident, Gupta had been dismissed from her position at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital and was engaged in a contentious custody dispute with her ex-husband.
The couple’s divorce was finalized in an Oklahoma court in 2024 after they filed in 2022, though a judge denied Gupta’s request for sole custody of their child.
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