Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old pediatrician of Indian origin from Oklahoma City, has been arrested and faces a first-degree murder charge for allegedly killing her four-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi, while on vacation in South Florida. Gupta is accused of staging the death to appear as an accidental drowning at a short-term rental property in El Portal, a village north of Miami.

On June 27, authorities responded to a 911 call made around 3:30 am, reporting a child drowning in a residential pool. Upon arrival, officers and fire rescue personnel found Aria unresponsive in the pool. They immediately began administering CPR and transported her to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Centre, where she was pronounced dead.

Gupta initially told detectives that she and her daughter had spent the day at the beach and riding jet skis before having dinner around 9 pm and going to bed together around 12:30 am. She claimed she woke up around 3:20 am to a strange noise from the backyard and found her daughter in the pool. Gupta stated she tried to save the child for about 10 minutes before calling 911.

However, an autopsy conducted by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office on June 29 revealed inconsistencies with Gupta's account. The autopsy found no water in Aria's lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning as the cause of death. Instead, the medical examiner discovered trauma inside the child's mouth and cheeks, leading to the conclusion that she died from asphyxiation by smothering. The warrant reported that "the injuries are consistent with asphyxiation by smothering". Furthermore, Aria's stomach was empty, contradicting Gupta's claim that the child had eaten dinner.

Miami homicide detectives concluded that the drowning was deliberately staged, and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office determined there was enough probable cause for a search warrant. Investigators also uncovered that Gupta and her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, were engaged in a contentious custody battle. Talathi was unaware that Gupta had taken their daughter out of Oklahoma. Court records described the custody fight as "highly contentious," involving "aggressive tactics" and "protracted proceedings". The couple's divorce was finalized in 2024, with a judge denying Gupta's request for sole custody.

Neighbors expressed shock and questioned Gupta's actions, suggesting she should have been able to save her daughter. However, Gupta's lawyers maintain her innocence, calling Aria's death a "devastating" and "tragic accident". They stated, "What could be more devastating than losing your daughter in tragic accident, only to then be jailed and accused of causing her death? Dr. Gupta did not kill her daughter".

Gupta was arrested in Oklahoma City with the assistance of the Oklahoma City Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. She is currently in custody, awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County, where she will face a first-degree murder charge. The University of Oklahoma, where Gupta worked as a physician, terminated her employment on May 30.