Oklahoma doctor arrested after her 4-year-old daughter was found dead in a Florida pool
Detectives with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office traveled to the Oklahoma City area and, with the assistance of the United States Marshals Service and the Oklahoma City Police Department, arrested Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, on a first-degree murder complaint.
Investigators allege that Gupta killed her daughter, Aria Talathi, who was found floating unresponsive in a backyard pool early Friday, June 27, at a residence in the El Portal village of Miami, Florida.
"The arrest of Neha Gupta by the U.S. Marshals in Western Oklahoma working a collateral lead is a prime example of good communication and teamwork by dedicated officers," Johnny Kuhlman, U.S. marshal for the Western District of Oklahoma, said in a statement. "Ms. Gupta is facing a serious criminal charge and getting her into custody to face that charge was a priority for law enforcement."
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According to a news release from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, Gupta and her daughter had traveled from Oklahoma City and were staying at a short-term rental. Officers with the Village of El Portal Police Department responded to a 911 call about 4:30 a.m. July 27 reporting a child drowning in the residential pool.
Paramedics took the unresponsive child to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where Aria Talathi was pronounced dead, according to another news release from the U.S. Marshals Service.
On Monday, June 30, a warrant for Gupta was issued out of Miami-Dade County, and law enforcement arrested her without incident about 2:45 p.m. at a residence in the 200 block of NW 152nd Street in Edmond, the U.S. marshals wrote.
"This individual is accused of committing a horrendous act and her swift arrest illustrates the professionalism, communication, and teamwork of all agencies involved," Gadyaces Serralta, U.S. marshal for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement Wednesday, July 2. "I extend my sincere gratitude to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma City Police Department, and the Oklahoma City Metro Fugitive Task Force."
Gupta worked as a licensed doctor specializing in pediatric care at Oklahoma Children's Hospital OU Health in Oklahoma City. Her legal counsel is arguing that authorities have been too quick to label her a suspect in her daughter's death.
"It's disheartening to learn the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office is rushing to judgment without all the investigatory tools having come to fruition,' Richard Cooper, an attorney representing Gupta, told KOCO-TV in an interview July 2. "Someone who has experienced the unimaginable is now sitting in jail and is now being labeled as a murderer and is sitting in jail when she should be burying her child."
Gupta is pending extradition to Miami-Dade County, where she is expected to be formally charged with first-degree murder.
"Because we think it's a rush to judgment, we look forward to all the facts coming out, and all the evidence, and then we'll see what happens," Cooper added.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma doctor arrested after 4-year-old girl found dead in FL pool
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