Latest news with #NehaGupta
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
An Oklahoma pediatrician is accused of staging her daughter's accidental death in Florida
An Oklahoma pediatrician was accused of murder after, authorities said, she staged her daughter's accidental death at a vacation rental in suburban Miami, court records obtained Thursday show. Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in Oklahoma City and is awaiting extradition to Florida in the June 27 death of her daughter, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said in a news release. The 4-year-old girl, identified in an affidavit in support of an arrest warrant as A.T., was found unresponsive in a pool at the home, but her lungs and stomach contained no water, prompting authorities to rule out drowning as the cause of death. A lawyer for Gupta said Thursday that he was disappointed the sheriff's office "decided to hastily arrest a grieving mother who fully cooperated with the police and who is absolutely devastated for the loss of her child." "We look forward to more evidence, evidence that the Miami Dade Sheriff's office could not possibly have obtained in the 24-hour investigation that they completed," the lawyer, Richard L. Cooper, said in an email. According to the affidavit, Gupta traveled to Florida from Oklahoma, where she is a doctor, on June 25 and rented a home in El Portal, north of Miami. Gupta told authorities that she arrived at the rental with her daughter between 7 and 8 p.m. June 26 after having spent the day at the beach. Gupta awoke the girl to feed her dinner at 9 p.m., and the 4-year-old remained awake until 12:30 a.m., the affidavit says. Gupta told authorities she was awakened about 3:20 a.m. by a noise and saw that her daughter was not in the bed they were sharing, according to the affidavit. A sliding glass door to the patio was open, Gupta told authorities, even though she said she had locked it before bed. Gupta "stated she then observed the 'deceased victim' submerged underwater within the swimming pool of the residence," the affidavit says. 'The Subject' stated she attempted to remove the victim from the pool; however, she was unsuccessful due to the fact that she is unable to swim." Gupta said she tried to help the girl for 10 minutes before she dialed 911, according to the affidavit. First responders performed CPR, but A.T. was pronounced dead at a hospital at 4:28 a.m., the affidavit says. During an autopsy Sunday, a pathologist with the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department found that the girl's lungs and stomach were "dry" and that cuts in her mouth and bruising in her cheeks were "not consistent" with the first responders' lifesaving efforts, according to the affidavit. The pathologist concluded that the girl was dead before she was put in the pool, the affidavit says. While the cause and manner of death are pending, the pathologist's preliminary findings indicate that the girl's injuries are consistent with asphyxiation by smothering, the affidavit says. The autopsy also showed that the girl's stomach was empty, contrary to what Gupta told authorities about having fed her at 9 p.m., the affidavit says. Gupta "attempted to conceal the killing of the 'deceased victim' by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property," it says. The affidavit does not identify a possible motive. Gupta was in a custody battle with her ex-husband when his daughter died, and he was unaware that she had left Oklahoma, according to the document. This article was originally published on
Washington Post
04-07-2025
- Washington Post
Police say a pediatrician killed her daughter, 4, and staged her drowning
Police arrested a doctor from Oklahoma City this week, accusing her of killing her 4-year-old daughter, who was found floating in the pool of their Miami rental home. Neha Gupta, 36, was arrested Tuesday and will be charged with first-degree murder, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said in a statement, adding that officers had responded to a 911 call saying a child was drowning in a swimming pool.
NDTV
04-07-2025
- NDTV
Indian-Origin Doctor Allegedly Killed 4-Year-Old Daughter, Then Staged Death As Drowning
An Indian-origin pediatrician has been arrested in the US for allegedly killing her 4-year-old daughter and then staging the death as a drowning. According to ABC News, Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old pediatrician from Oklahoma, was arrested on Monday and faces a first-degree murder charge. She is accused of smothering her daughter, Aria Talathi, to death and then attempting to cover it up as a drowning. At the time of the incident, Gupta and her daughter had travelled from Oklahoma City to Florida and were staying at a short-term rental in El Portal, which is where the 4-year-old was found dead. The incident took place on June 27. Police responded to a 911 call reporting a child drowning in a residential pool. The child was discovered 'unresponsive' and taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the outlet reported. Police said that Gupta, who shares custody of her daughter with her ex-husband, claimed that the child accidentally drowned after she sneaked out of bed at night and wandered outside. However, her autopsy did not find any water in her lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning. Instead, medical examiners found 'cuts within the mouth and bruising within the cheeks' of the child's face. An official cause of death is still pending. However, the arrest warrant reported that 'the injuries are consistent with asphyxiation by smothering,' according to People. Officials also determined that the child was deceased before being placed in the pool. Authorities concluded that Gupta 'attempted to conceal the killing' of her daughter by 'staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool'. According to the affidavit, Gupta and her ex-husband, Dr Saurabh Talathi, were in the middle of a custody battle. The girl's father didn't know she was visiting Florida and staying at the rental home where the alleged drowning happened. Following her arrest, Gupta's lawyer, Richard Cooper, said he's disappointed that the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office succumbed to pressure and rushed to judgment. 'My client had multiple opportunities to flee, but instead stayed and cooperated with law enforcement, answered all their questions, etc. My client feels betrayed by the MDSO. We look forward to a thorough investigation and more facts/evidence to come to light, which will hopefully show that there was no basis to arrest a grieving mother going through an inconceivable tragedy,' the lawyer said, per People. 'She has had the worst tragedy imaginable occur, and then she's locked up without bond and is missing her own daughter's funeral. Common decency would dictate that a little more than 1 day's worth of investigation transpire before making such a dramatic move,' he added.
Al Arabiya
03-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Oklahoma Doctor Accused of Killing Young Daughter and Faking a Drowning at Florida Rental Home
An Oklahoma medical doctor is accused of traveling to South Florida and staging the death of her 4-year-old daughter to make it appear the child drowned in the swimming pool at their rented vacation home in the middle of the night, detectives say. Dr. Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old pediatrician, was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. She is accused of first-degree murder in Miami-Dade County, an arrest warrant states. Gupta attempted to conceal the killing of the deceased victim by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property, a Miami-Dade sheriff's homicide detective wrote in an affidavit obtained by The Associated Press. In addition to facing the murder charge in Florida, she is accused of fleeing to the Oklahoma City area, where she lives, to avoid prosecution in Florida, according to jail records. Gupta is jailed without bond, and Florida authorities are seeking her return to Miami to face the murder charge. The records do not list an attorney for Gupta who could be reached for comment on her behalf. Gupta told investigators that she was sleeping with her daughter, Aria, at the Airbnb rental home in El Portal, north of Miami, when she heard a noise around 3:20 a.m. on June 27. She noticed a sliding-glass door in the bedroom that led to the outdoor patio was open. She then found Aria underwater and unresponsive in the deep end of the pool, the affidavit states. Gupta said she tried to save the girl but told the detective that she doesn't know how to swim and was unable to get Aria out of the water. Police and firefighters arrived and performed CPR on the girl, but Aria was pronounced dead at a hospital before dawn. A doctor who performed an autopsy at the medical examiner's office did not find water in the child's lungs or stomach and that, based on these findings, she was able to rule out drowning as being the cause of death, the detective wrote. Dr. Tuyet Tran also advised authorities that she believes the child was dead before being placed in the pool, the detective wrote. The cause and manner of death are pending, but Tran found injuries such as bruising within the girl's cheeks. Tran's preliminary findings are that these injuries are consistent with asphyxiation by smothering, the affidavit states. Police have not revealed any possible motive in the case. The detective noted in the affidavit that Gupta shares custody of the child with her ex-husband, who told detectives that he and his ex-wife are involved in an ongoing custody battle over the girl. The ex-husband also told detectives that he was unaware that Gupta and the child had traveled to South Florida. Based on surveillance video and Airbnb records, investigators determined that Gupta and her daughter were the sole occupants of the rental unit, the affidavit states. Gupta practiced medicine at Oklahoma Children's Hospital, part of the University of Oklahoma's health system, according to records from the Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision. The university's faculty directory showed that she has also been an assistant professor at the university's health sciences center. The University of Oklahoma and its health system released a statement this week saying that Gupta has been suspended from patient care, given notice of termination, and was no longer seeing patients at the health system as of May 30, 2025. Gupta has also been given a notice of termination by the university, the statement said.
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Washington Post
Oklahoma doctor accused of killing young daughter and faking a drowning at Florida rental home
An Oklahoma medical doctor is accused of traveling to South Florida and staging the death of her 4-year-old daughter to make it appear the child drowned in the swimming pool at their rented vacation home in the middle of the night, detectives say. Dr. Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old pediatrician, was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. She is accused of first-degree murder in Miami-Dade County, an arrest warrant states. Gupta 'attempted to conceal the killing of the deceased victim by staging an accidental drowning within the swimming pool of a rental property,' a Miami-Dade sheriff's homicide detective wrote in an affidavit obtained by The Associated Press. In addition to facing the murder charge in Florida, she is accused of fleeing to the Oklahoma City area where she lives to avoid prosecution in Florida, according to jail records. Gupta is jailed without bond, and Florida authorities are seeking her return to Miami to face the murder charge. The records do not list an attorney for Gupta who could be reached for comment on her behalf. Gupta told investigators that she was sleeping with her daughter Aria at the Airbnb rental home in El Portal, north of Miami, when she heard a noise around 3:20 a.m. on June 27. She noticed a sliding-glass door in the bedroom that led to the outdoor patio was open. She then found Aria under water and unresponsive in the deep end of the pool, the affidavit states. Gupta said she tried to save the girl, but told the detective that she doesn't know how to swim and was unable to get Aria out of the water. Police and firefighters arrived and performed CPR on the girl, but Aria was pronounced dead at a hospital before dawn. A doctor who performed an autopsy at the medical examiner's office did not find water in the child's lungs or stomach, and that 'based on these findings she was able to rule out drowning as being the cause of death,' the detective wrote. Dr. Tuyet Tran also advised authorities that she believes the child was dead before being placed in the pool, the detective wrote. The cause and manner of death are pending, but Tran found injuries such as bruising within the girl's cheeks. Tran's preliminary findings are that these injuries 'are consistent with asphyxiation by smothering,' the affidavit states. Police have not revealed any possible motive in the case. The detective noted in the affidavit that Gupta shares custody of the child with her ex-husband, who told detectives that he and his ex-wife are involved in an ongoing custody battle over the girl. The ex-husband also told detectives that he was unaware that Gupta and the child had traveled to South Florida. Based on surveillance video and Airbnb records, investigators determined that Gupta and her daughter were the sole occupants of the rental unit, the affidavit states. Gupta practiced medicine at Oklahoma Children's Hospital, part of the University of Oklahoma's health system, according to records from the Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision. The university's faculty directory showed that she has also been an assistant professor at the university's health sciences center. The University of Oklahoma and its health system released a statement this week saying that Gupta has been 'suspended from patient care, given notice of termination, and was no longer seeing patients at the health system as of May 30, 2025.' Gupta has also been given a 'notice of termination' by the university, the statement said.
