US Indian Paediatrician arrested after Daughter drowned in Pool

A US Indian paediatrician was arrested in connection with the death of her four-year-old daughter, who drowned in a backyard pool at a rental home in the middle of the night.

Aria Talathi was found unresponsive in the early hours of June 27, 2025, at a short-term rental property in El Portal, a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Dr Neha Gupta, from Oklahoma City, faces a first-degree murder charge following the investigation.

According to a press release from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO), the family had been staying at a rental home in the 100 block of Northwest 90th Street when the incident occurred.

Emergency services were called at around 3:30 am after reports of a drowning.

Officers arrived to find Aria “floating in a pool” behind the house. She was unresponsive.

Paramedics from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue attempted CPR at the scene before taking her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Centre, where she was pronounced dead.

Initially, the child’s death was described as a tragic accident.

Gupta’s attorney Richard Cooper said: “I’ve been with her the whole morning.

“She is very sad, very distraught.”

But suspicions mounted after the MDSO took over the investigation from local police. Authorities launched a deeper inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the drowning.

One neighbour said:

“The fact that a four-year-old at 3 o’clock in the morning would be outside is, to me, a little bit alarming.”

Following consultations with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, officials said an arrest warrant was issued for Gupta.

She was later taken into custody in Oklahoma City through a joint effort between the MDSO, Oklahoma City Police Department’s Homicide Unit, and the US Marshals Service.

Authorities have not yet disclosed details of Gupta’s alleged role in her daughter’s death. No arrest affidavit or toxicology report has been made public.

In a statement, Mr Cooper said: “My co-counsel, Michael Mirer, Esq, and I are upset to learn of this arrest. I’ve never seen an arrest for murder before toxicology reports are in.

“We look forward to learning more as we conduct our independent investigation.

“All I know is a mother missed her daughter’s funeral. It is one unimaginable tragedy on top of another.”

The paediatrician is awaiting extradition to Miami-Dade County to face charges.