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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A woman has been arrested in Oklahoma City in connection with the drowning death of a four-year-old, police say.
Officials say officers from the Village of El Portal Police Department in Miami, Florida, responded to a residential pool regarding a possible drowning. Upon arrival, a child was found and taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
According to investigators, the mother of the child, Dr. Neha Gupta, a pediatrician, and her daughter Aria Talathi had traveled from Oklahoma City and were staying at a short-term rental in Miami. An arrest warrant was then obtained for Gupta.
According to the arrest warrant, a call came into 911 just after 3 a.m. reporting a child drowning. When police arrived, Aria was found floating in the water.
Gupta told police that after a full day of riding jet skis and spending the day at the beach, Aria was asleep until 9 p.m. when she woke up to eat; both stayed up until just after midnight.
She also told police that the two fell asleep in the same bed, but woke up hours later to a noise. She noticed the glass sliding door in the bedroom open, which led out to the patio and backyard pool.
It was then that Gupta said she saw her daughter in the water.
In the arrest warrant, the medical examiner did not find water in Aria’s lungs or stomach during the autopsy, ruling out drowning as the cause of death.
The medical examiner also said they found cuts and bruising in her mouth consistent with asphyxiation by smothering.
The official cause and manner of death have not yet been determined and will require further investigation.
U.S. Marshals and Oklahoma City Police arrested Gupta on Tuesday.
Ms. Gupta is facing a serious criminal charge and getting her into custody to face that charge was a priority for law enforcement.
U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Oklahoma, Johnny Kuhlman.
OU Health removed her photo from the website after News 4 called, and in a statement said:
Dr. Neha Gupta was suspended from patient care, given notice of termination, and was no longer seeing patients at the health system as of May 30, 2025. She has also been given notice of termination by the University.
OU Health and the University of Oklahoma
Gupta is currently in the Oklahoma County jail and is pending extradition to Miami-Dade County.
Gupta’s attorney told our NBC affiliate in Miami:
We are waiting for the facts to come to light. An autopsy was performed over the weekend. The toxicology reports aren’t back yet. We’re eager to know why the Miami Dade Sheriff’s Office seemingly felt so sure to arrest and charge a grieving mother when all other signs point to a simple tragic accident.
Richard Cooper along with co-counsel Michael Mirer.
