Oklahoma Pediatrician Charged With Smothering Daughter

Dr. Neha Gupta, a 36-year-old pediatrician from Oklahoma City, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, Aria Talathi, at a short-term rental home in El Portal, Florida. Although authorities initially responded to a reported child drowning on June 27, an autopsy later found no water in Aria's lungs or stomach, ruling out drowning as the cause of death. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner discovered trauma inside the child's mouth and cheeks, consistent with smothering, leading investigators to believe Gupta staged the scene as an accidental drowning. Gupta and her daughter were the only ones present at the rental home at the time. She was arrested in Oklahoma with the assistance of local police and U.S. Marshals and awaits extradition to Florida. Officials have not released further details regarding motive or additional evidence.