An Oklahoma pediatrician accused of killing her 4-year-old daughter and trying to make it appear as an accidental drowning was captured on police bodycam footage hiding from officers at the time of her arrest.
Dr. Neha Gupta, 36, is charged with first-degree murder in the June 27 death of her daughter, Aria Talathi. Gupta was arrested on July 1 in Oklahoma City and later extradited to Miami-Dade County, Florida, where she now remains jailed without bond. She has pleaded not guilty.
According to police, Gupta called 911 from a short-term rental property in El Portal, just north of downtown Miami, and reported that her child had drowned in a backyard pool. Emergency responders found Aria unresponsive and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
However, an autopsy conducted two days later revealed no water in the child’s lungs — a key indicator that drowning had not occurred. Instead, the report noted bruising on Aria’s cheeks and cuts inside her mouth, raising immediate suspicions of foul play.
Police say forensic evidence and consultations with prosecutors led them to secure a warrant for Gupta’s arrest. When Oklahoma City police and U.S. Marshals arrived at her home, bodycam footage shows them breaking down her door after repeated commands for her to surrender went unanswered.
Inside, officers discovered Gupta crouched in a laundry room. With guns drawn, they ordered her to the floor and handcuffed her.
Gupta’s attorney, Richard L. Cooper, told PEOPLE that the doctor believed intruders were trying to break into her home and was on the phone with 911 when officers reached her. He called the arrest “extremely violent” and insisted that his client had shown “no indication” of being a danger to the public.
“This is a woman who went from grieving mother to murder suspect overnight,” Cooper said. He has also publicly criticized the evidence as “flimsy,” noting that Gupta is currently going through a bitter divorce and custody dispute with her ex-husband.
Oklahoma City police, however, disputed any claim of excessive force. “There was certainly a show of force, as there would be in any case involving a murder suspect barricaded in a home,” said police spokesperson MSgt. Gary Knight. “But the arrest itself was not violent. She was handcuffed without incident.”
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has not commented publicly on the case.
Gupta is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on August 7.
