As the pediatrician faces serious legal charges, new information has emerged indicating the child’s father was unaware she had been taken out of state.

Dr. Neha Gupta from Oklahoma is facing a murder charge following the death of her four-year-old daughter, who authorities allege was killed and then placed in a pool to stage an accidental drowning.

The 36-year-old pediatrician was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after a Miami-Dade investigation concluded that her daughter, Aria Talathi, had likely died by asphyxiation before being found submerged in a pool in El Portal, Florida.

Emergency services were called to the home around 3:41 a.m. on June 27, after a report of a child found unresponsive in a backyard swimming pool. First responders pulled Talathi from the water and attempted CPR before transporting her to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where she was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

Gupta, who had traveled with her daughter from Oklahoma City to South Florida and were staying at a short-term rental, was present when police and paramedics arrived. Initial reports from Gupta suggested that Talathi’s death was the result of a tragic accident.

She told investigators that they had returned from a day at the beach and jet skiing between 7 and 8 p.m., and that Talathi had gone to sleep shortly after. Mother and daughter slept in the same bed of the master bedroom.

Gupta claimed she woke up around 3:20 a.m. after hearing a noise and discovered her daughter missing from the bed. She said she found the sliding glass door open and saw Talathi submerged in the pool. According to her account, she was unable to swim and attempted to help the child for about 10 minutes before calling 911.

However, investigators soon began to question the validity of her statements. An autopsy performed by the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office revealed inconsistencies with Gupta’s version of events. The medical findings showed Talathi had no water in her lungs or stomach, eliminating drowning as the cause of death.

Instead, there were signs of smothering, including injuries inside the mouth that did not match the effects of CPR. Additionally, the child’s stomach was found to be empty, contradicting Gupta’s claim that Talathi had eaten dinner that night.

Therefore, according to the medical examiner’s early assessment, the injuries aligned with smothering, and evidence pointed to the child having died before entering the water.

Further complicating the case was an ongoing custody battle between Gupta and her ex-husband, Dr. Saurabh Talathi, who reportedly had no knowledge that his daughter had been taken out of state.

Investigators also noted discrepancies in Gupta’s recorded statement and surveillance footage. These, combined with the autopsy results, led authorities to conclude that Talathi’s death had been intentionally staged to appear accidental.

After consulting with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, an arrest warrant was issued for Gupta. Detectives, in coordination with the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Homicide Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service, located and arrested her in Oklahoma City. She is now awaiting extradition to Florida, where she is expected to face the murder charge and be held without bond.

Gupta’s legal team has contested the charges, with her attorney Richard Cooper, who is working the case alongside attorney Michael Mirer, stating, “We are disappointed that the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office succumbed to pressure and rushed to judgment. As a result, a grieving mother who just lost her daughter is in jail. We look forward to a full investigation which will uncover the truth of the matter.”

According to her LinkedIn profile, Gupta is serving as an Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, a position she’s held for more than six years.

However, the OU Health and the University of Oklahoma confirmed that she had already been suspended from patient care and given notice of termination prior to the incident.

A search on ResearchGate, the academic publishing platform, also shows that Gupta has authored several articles, some of which focus on pediatric care and child health.

As the case unfolds, Gupta remains in custody, pending her transfer to Miami-Dade County, where she will face prosecution for the alleged killing of her daughter.

In another tragic incident, a small Ohio community is reeling after a 2-year-old girl was found dead, reportedly from suffocation, leading to the immediate arrest of the child’s mother and her partner, an open investigation, many questions, and a few answers.

On July 1, 2025, authorities in Adams County, Ohio, responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive child. Upon arriving at the scene, a 2-year-old girl was found lifeless, with signs of suffocation. The child’s mother and her boyfriend were immediately detained on child endangerment charges.

Tien Hawkins, a 25-year-old mother of three, and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Brian Moser (also known as Terry Smith III), were taken to Adams County Jail. The 911 call was made at approximately 9:08 a.m. The caller reported an unresponsive 2-year-old at the Timber Ridge Apartment Complex in the village of West Union, 55 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

Deputies from the sheriff’s office and EMTs from local fire and emergency departments determined that the child wasn’t breathing. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Adams County Coroner’s Office.

Her remains were transported to Montgomery County for an autopsy. The coroner determined the cause of death to have been suffocation, though details about when and how are still unknown.

According to Aaron Haslam, prosecutor for Adams County, the child’s death has not been classified as a homicide yet. However, additional charges may be pressed depending on the outcome of the investigation.

Authorities were alerted to the incident when Moser called 911: “Yes. I believe she’s all the way gone. I don’t now [sic] if they suffocated last night or what’s going on. There’s no way. I don’t know. I don’t know. She’s dead. We woke up and found her.”

Upon arrival, officers also found two other children in the residence — the victim’s 1-year-old and 5-year-old sisters, both visibly injured. Haslam said authorities intend to take their statements to determine the cause of these injuries.

The investigation is ongoing. “Whether a true act or just an accident, we don’t know at this point, but the bottom line is a two-year-old child has been lost and our prayers go out to the family,” said Adams County Sheriff Kenneth Dick.

The local community spoke fondly of the victim. “She was sweet. She was just a cute little sweet girl who loved to play outside and always had a smile on her face. Very sweet,” recalled neighbor Kelie Proffitt.

Another neighbor, Ciara Thurman, used to watch the children and remembers rocking the victim to sleep, “It hurts. She had the biggest heart, you know, biggest soul. Just smiley, happy,” said Thurman.

Thurman worked together with Hawkins at a local McDonald’s. Moser was also employed at the same establishment. Regarding Moser, Thurman said that “he seemed pretty decent. Like, he just, he seemed like he loved the girls.”

The surviving children were placed in the care of Child Protective Services. Their injuries were not life-threatening. Hawkins and Moser are scheduled to appear in court, while authorities await toxicological results and other reports.

Just one day before calling 911, on June 30, Moser completed the process of legally changing his name (from Terry Smith III to Brian Moser).

He shared the news on his Facebook page that Sunday, around 3 p.m. His post also referenced an unspecified legacy that he wished to distance himself from by changing his name.

“It’s official! My new name is Brian Moser. I couldn’t be more happier [sic] to get rid of that awful legacy I was bound to,” wrote Moser on Facebook.

That same day, and also on Facebook, Hawkins shared a satirical post from online comedian Tiaeshia, which referenced the ease with which children accidentally bump their heads.

In the post, Tiaeshia wonders about the source of a loud noise, then writes “My kids.” Attached to the post was a picture of a young girl with a lime-sized bump in the middle of her forehead.

A few days earlier, on June 26, Hawkins shared a post that she captioned “picture updates of the girls,” with dozens of photos of the children.

Moser commented on the post: “I love raising these girls with you my love.” Hawkins replied with “thank you for everything you do for us honey.”

The investigation into the tragic death of the two-year-old girl continues.