‘She’s at bottom of pool’: Indian-origin doctor’s chilling 911 call after killing 4-year-old daughter

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Miami: Months after an Indian-origin paediatrician was charged with killing her four-year-old daughter at a rental home in Florida, US authorities have made public the 911 call she placed on the night of the incident. Dr Neha Gupta, 37, who is based in Oklahoma, has been accused of drowning her daughter, Aria Talathi, in a swimming pool in June 2025. Investigators allege the call was staged to make the child’s death appear accidental.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Gupta had travelled to Miami with her daughter when the incident occurred. She told investigators that the four-year-old had wandered out of the house at night and fallen into the pool.

The 911 recording

In the call released by authorities, Gupta can be heard telling the dispatcher that she had tried to rescue her daughter but did not know how to swim. She said she woke up after hearing a noise and found her daughter in the pool. When asked if anyone else was present, she said it was just the two of them.

The dispatcher repeatedly urged her to attempt to pull the girl out of the water and asked about the depth of the pool. Gupta responded that she believed it was around nine feet deep. At one point, she told the operator the child was “at the bottom of the pool” and “not moving”. Police officers who arrived at the scene were later heard getting the child out of the water.

Autopsy findings

Gupta reportedly told paramedics she was unsure how long her daughter had been in the pool, estimating around 20 minutes. However, the autopsy report stated that no water was found in the child’s lungs or stomach, suggesting she was dead before being placed in the pool. Investigators believe the girl was smothered.

Gupta was arrested and remains in jail without bond. She and her legal team have denied the allegations, maintaining that the child’s death was accidental. She is scheduled to return to court in May.

Custody dispute

At the time of the incident, the child’s father had been seeking full custody, citing concerns about Gupta’s mental health. He told police he was unaware that his daughter had been taken to Florida.