Doctor Charged with Manslaughter After Allegedly Watching Child Drown at Florida Pool

A doctor faces charges of aggravated manslaughter after allegedly failing to intervene as a 7-year-old boy drowned at a community pool in Orlando, Florida, according to authorities.

Sukanthini Subbiah, 48, was arrested this week in connection with the death of Khushil Bandi, who drowned on April 10 at the Everbe Clubhouse pool. Subbiah, who was visiting family in the area, was supervising Khushil, his twin sister, and her own son at the time, court records state.

Surveillance footage showed the children entering the pool around 6:19 p.m. Within a minute, Khushil began struggling in the water. The arrest warrant affidavit indicates that Subbiah allegedly watched the child for approximately seven minutes as he drowned. She reportedly sent the other two children to assist him.

The warrant further states that Subbiah alerted another poolgoer, who then entered the water to retrieve Khushil. The other children had begun yelling and screaming during the incident.

Subbiah attempted to perform CPR on Khushil, but he later died from his injuries. Initially, police treated the drowning as an accident. However, following interviews and a review of surveillance footage, officials determined that Subbiah's conduct was "culpably negligent" and directly led to Khushil's death.

Investigators noted that Subbiah was the sole adult responsible for the children, was present during the emergency, had the capacity to recognize the danger, and had the opportunity to intervene. Her failure to act allowed the child's submersion and oxygen deprivation to continue until another adult intervened.

Subbiah was booked into Orange County Jail. Her defense attorney, Rajan Joshi, told WFTV that she intends to fight the charges, asserting that accidents happen and they do not see criminal liability in this case. Joshi described Subbiah as someone dedicated to saving lives with a good heart and no prior legal issues.