A Louisiana doctor has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child after police say she failed to intervene for minutes while a 7-year-old boy drowned in a neighborhood pool.
Sukanthini “Suki” Subbiah, 47, was arrested by the Orlando Police Department following the April 10 death of Khushil Bandi. She was booked into the Orange County Jail on a $100,000 bond and pleaded not guilty.
Subbiah was visiting her mother in Orlando when a neighbor gave her permission to take the neighbor’s twins, Khushil and his sister, to a community pool on Felicity Avenue. While the girl wore a life vest, Khushil did not. Subbiah told investigators she assumed the boy could swim.
According to an arrest affidavit, surveillance footage contradicted Subbiah’s initial claims that the boy was submerged for only about 45 seconds before she sought help.
Video captured Khushil splashing vigorously and actively struggling for over a minute before going underwater at 6:21 p.m. Detectives said Subbiah was seen “staring at the center of the pool” where the boy sank, but she did not step into the water until 6:26 p.m.—stopping when it reached her knees.
Police said Subbiah first told the other two 7-year-olds to pull Khushil out before asking a man on the deck for help. The bystander pulled the boy from the bottom of the pool, but by then Khushil had been submerged for more than seven minutes without oxygen. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Subbiah later admitted to detectives that it was “unrealistic” for a 7-year-old to hold his breath that long and stated that she froze.
Investigators dismissed that defense, citing her medical background and stating that “based on her profession and training, Subbiah understands the limited time a person can remain submerged under water without breathing.” Police concluded that had she stepped into the five-foot-deep water immediately, the boy would have survived.
Subbiah’s mother was not charged. A future court date has not been set.
Tampa Free Press
Sukanthini “Suki” Subbiah, 47, was arrested by the Orlando Police Department following the April 10 death of Khushil Bandi. She was booked into the Orange County Jail on a $100,000 bond and pleaded not guilty.
Subbiah was visiting her mother in Orlando when a neighbor gave her permission to take the neighbor’s twins, Khushil and his sister, to a community pool on Felicity Avenue. While the girl wore a life vest, Khushil did not. Subbiah told investigators she assumed the boy could swim.
According to an arrest affidavit, surveillance footage contradicted Subbiah’s initial claims that the boy was submerged for only about 45 seconds before she sought help.
Video captured Khushil splashing vigorously and actively struggling for over a minute before going underwater at 6:21 p.m. Detectives said Subbiah was seen “staring at the center of the pool” where the boy sank, but she did not step into the water until 6:26 p.m.—stopping when it reached her knees.
Police said Subbiah first told the other two 7-year-olds to pull Khushil out before asking a man on the deck for help. The bystander pulled the boy from the bottom of the pool, but by then Khushil had been submerged for more than seven minutes without oxygen. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Subbiah later admitted to detectives that it was “unrealistic” for a 7-year-old to hold his breath that long and stated that she froze.
Investigators dismissed that defense, citing her medical background and stating that “based on her profession and training, Subbiah understands the limited time a person can remain submerged under water without breathing.” Police concluded that had she stepped into the five-foot-deep water immediately, the boy would have survived.
Subbiah’s mother was not charged. A future court date has not been set.
Tampa Free Press
