A Louisiana doctor has been charged with aggravated manslaughter after police say she failed to intervene for minutes as a 7-year-old boy drowned in a neighborhood pool.
The Orlando Police Department arrested Sukanthini “Suki” Subbiah, 47, following Khushil Bandi’s killing on April 10. She was held in the Orange County Jail on a $100,000 bond and pled not guilty.
Subbiah was visiting her mother in Orlando when a neighbor allowed her to accompany the neighbor’s twins, Khushil and his sister, to a communal pool on Felicity Avenue. The girl wore a life vest, but Khushil did not. Subbiah informed authorities that she assumed the youngster could swim.
According to an arrest affidavit, security footage contradicted Subbiah’s original statements that the boy was immersed for only approximately 45 seconds before she called for aid.
Khushil splashed and struggled for more than a minute before submerging at 6:21 p.m. Detectives stated Subbiah was seen “staring at the center of the pool” where the youngster drowned, but she did not enter the water until 6:26 p.m., halting when it reached her knees.
According to police, Subbiah instructed the other two 7-year-olds to pull Khushil out before approaching a guy on the deck for assistance. The spectator rescued the youngster from the pool’s bottom, but Khushil had already been submerged for more than seven minutes without air. He was transported to a local hospital and died.
Subbiah later told detectives that it was “unrealistic” for a 7-year-old to hold his breath for so long and that she froze.
Investigators rejected her claim, citing her medical experience and stating that “based on her profession and training, Subbiah understands the limited time a person can remain submerged in water without breathing.” Police found that if she had stepped into the five-foot-deep water right away, the boy would have lived.
Subbiah’s mother was not charged. A future court date has not been established.
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