Prosecutors say the Oklahoma couple knew their 2-year-old daughter faced a serious risk after an earlier incident involving the same dog.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — An Oklahoma couple faces murder charges in the death of their 2-year-old daughter after authorities said a family dog fatally attacked the child inside her bedroom, weeks after concerns had been raised about an earlier injury involving the same animal.
Darci Lambert, 25, and Jorden McGuire, 35, are accused of first-degree murder, with second-degree murder charged in the alternative, according to recent court reporting. They also face animal-cruelty charges. The Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office said when announcing upgraded charges in December 2025 that prosecutors believed the parents failed to protect their daughter, Locklynn McGuire, despite knowing she faced a serious risk from the dog. The allegations have not been proven in court, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Oklahoma City police responded to the family’s northeast Oklahoma City home late Nov. 18, 2025, after receiving a report that a child was not breathing. Officers found Locklynn dead in a bedroom with injuries authorities said were consistent with an animal attack. Oklahoma City Animal Welfare removed four dogs from the home, and officials said three appeared malnourished. Two bearded dragons also were removed, according to the district attorney’s December announcement.
Investigators have focused in part on what the parents knew about the dog before Locklynn’s death. Prosecutors said evidence showed that the same animal had previously injured the child. An April 2026 review by Oklahoma’s Office of Juvenile System Oversight said Oklahoma Human Services received a report Nov. 7 concerning injuries to both of Locklynn’s ears. The report was accepted as a Priority I investigation. Medical records reviewed by the agency noted concerns about possible non-accidental trauma, according to the oversight report.
The oversight review presents a more complicated account of how the earlier injuries were understood at the time. Lambert told investigators that she initially believed the family dog had caused the injuries, but she said a treating doctor did not believe they appeared to have been caused by the dog and considered the child’s bed springs as a possible cause. The report says Lambert later allowed the dog to remain in the room with Locklynn. McGuire also told investigators that he believed doctors had attributed the injuries to the bed springs.
During a later forensic interview, however, an older sibling told investigators that the dog had hurt Locklynn’s ears, according to the oversight report. The sibling also described another incident involving the dog and Locklynn but could not provide further details. Oklahoma Human Services ultimately made substantiated findings involving abuse connected to the earlier investigation. After Locklynn’s death, the agency also substantiated findings of neglect or failure to protect, neglect involving threat of harm and neglect resulting in death. A separate finding of abuse by confinement was unsubstantiated.
The state review said Lambert reported arriving home from work on the night of Locklynn’s death and hearing sounds from her daughter’s room before finding the child on the floor with the family dog nearby. McGuire told investigators that he had put Locklynn to bed and later went to sleep. Both parents denied that the dog had previously been violent toward Locklynn, according to the review. The Oklahoma medical examiner’s investigative report listed the manner of Locklynn’s death as an accident, the oversight office said.
That classification has not stopped prosecutors from pursuing murder charges based on the parents’ alleged conduct before the attack. Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna called the death an “unspeakably tragic case” when her office announced the upgraded charges Dec. 8, 2025. Prosecutors alleged that Lambert and McGuire knowingly permitted Locklynn to remain around a dangerous and malnourished dog despite the earlier incident. The district attorney’s announcement listed one first-degree murder charge and two animal-cruelty counts against each defendant at that time. More recent court reporting lists an alternative second-degree murder charge and five animal-cruelty counts.
Lambert and McGuire were arrested Nov. 21, 2025, initially on allegations of second-degree murder. Prosecutors later upgraded the case after reviewing additional evidence. At the time of the December announcement, the district attorney’s office said both defendants were being held on $1 million bonds. First-degree murder in Oklahoma carries a possible sentence of life in prison or life without parole, according to the district attorney’s office, although the existence of a charge does not establish guilt.
The criminal case remained pending in September 2026. Recent reporting said an arraignment that had been scheduled for July was continued until September, but the latest publicly available reports reviewed for this article did not provide a new hearing date or confirm that either defendant had entered a plea. Lambert and McGuire remain accused in the case as the allegations proceed through Oklahoma County District Court.
Author note: Last updated September 11, 2026.