On Friday, January 9, 2026, 7-year-old Mikylia Guines was fatally shot in her family home in Cedarbluff, Mississippi. Born September 5, 2018, she was a student at Churchill Elementary School and described as joyful, loved by classmates and teachers, and fond of dancing. Law enforcement responded to a 911 call and found Mikylia among the shooting victims; another child in the home suffered minor gunshot injuries, and Mikylia’s mother, Lashanna Guines, witnessed the attack and an apparent attempt at sexual battery against her.

Authorities identified 24-year-old second cousin Daricka Moore as the alleged attacker. He was arrested after a large manhunt and charged with multiple violent offenses, including three counts of capital murder for the deaths of Mikylia and two family friends, plus additional murder counts tied to other family members, attempted capital murder, attempted sexual battery, burglary of a dwelling, and two counts of felony taking of a motor vehicle. Moore pleaded not guilty at his initial court appearance, was denied bond, and was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation; the district attorney indicated an intention to seek the death penalty.

The community is left to grieve a child whose life was cut short and a family coping with multiple losses.