A Garvin County woman has been charged with first-degree manslaughter in connection to a head-on collision that caused the death of another driver just east of Elmore City in May of last year.
Jiao Y. Huang, 58, of Elmore City, is accused of driving while distracted, which authorities allege caused her to cross the centerline, causing a head-on collision that killed 40-yearold Lacey Tyler, also of Elmore City.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in the case, the collision happened on State Highway 29, a mile and a half east of Elmore City just after 10 p.m. on May 20, 2024.
Tyler and her daughter were driving home from a softball game, traveling westbound, when the 2008 Toyota Camry driven by Huang crossed into their lane and struck their 2011 Honda Odyssey head-on.
Both drivers were pinned in their vehicles for nearly an hour before crews were able to extricate them. Tyler and Huang were both transported to an Oklahoma City hospital in critical condition, where Tyler was later pronounced dead.
According to the affidavit, following the collision, a phone was located in Huang’s vehicle. During the investigation into the cause of the collision a search warrant for the phone was obtained, and investigators claim analysis of information downloaded from the phone by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Digital Forensics Division allegedly showed Huang was scrolling websites and saving photos to her files prior and up to the time of the accident.
Huang was charged with one felony count of first-degree manslaughter in Garvin County District Court on Aug. 27, 2025. She has entered a plea of not guilty and is currently free on a $75,000 bond.