diff --git a/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/back-ldbm.h b/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/back-ldbm.h
index 26e081c04a..0834a1c733 100644
--- a/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/back-ldbm.h
+++ b/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/back-ldbm.h
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ typedef unsigned short u_int16_t;
 #define DEFAULT_IMPORT_INDEX_BUFFER_SIZE  0
 #define SUBLEN                   3
 #define LDBM_CACHE_RETRY_COUNT 1000 /* Number of times we re-try a cache operation */
+#define RETRY_CACHE_LOCK 2 /* error code to signal a retry of the cache lock */
 #define IDL_FETCH_RETRY_COUNT 5 /* Number of times we re-try idl_fetch if it returns deadlock */
 #define IMPORT_SUBCOUNT_HASHTABLE_SIZE 500 /* Number of buckets in hash used to accumulate subcount for broody parents */
 
diff --git a/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/cache.c b/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/cache.c
index a73ae6abae..7f3f025e0e 100644
--- a/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/cache.c
+++ b/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/cache.c
@@ -1483,7 +1483,9 @@ void cache_unlock(struct cache *cache)
 
 /* locks an entry so that it can be modified (you should have gotten the
  * entry via cache_find_*).
- * returns 0 on success, 1 if the entry is scheduled for deletion.
+ * returns 0 on success,
+ * returns 1 if the entry lock could not be created
+ * returns 2 (RETRY_CACHE_LOCK) if the entry is scheduled for deletion.
  */
 int cache_lock_entry(struct cache *cache, struct backentry *e)
 {
@@ -1515,7 +1517,7 @@ int cache_lock_entry(struct cache *cache, struct backentry *e)
        PR_Unlock(cache->c_mutex);
        PR_ExitMonitor(e->ep_mutexp);
        LOG("<= cache_lock_entry (DELETED)\n", 0, 0, 0);
-       return 1;
+       return RETRY_CACHE_LOCK;
     }
     PR_Unlock(cache->c_mutex);
 
diff --git a/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/ldbm_delete.c b/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/ldbm_delete.c
index 2b349f6f70..a858fa063d 100644
--- a/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/ldbm_delete.c
+++ b/ldap/servers/slapd/back-ldbm/ldbm_delete.c
@@ -98,7 +98,6 @@ ldbm_back_delete( Slapi_PBlock *pb )
 	int opreturn = 0;
 	int free_delete_existing_entry = 0;
 	int not_an_error = 0;
-	int updated_num = 0;
 
 	slapi_pblock_get( pb, SLAPI_BACKEND, &be);
 	slapi_pblock_get( pb, SLAPI_PLUGIN_PRIVATE, &li );
@@ -459,14 +458,37 @@ ldbm_back_delete( Slapi_PBlock *pb )
 					 * (find_entry2modify_only_ext), a wrong parent could be found,
 					 * and numsubordinate count could get confused.
 					 */
-					ID pid = (ID)strtol(pid_str, (char **)NULL, 10);
+					ID pid;
+					int cache_retry_count = 0;
+					int cache_retry = 0;
+
+					pid = (ID)strtol(pid_str, (char **)NULL, 10);
 					slapi_ch_free_string(&pid_str);
-					parent = id2entry(be, pid ,NULL, &retval);
-					if (parent && cache_lock_entry(&inst->inst_cache, parent)) {
-						/* Failed to obtain parent entry's entry lock */
-						CACHE_RETURN(&(inst->inst_cache), &parent);
-						retval = -1;
-						goto error_return;
+
+					/*
+					 * Its possible that the parent entry retrieved from the cache in id2entry
+					 * could be removed before we lock it, because tombstone purging updated/replaced
+					 * the parent.  If we fail to lock the entry, just try again.
+					 */
+					while(1){
+						parent = id2entry(be, pid ,NULL, &retval);
+						if (parent && (cache_retry = cache_lock_entry(&inst->inst_cache, parent))) {
+							/* Failed to obtain parent entry's entry lock */
+							if(cache_retry == RETRY_CACHE_LOCK &&
+							   cache_retry_count < LDBM_CACHE_RETRY_COUNT)
+							{
+								/* try again */
+								DS_Sleep(PR_MillisecondsToInterval(100));
+								cache_retry_count++;
+								continue;
+							}
+							retval = -1;
+							CACHE_RETURN(&(inst->inst_cache), &parent);
+							goto error_return;
+						} else {
+							/* entry locked, move on */
+							break;
+						}
 					}
 				}
 				if (NULL == parent) {
@@ -502,8 +524,7 @@ ldbm_back_delete( Slapi_PBlock *pb )
 						retval = -1;
 						goto error_return;
 					}
-					/* MARK */
-					updated_num = 1;
+
 					/*
 					 * Replication urp_post_delete will delete the parent entry
 					 * if it is a glue entry without any more children.
@@ -519,7 +540,6 @@ ldbm_back_delete( Slapi_PBlock *pb )
 					}
 				}
 			}
-			slapi_sdn_done(&parentsdn);
 
 			if(create_tombstone_entry)
 			{
@@ -1291,14 +1311,12 @@ ldbm_back_delete( Slapi_PBlock *pb )
 	slapi_ch_free((void**)&errbuf);
 	slapi_sdn_done(&nscpEntrySDN);
 	slapi_ch_free_string(&e_uniqueid);
+	slapi_sdn_done(&parentsdn);
 	if (pb->pb_conn)
 	{
 		slapi_log_error (SLAPI_LOG_TRACE, "ldbm_back_delete", "leave conn=%" NSPRIu64 " op=%d\n",
 				(long long unsigned int)pb->pb_conn->c_connid, operation->o_opid);
 	}
 
-	if(!updated_num && ldap_result_code != 32){
-		slapi_log_error (SLAPI_LOG_FATAL,"MARK", "Failed to update numsubordinates\n");
-	}
 	return rc;
 }