Justine Marie May has been charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse after her young daughters were found dead during a welfare check at their home in Ladson, South Carolina.
The victims were identified by the Charleston County Coroner’s Office as Emory Deacon, aged 33 months, and 15-month-old Harlow Deacon. Both children died from starvation and dehydration caused by neglect, and their deaths have been ruled homicides.
Deputies went to the property on Pinewood Drive shortly after 12.30pm on Tuesday, September 29, following a request to check on the girls’ welfare. A case worker from the South Carolina Department of Social Services was also present.
According to an arrest affidavit, May came outside crying and speaking incoherently. Deputies then entered the house and found the children dead. No lifesaving measures could be attempted.
What happened before the children died?
May, 31, reportedly told investigators that the previous two weeks had been a “blur”. She said she could not remember the last time she had fed the girls or given them anything to drink.
The affidavit states that May acknowledged failing to feed her children was neglectful. She also told officers she had been the only adult in the home and the girls’ sole caregiver during the period leading up to their deaths.
A 911 caller had contacted authorities earlier that day after becoming concerned that May was walking around the neighbourhood without her children. The caller reportedly said the girls had not been seen and that May was behaving unusually.
“I’m just concerned because she didn’t have her kids, and nobody has seen her kids,” the caller told a dispatcher, according to an account of the emergency call.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and other agencies had attended the address 13 times between August 10 and September 29. Those visits included welfare checks and separate involvement by the Department of Social Services and the South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s Mobile Crisis Unit.
Authorities said deputies had made contact with May and the children on several occasions in August and September, including August 25 and 26 and September 8, 11 and 12. They reported seeing no signs of concern during those visits. The sheriff’s office said its most recent visit before the deaths, on September 20, involved contact with May alone.
Family members had urged May to seek help
Messages shared by May on social media reportedly showed relatives and the children’s father pleading with her to accept help and allow them to see the girls.
In one message, the children’s father wrote: “I am begging you to hear me. This is not you. I am f—ing begging you to please get help.” He also described her as “spiralling” and urged her to “come back”.
May’s mother reportedly wrote in an email that the family had been living through a “fresh hell” while May stopped communicating and prevented relatives from seeing the children.
May remains in custody at the Al Cannon Detention Center and is being held without bond. Her first court appearance is scheduled for November 20, with a further hearing listed for March 19, 2027.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said its Office of Professional Standards was carrying out a routine review of the incident. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Special Victims Unit, Department of Child Fatalities, is assisting with the investigation.
The charges are allegations, and May has not yet entered a plea.
