Justine May Charged With Homicide After Toddlers Die of Starvation

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Justine May, 31, has been charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse in Ladson after her 2-year-old and 15-month-old daughters, Emory and Harlow Deacon, were found dead inside their home on Sept. 29, postandcourier.com reported. The Charleston County Coroner’s Office stated the toddlers died from starvation and dehydration due to neglect, while the mother told investigators that she could not recall the last time she had fed them or given them a drink.

Acquaintance Reports May Is Walking Without Toddlers

A concerned acquaintance called 911 at 12:33 p.m. on Sept. 29 after seeing May walking on Pinewood Drive without her toddlers, noting that her behavior had changed and she would claim the children were napping whenever anyone asked about them. The caller told dispatchers, I would like for someone to at least lay eyes on them. According to dispatch audio obtained via public records, an initial deputy assigned to the check responded that they were no longer conducting welfare checks at that address and would call May instead.

A Charleston County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson did not immediately answer questions regarding why welfare checks had ceased at the residence, though official records indicate dispatch had received 21 calls to the address since Aug. 10 and deputies had visited 13 times without seeing signs of concern. A second deputy ultimately headed to the home to meet a state Department of Social Services representative, while a third deputy drove around the neighborhood to locate May. Authorities found May crying and speaking incoherently in her front yard before discovering the children dead inside.

May Remains in Custody After Multiple Agency Visits

Deputies transported May to the Charleston County jail around 2 p.m. on Sept. 29, and she waived her right to a bond hearing on the morning of Sept. 30. She remains in custody unless a bond is granted in General Sessions court. Prior to the arrests, Charleston County deputies had last contacted May on Sept. 20 without seeing the children, according to the sheriff’s office. The state Department of Social Services and the S.C. Department of Mental Health Mobile Crisis Unit had also responded to the home on multiple occasions.