Horrifying Welfare Check Ends In Arrest

Person in handcuffs covering face with hands — Photo: Yevhen Prozhyrko / Shutterstock

Two toddlers died from starvation and dehydration that the coroner ruled homicides, even after 13 prior calls brought authorities to their home.

Story Highlights

The coroner said both girls died from starvation and dehydration due to neglect, and ruled both deaths homicides.
Deputies found the children during a welfare check at the Pinewood Drive home in Ladson, South Carolina.
Authorities arrested and charged the mother, Justine May, with two counts of homicide by child abuse or neglect.
Records show law enforcement received 13 calls to the address in the weeks before the deaths.

Coroner Confirms Homicides by Starvation and Dehydration

Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal identified the victims as Emory Deacon and Harlow Deacon. The coroner said both children died from starvation and dehydration due to neglect and ruled both deaths homicides. The findings confirm what investigators feared when they entered the Ladson home. The language is clear and direct. The cause was not an accident or illness. It was the absence of food and water. That is why the manner of death is homicide, according to the public ruling.

South Carolina law makes homicide by child abuse a distinct crime. State courts have held that causing a child’s death through abuse or neglect under circumstances showing extreme indifference to human life meets that standard. Prosecutors often use this statute when omissions, like failing to provide food or care, lead to death. Case law explains that extreme indifference can be proven without direct intent if the conduct shows a disregard for life.

Deputies Discover Bodies After Welfare Check

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and the state’s child welfare agency went to the Pinewood Drive home for a welfare check. Responders made contact with the mother, Justine May, and then found the children dead in the residence. The sheriff’s office noted that, based on past visits, responders already knew May was the primary caregiver. That detail shaped the response, the investigation, and the decision to bring charges after the discovery.

Officials arrested May, 31, and charged her with two counts of homicide by child abuse or neglect. Local records and news reports list the same core charges, though some outlets varied in how they labeled them. The charge tracks with the coroner’s ruling and the conditions found at the scene. Prosecutors will need to show that the conduct, including alleged omissions, meets the legal test for extreme indifference under South Carolina law.

Repeated Calls and Missed Chances

Dispatch and reporting show deputies had been called to the address many times in the weeks before the deaths. One outlet counted 13 responses since August 10, with specific dates in August and September noted in dispatch logs. Those calls did not always lead to findings of immediate danger. Still, the volume of contacts raises hard questions about whether earlier action could have changed the outcome for the two girls.

A released 911 call from a concerned acquaintance asked for a welfare check on the mother and the children before the deaths. The call adds a public record of a request for help tied to the family. The sheriff’s statement and news accounts frame the final visit as part of a long string of checks. The call volume can dominate public debate, but the logs alone do not show what each responder saw inside the home on each date.

What Investigators Say the Mother Told Them

Media reports citing affidavits say May told investigators the last two weeks had been “a blur.” She allegedly admitted neglect and said she could not remember when she last gave the children anything to eat or drink. Those statements, if admitted in court, would speak to what happened inside the home and the level of care the children received. They would also connect to the “extreme indifference” standard in state law.

A Ladson mother is accused of homicide by child abuse. Mothers killing their own children is very rare and could result from untreated psychosis. South Carolina and MUSC are making more treatment available now. https://t.co/cOjvy3rPIY

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) October 4, 2026

Officials have not released full autopsy files or every dispatch narrative, which is common in open cases and those involving minors. The most important facts are public: the coroner’s rulings, the welfare check discovery, and the homicide charges. The next phase moves to court, where prosecutors will present evidence, and the defense can respond. For many readers, the key concern is simple: two little girls needed help, and help came too late.

What This Means for Families and Law Enforcement

This case shows how child welfare and law enforcement systems strain under repeat calls without clear proof of imminent harm. Responders must balance civil liberties, parental rights, and child safety on every visit. South Carolina’s homicide-by-child-abuse law gives prosecutors a firm tool when neglect turns deadly, but the goal should be prevention long before a crime is charged. Better coordination, faster risk screening, and clear follow-up steps can save lives without trampling rights.