Bodycam Video Shows Charleston Toddlers Appeared Unharmed Weeks Before Starvation Deaths

Newly released police bodycam footage shows a welfare check at a Charleston County home weeks before two toddlers were found starved to death inside, raising questions about whether repeated visits by officers and social workers missed warning signs.

Justine May, 31, the children’s mother, was arrested Sept. 29 and charged with homicide in the deaths of her daughters, 15-month-old Harlow Deacon and 2-year-old Emory Deacon.

The footage, from an Aug. 30 visit, shows May answering the door and telling officers, “How can I help you?” before adding, “No one can come in.” When asked to step outside, she grew frustrated and pressed officers on why they were there.

Officers asked May whether she was hearing voices or had any intent to harm herself or others. She did not answer directly and instead accused her ex-fiancé, Zack Deacon, of lying about a mental health episode.

“I don’t want to tell it,” May told officers when pressed for details. “The police know. I’m not doing this at all. I’m not telling my side at all.”

While holding one of her children during the visit, May described her ex and her mother as “crazy” for repeatedly calling police to check on her, according to the footage.

That welfare check was prompted after Deacon and other family members said they had not seen the children in about a week. A social worker on the scene told May her “mental health has apparently declined” since her split from Deacon. May denied this and instead accused Deacon of “erratic behavior” during visits to the home. The house appeared clean and orderly in the video.

Thirteen Checks, No Red Flags Found

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office conducted 13 welfare checks at the home in the period leading up to the girls’ deaths but reported finding no apparent signs of danger. The last check took place Sept. 20, roughly a week before the children’s bodies were discovered.

Sheriff Carl Ritchie said the decision to stop the checks was made by an on-duty supervisor based on the information available at the time.

“The decision was made by the on-duty supervisor to discontinue additional welfare checks based on the totality of the information available at that time, including the previous contacts, the involvement of DSS and Mobile Crisis, and the absence of new actionable information indicating an immediate threat to Ms. May or her children,” Ritchie said.

May has reportedly told investigators she was in a “blur” for weeks and could not recall when she last fed her children.

The sheriff’s office said it is now reviewing bodycam footage from the earlier checks to assess the children’s apparent condition in the weeks before their deaths.

Father Seeks Answers

Zack Deacon has hired an attorney to examine how law enforcement and child welfare officials handled the case.

“Emory and Harlow deserve the truth,” attorney Gedney Howe said in a statement. “Their father deserves to see the file, not to learn about the case on the news.”