Newly released body camera footage is raising tough questions in Ladson, South Carolina, where two sisters, 2-year-old Emory Deacon and 15-month-old Harlow Deacon, were found starved to death on Sept. 29. Authorities believe the girls died three to five days before deputies entered the Pinewood Drive home. Their mother, Justine May, has been charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse.
The footage shows deputies responding to the home on Aug. 30, when the residence appeared well-maintained and the children were seen crawling and sitting on the couch. A mobile crisis unit visited on Sept. 12, and May reportedly spoke through the door but declined to let them inside. The girls’ father, Zachary Deacon, had requested multiple welfare checks before the children were found, and authorities say the September call that led deputies back to the home came from May’s parents.
For families across the Suncoast and beyond, the case raises a painful question: how did so many visits and calls fail to protect two toddlers? As the investigation continues, the conversation about child welfare follow-through and family intervention is only getting louder. What do you think needs to change so welfare checks actually protect the kids they’re meant to help?
