Two children were found dead Tuesday inside a home on Pinewood Drive in Ladson, South Carolina, after deputies responded to a welfare check. Their mother, 31-year-old Justine May, has been charged with two counts of homicide by child neglect. She waived her bond hearing Wednesday and is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Nov. 20. The Charleston County Coroner’s Office has not yet released the children’s cause of death.
The case has drawn attention because of what reportedly came before. Family members say they contacted law enforcement within the last month about the well-being of May and the children in her care, and May posted screenshots of concerned messages from relatives on social media in mid-September. Her ex-boyfriend, Zachary Deacon, was arrested at the same home on Sept. 11 on charges including second-degree harassment. Court documents state Deacon had previously described May as delusional and referenced involvement with social services. The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, alongside the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Department of Child Fatalities.
For families here on the Suncoast, the story is a reminder that warning signs often surface long before a tragedy. The investigation is ongoing, and many questions remain about how those earlier calls and contacts were handled. What would you want to see happen when multiple concerns are reported about the same household? Let us know in the comments.
