In Ladson, South Carolina, two children — barely old enough to speak — were found dead on September 29, their brief lives ended by the most elemental of deprivations: food and water. Their mother, Justine Marie May, now faces homicide charges, having told investigators that the weeks before their deaths had dissolved into a blur she could not account for. The tragedy arrives not only as a story of one family's collapse, but as a question the community must sit with: how does such suffering go unseen, even when eyes are present?
S.C. Mother Charged in Deaths of Two Young Daughters, Says Weeks Were 'Blur'
Two young daughters, ages approximately 1½ and 2½ years old, died from neglect and starvation in their home on September 29.
The previous two weeks had been a blur
Mark
How did deputies come to be at the home that day if they'd already visited five times?
Mimi
The affidavits don't specify what triggered the September 29 welfare check. We know it happened, but not who called or why that particular day.
Luke
That's a real gap. Five prior visits with no reported concerns, then a welfare check that finds two dead children. The public needs to know what changed.
Mark
What did May actually say about what happened?
Mimi
She told investigators the previous two weeks were a blur. She couldn't remember feeding them or giving them water. She acknowledged that lack of food was the cause and that not feeding them was neglect.
Luke
So she's admitting to the core facts. But "blur" is vague. Was she impaired? Mentally unwell? The affidavits don't say, and that matters for understanding how this happened.
Mark
Did anyone notice anything wrong during those five earlier visits?
Mimi
Deputies reported seeing no obvious signs of concern. That's the official record.
Luke
"No obvious signs" is doing a lot of work there. Two children under three, alone with one caregiver, and nothing flagged across five visits. Either the children were hidden, or the deputies weren't looking for what they needed to see.
Mark
What happens now?
Mimi
The internal review will examine how the sheriff's office handled those earlier contacts. State agencies are involved too.
Luke
The real question is whether that review will be honest about what "no obvious signs of concern" actually means in a home where two toddlers were starving.
Der Puls
- Two toddlers, ages one and a half and two and a half, were found dead inside their Ladson home after deputies arrived for a welfare check and discovered their mother outside, crying and barely coherent.
- May told investigators the prior two weeks were a 'blur' — she could not recall the last time she had fed or given water to either child, and she acknowledged that starvation was the main cause of their deaths.
- Charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse, May was booked the same day the children were discovered and remains in custody, with investigators describing her conduct as showing extreme indifference to human life.
- A deeply unsettling detail has surfaced: deputies had visited the home five times in August and September — the last just nine days before the children were found dead — and reported no obvious signs of concern on any occasion.
- The Charleston County Sheriff's Office of Professional Standards has opened an internal review, and state-level agencies including the Special Victims Unit and the Department of Child Fatalities are now examining whether oversight and response protocols failed these children.
In Ladson, South Carolina, two children — barely old enough to speak — were found dead on September 29, their brief lives ended by the most elemental of deprivations: food and water. Their mother, Justine Marie May, now faces homicide charges, having told investigators that the weeks before their deaths had dissolved into a blur she could not account for. The tragedy arrives not only as a story of one family's collapse, but as a question the community must sit with: how does such suffering go unseen, even when eyes are present?
On September 29, deputies from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office arrived at a home in Ladson, South Carolina, for a welfare check. They found Justine Marie May, 31, outside the house — crying, speaking incoherently. When they entered, both of her daughters were dead inside. The girls were approximately one and a half and two and a half years old.
May told detectives that the two weeks before their deaths had been a blur. She could not remember the last time she had fed either child or given them water. She acknowledged to investigators that she believed they had died because they had not eaten, and she admitted that failing to provide for them was neglect. She had been the sole caregiver in the home throughout that period. Investigators described her conduct as showing extreme indifference to human life. May was booked into the Charleston County jail that same day on two counts of homicide by child abuse.
What followed the discovery was perhaps equally troubling. It emerged that deputies had made contact with May and the children on five separate occasions — twice in August, three times in September — before the fatal visit. On each occasion, they reported seeing no obvious signs of concern. The last of those visits had occurred on September 20, just nine days before the children were found dead.
That nine-day gap has drawn scrutiny. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office of Professional Standards has launched an internal review of how the agency handled its prior contacts with the family. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Special Victims Unit and the Department of Child Fatalities are also involved in the investigation, signaling that questions about oversight and missed opportunities are now formally part of the record.
On September 29, deputies from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office arrived at a home in Ladson, just outside Charleston, South Carolina, responding to a welfare check. Outside the house, they found Justine Marie May, 31, crying and speaking incoherently. When they entered to check on her children, they discovered both girls dead inside.
May now faces two counts of homicide by child abuse. The daughters were approximately one and a half and two and a half years old. According to affidavits reviewed by investigators, May told detectives that the two weeks before their deaths had been a blur—that she could not remember the last time she had fed either child or given them water. She acknowledged to investigators that she believed the children died because they had not eaten, and she admitted that failing to feed them constituted neglect. She also stated she had been the only person in the home and the sole caregiver for the children during the weeks leading up to their deaths.
Investigators characterized May's conduct as showing extreme indifference to human life. The affidavits indicate that the failure to provide basic food and water was identified as a main contributor to the children's deaths. May was booked into the Charleston County jail on September 29 and remained in custody, with jail records confirming the two homicide by child abuse charges.
What has emerged since the discovery is a troubling pattern of prior contact. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies had made contact with May and the children on five separate occasions—twice in August and three times in September—before the fatal welfare check. During those visits, deputies reported seeing no obvious signs of concern. The last of these visits occurred on September 20, nine days before the children were found dead.
That gap between the final welfare visit and the discovery has prompted scrutiny. The Charleston County Sheriff's Office of Professional Standards has launched an internal review of how the agency responded to the situation. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Special Victims Unit and the Department of Child Fatalities are also assisting in the investigation, suggesting that questions about oversight and response protocols are now part of the official record.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The previous two weeks had been a 'blur' and she could not remember when she last fed the children or gave them something to drink— Justine Marie May, to investigators
She believed the children died because they did not eat and acknowledged that not feeding them was neglectful— Justine Marie May, according to affidavits
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Fox News ↗
Crime & Justice