The situation
Chilling new bodycam footage has emerged from South Carolina, showing the final weeks leading up to the tragic deaths of 15-month-old Harlow Deacon and 2-year-old Emory Deacon. Their mother, 31-year-old Justine May, was arrested on September 29 and is currently facing homicide charges after the toddlers were found starved to death inside their home.
The welfare check
On August 30, officers conducted a welfare check at the home after the children’s father, Zack Deacon, and others reported not seeing the kids for an entire week. In the video, May is seen standing at the door holding one of her children, telling officers, “No one can come in.” When questioned about her mental health or potential harm to others, May dodged the inquiries, blaming her ex-fiancé and claiming he was lying about her mental health episodes. She told officers, “I’m not doing this at all. I’m not telling my side at all.”
Police response
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office conducted 13 welfare checks at the home leading up to the tragedy. Despite these visits, Sheriff Carl Ritchie stated that a supervisor decided to stop further checks after September 20 because there was “no new actionable information” indicating an immediate threat. May allegedly later told police she had been living in a “blur” and could not remember the last time she fed her children. The sheriff’s office is now reviewing the footage to re-examine the children's condition in those final days.
Why it matters
The children’s father, Zack Deacon, has hired attorney Gedney Howe to investigate the police response, arguing that there may have been incompetence in the handling of these checks. As Howe put it, “Emory and Harlow deserve the truth.” It’s a devastating situation that has the community searching for answers as to how this could have been missed.
