Emory and Harlow Deacon: Justine May Investigation

Jaded Evidence Investigation | Updated October 24, 2026

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Publicly circulated case photograph showing the mother and children — Publicly circulated case photograph supplied for the investigation; original photographer and publication rights not yet verified.

Emory Deacon, age 2, and Harlow Deacon, 15 months, were discovered dead in their Ladson, South Carolina home on September 29, 2026. Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O’Neal reported starvation and dehydration due to neglect as the causes of death and classified both deaths as homicides. Their mother, Justine Marie May, faces two counts of homicide by child abuse. The charges are allegations; May is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Why this case warrants scrutiny

According to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), the agency received 21 calls about the residence beginning August 10 and responded on 13 occasions, including the final September 29 visit. These were not necessarily 13 identical welfare checks. The critical questions concern which children were observed, what concerns were communicated, what assessments were documented and what interventions were legally available.

Released sheriff deputy body-camera image showing a welfare-check visit inside the home — Released body-camera still from an earlier welfare-check visit. Image source: Charleston County Sheriff’s Office.

October 23 — Additional welfare-check records

FITSNews reports that a DSS investigator described two unanswered home visits to a deputy on September 29, before a joint response that afternoon. The supplemental reports do not establish when those two earlier visits occurred. These are DSS contacts, distinct from the sheriff’s previously reported welfare-check totals. The records raise information-sharing questions without establishing a completed finding of agency liability. FITSNews — October 23 records report.

CCSO supplemental reports — 29-page PDF linked by FITSNews. The summary above is attributed to the reporting; the PDF is provided for document review.

Documented chronology

August 10–11: Early law-enforcement contacts involving the residence.
August 25–26: Sheriff later reported that deputies saw the children.
August 30: Body-camera footage shows both children inside the home; DSS accompanied the visit.
September 8 and 11: Sheriff reports deputies saw the children.
September 12: Mobile Crisis Unit contact; released body-camera footage shows May speaking at the doorway, with both children briefly visible.
September 20: Another reported law-enforcement contact.
September 22: According to the sheriff, a supervisor directed discontinuation of further welfare checks without new actionable information.
September 29: Deputies and DSS responded; the children were discovered deceased.
September 30: May was charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse.
October 2026: Coroner estimated the children died three to five days before discovery, emphasizing that further results could refine the interval. Body-camera footage and incident-report information were released; the sheriff described an internal review and said an external agency review was not planned at that time.

What the probable-cause allegations say

According to reporting on the arrest affidavits, May allegedly told investigators that the preceding two weeks were a “blur” and that she could not recall when she last gave the children food or water. Those are reported statements in an investigative document, not a clinical diagnosis or a judicial finding.

The family’s warnings and agency response

Relatives and the children’s father, Zachary Deacon, reportedly raised repeated concerns. His attorney has called for an independent review of the response. The sheriff’s office maintains deputies followed policy and reported no immediate child-welfare concern on prior visits. A complete assessment requires dispatch logs, incident reports, DSS records, body-camera footage, the supervisor’s September 22 directive and the relevant legal standards. The separate harassment allegations involving Deacon must be assessed from their underlying records rather than assumed to prove or disprove his welfare concerns.

Clinical Lens: pediatric neglect and dehydration

In young children, inadequate fluid intake can cause progressive dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, hypovolemia and organ dysfunction. Prolonged inadequate nutrition can compound physiological instability. General clinical mechanisms do not establish the individual children’s laboratory values, appearance, consciousness, or precise clinical course. Those details require medical and autopsy evidence. An adult mental-health screening is also not a substitute for a child-safety assessment.

Newly located source documents — October 11, 2026

Source-document access: The following links lead to copies hosted by the original reporting outlet, not re-uploaded or modified documents. The publisher watermark remains intact. Read the CCSO incident-report packet (PDF) · Read the Deacon family attorney statement (PDF) · Read affidavit-based coverage and supporting reporting. The uploaded affidavit pages bear the same affidavit number, so the number of distinct charging documents still needs verification.

Original sheriff’s records: 18-page Charleston County Sheriff’s Office incident-report packet (PDF). The packet includes a March vandalism report unrelated to child-welfare checks and reports covering August and September contacts. It is a partial release, not a complete record of all 21 calls or 13 responses.

Family’s primary statement: October 7 statement by attorney Gedney M. Howe IV on behalf of Zack Deacon and family (PDF). The attorney disputes the adequacy of the sheriff’s response and requests an independent review. These are the family’s claims, not findings of wrongdoing.

Additional documented agency encounters

August 10: Deputy Cory Miles Ashe documented a domestic disturbance and conflicting accounts from May and Deacon. No criminal charge was pursued in that encounter, according to the report.

August 26: Deputy Christopher Harris documented finding both children apparently asleep, with no immediate distress observed. This observation did not amount to a pediatric medical evaluation.

September 11: Deputy Matthew Meisel documented concerns raised by May’s mother, Denise Theriault, and described the children as appearing healthy and well-fed. The report also describes communications presented by May as part of a harassment complaint against Deacon.

September 12: Deputy Ashe recorded that Mobile Crisis determined May did not meet its criteria for intervention. Deacon was arrested on the outstanding harassment warrant. The publicly released report does not contain the evaluator’s full assessment or establish a separate examination of the children.

Family outreach and messages: what can be authenticated?

Public reporting describes emails and texts that May shared online, reportedly including concerns expressed by relatives. Those selected screenshots are not a complete authenticated correspondence archive. The underlying messages and their dates, recipients and context remain evidence-acquisition priorities. We will not reproduce uncertain transcriptions from low-resolution collages.

Records still needed: complete CAD and 911 audio logs, all incident supplements, DSS assessment records where releasable, Mobile Crisis criteria and assessment, the September 22 supervisory communication, the underlying harassment-warrant affidavit and messages, the two homicide probable-cause affidavits, and any releasable coroner/autopsy findings.

Outstanding evidence questions

What did each call-for-service record state, and which visits included direct observation of each child?
What concerns did relatives, neighbors and the father communicate, and to which agency?
What was the documented basis for the September 22 supervisory direction?
What did DSS and Mobile Crisis evaluate and conclude?
What do the affidavits, autopsy findings and medical chronology actually establish?
Will an independent agency review occur, and what will it examine?

Primary records and reporting

Editorial standard: Confirmed findings, reported allegations and open questions are distinguished. This page will be updated as authenticated records become available. We do not publish private addresses or graphic images of the children.