by JENN WOOD
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Family members of two young girls found dead inside a Lowcountry, South Carolina home say repeated pleas for help went unheeded — while the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is defending its handling of the 21 calls it received concerning the residence during the weeks preceding the grisly discovery.
In a statement released through attorney Gedney M. Howe IV, the family identified the children as Emory Deacon and Harlow Deacon – and said neighbors, friends, relatives and their mother’s own parents had sought help for them prior to their bodies being discovered last Tuesday (September 29, 2026).
“We believe these deaths could and should have been prevented,” Howe said in the statement. “Neighbors, friends, and family all called trying to get help for these girls, and no one listened.”
The sheriff’s office offered a different account of its response, saying deputies visited the Ladson, S.C. property on 13 separate occasions, consulted supervisors and coordinated with the S.C. Department of Social Services (SCDSS) and other agencies.
“During the prior responses, deputies and participating agency personnel did not report observations indicating an immediate concern for the children’s welfare,” the agency said.
While scrutiny regarding the handling of the calls intensifies, 31-year-old Justine Marie May faces two counts of homicide by child abuse – one for each of her late children.
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WARNINGS AND THE RESPONSE
Family members of Emory and Harlow Deacon say repeated efforts to get help for the girls failed. The sheriff’s office maintains its personnel responded appropriately to the concerns presented to them.
Howe represents Zack Deacon, the children’s father. He says his client was arrested after raising concerns.
“Zack was sounding the alarm and was arrested for it,” Howe said. “Seeking justice for Emory and Harlow is the most important thing to this family.”
The statement did not identify the charge, date or circumstances of Deacon’s arrest. Court records reviewed for this report did not independently establish those details – or connect the arrest to Deacon’s efforts to seek help.
Responding to questions about radio transmissions involving deputies at the home, CCSO sheriff Carl Ritchie said his agency stood “firmly behind our deputy.”
CCSO said audio confirmed the deputy followed supervisory direction, acted within the law and adhered to established policies and professional standards.
According to CCSO, the litany of calls and responses at the residence included welfare checks, follow-up calls, supervisory reviews and coordination with SCDSS and other agencies. Those totals included the September 29 response during which the girls were found dead.
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The agency listed documented responses and contacts on August 10, 11, 25, 26 and 27, followed by September 8, 9, 11, 12, 20, 22 and 29. Some dates involved more than one call, response or follow-up.
CCSO said deputies personally interacted with May and the children during several contacts, with other agencies participating in the assessment process. During earlier responses, personnel did not report observations indicating an immediate concern for the children’s welfare, according to the agency.
The sheriff’s office also said family members were treated professionally and respectfully and provided information about available legal avenues.
“The record reflects an extensive history of response to this residence, not an absence of response,” the agency said.
Its statement did not specify which visits included direct contact with the girls, when responding personnel last saw them alive or what concerns callers reported on each occasion. Those details are central to determining whether the information available during earlier visits warranted further action to protect the children.
The family said it is supporting one another, participating in the investigation and planning to meet with investigators and prosecutors. It asked that its privacy be respected.
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RELATED | Two Young Girls Found Dead In Ladson
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THE SEPTEMBER 29 DISCOVERY
CCSO also provided additional details about the response that led to the horrific discovery at 3280 Pinewood Drive.
After additional concerns were reported on September 29, the deputy referenced in the radio transmissions contacted SCDSS and asked its personnel to accompany deputies to the residence, according to the agency.
Deputies canvassed the surrounding area before returning with SCDSS personnel. After contact was made with May, DSS requested to see the children and was permitted inside, CCSO said. The girls were discovered during that response.
As FITSNews previously reported, a probable cause affidavit stated May came outside crying and speaking incoherently. Deputies knew from prior welfare checks that she usually cared for her two young daughters, and entry was made to check their safety.
The affidavits stated both children were clearly deceased and noted lifesaving measures could not be performed.
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UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
The two affidavits (.pdf) obtained by FITSNews contained substantially the same allegations, with one charge tied to “Juvenile 1” and the other to “Juvenile 2.” Charleston County court records list two separate pending homicide-by-child-abuse cases against May.
According to the affidavits, May told detectives after being advised of her Miranda rights that she had been in a “blur” for the previous two weeks and could not remember when she last fed the children or gave them something to drink.
She allegedly said she believed they died because they had not eaten and acknowledged that failing to feed them was neglectful. She also allegedly described herself as their sole caregiver and the only person at the home over the preceding weeks.
May told investigators the children were approximately 18 months and two-and-a-half years old, according to the filings.
Investigators alleged her failure to provide basic sustenance contributed to both deaths. The affidavits do not include autopsy findings or an official medical determination of either child’s cause of death.
FITSNews has submitted requests under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for records concerning the earlier welfare-check calls. Those records could help establish what warnings authorities received, what responding personnel observed and how decisions were made as concerns continued through August and September.
The sheriff’s office’s latest statement provides a count and a partial chronology. It does not provide the underlying call-by-call records needed to assess the family’s allegations or the agency’s account of its actions.
FITSNews will continue reporting as additional records and information become available.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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SOUND OFF…
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6 comments
CCPD & CCDSS should be ashamed and held accountable for the deaths of these 2 children, FULL STOP.
Amen It is past time these agencies are held accountable for not doing their jobs
Tragic but not surprising in the least. Someone I know tried reporting highly suspicious behavior involving two young girls in the approximately 9 to 13 year old range in Orangeburg County, this year. We always hear where the welfare of children is a top priority in our state, but this is a baldface lie. There appears to be various levels of child abuse, possibly up to and including trafficking on the two young girls. Ample reasons for suspicion was given in phone calls to Midlands “Crimestoppers” and a number that was apparently SC DSS.
Midlands Crimestoppers took the information but later said since it was in Orangeburg County, they would not be getting involved.
A lady at DSS took unformation and seemed genuinely interested and concerned. She said she would discuss it directly with her supervisor in hopes of getting an investigation initiated. She said that it could go three ways. One was that DSS would open a case file and investigate it. Another, is they would turn it over to Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office, which has a terrible reputation for doing nothing. Lastly, the information would go in a circular file.
Word on the street concerning the two children, there alleged “grandparents” who were keeping them most of the time, and the girls’whereabouts have just become more nebulous with time.
People who were reliable sources reported the “grandparents” leaving the children locked in the house from outside with deadbolt locks for hours at a time while they went shopping, at a minimum, a fire hazard. There were reports of the grandparents giving the oldest girl medication which was not prescribed for her, to “calm her down”. That girl has been admitted to the Orangeburg hospital on more than one occasion for alleged mental health issues. By reliable accounts, neither girl has been enrolled in any school for years, nor are they home-schooled. Neither girl has friends their own age outside of the household. There are worse elements to this story, but so-called “child welfare” machinery in our state cannot be bothered to do anything as far as looking into these cases. Both “grandparents” have moved around the country for years, adding to questions about whether or not these children are even theirs.
The stuff that happened to the children in Charleston County is not a mischance, sad to say.
Please see below. And did they explain what exactly a “circular” file was?
Contact the Governor’s office and ask for constituent services and make a complaint about the above. They usually then contact the agencies snd tell the agencies to report back to them with what’s they plan on doing and have done.
These children were failed on so many levels. The parents, CPS, DSS, extended family and the list goes on.