Deputies responding to a welfare check at a home in the 3200 block of Pinewood Drive in Ladson found two people dead inside on Tuesday, and a 31-year-old woman was taken into custody in connection with their deaths. Justine Marie May now faces two counts tied to their deaths, though local outlets have described the exact charge differently.
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office said deputies were sent to the home for a welfare check and discovered the two bodies there, according to postandcourier.com. That outlet reported May was charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse, while WYFF reported the charges as two counts of homicide by child neglect. May was booked into the Charleston County jail at 6:49 p.m. Tuesday, per court records cited by the Post and Courier.
Court records reviewed by abcnews4.com confirm law enforcement took May into custody on Tuesday. The station reported that May waived her bond appearance on Wednesday, with an initial court appearance currently scheduled for Nov. 20.
Victims' Identities Still Withheld
The Charleston County Coroner's Office had not released the names or ages of the people found dead, abcnews4.com reported. Live5News reported that the coroner had not yet confirmed the ages, identities or cause of death of the victims, though the charges themselves indicate the victims were children.
An affidavit-based report from fitsnews.com said the two victims were young girls, approximately 18 months and two-and-a-half years old. That report did not reference autopsy findings or an official medical determination of either child's cause of death.
What the Affidavit Alleges
According to the same affidavit-based account, May could not remember the last time she fed her children or gave them something to drink during the two weeks before they were found. Investigators alleged that her failure to provide the children with basic sustenance contributed to their deaths, per the fitsnews.com report.
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office said there was no danger to the public at large following the discovery, according to the Post and Courier's reporting. No further details about the circumstances leading up to the welfare check have been released.
The Charge Under South Carolina Law
Under South Carolina law, a person is guilty of homicide by child abuse if they cause the death of a child under 11 while committing child abuse or neglect, and the death occurs under circumstances showing extreme indifference to human life, according to the South Carolina Code of Laws. The statute also covers someone who knowingly aids or abets another person in such a death.
Statewide, South Carolina's Department of Children's Advocacy investigated 328 total child fatalities and opened 326 child-fatality cases in 2024, with two of those cases involving multiple deaths classified under a single case number, according to a report from sled.sc.gov. May's case remains in its earliest stages, with the coroner's identification and cause-of-death findings still pending.
