SC mother charged with homicide after daughters found dead

Justine Marie May, 31, faces two counts of homicide by child abuse following the deaths of her two young daughters at their home in Ladson, South Carolina. Court documents indicate that the 31-year-old told investigators she could not remember the last time she provided the children with food or drink before deputies discovered them dead on Sept. 29.

Charleston County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a welfare check at the family residence. According to affidavits reviewed by Fox News Digital, officers initially encountered May outside the home, where she was described as crying and speaking incoherently. Upon entering the property to check on the children, deputies found both girls deceased. The affidavits state that May described the preceding two weeks as a "blur" and acknowledged to detectives that she did not recall feeding the children or giving them anything to drink.

May allegedly stated her belief that the children died due to a lack of food and admitted that failing to feed them constituted neglect. She further told investigators that she had been the sole caregiver and the only person present at the home during that period. The children were approximately 1½ and 2½ years old at the time of their deaths. Investigators alleged that May showed extreme indifference for human life by failing to provide basic sustenance, which they identified as a main contributor to the deaths.

Separate arrest warrants were issued for each child, charging May with homicide by child abuse under South Carolina law. Published reports note that the Charleston County Sheriff's Office had contacted May and the children twice in August and three times in September. During those encounters, deputies reported seeing no obvious signs of concern. The last reported visit while the children were alive occurred on Sept. 20.

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office of Professional Standards is currently conducting an internal review of the agency's response to the case. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's Special Victims Unit and the Department of Child Fatalities are supporting the probe. May was booked into Charleston County jail on Sept. 29 and remained in custody as of Friday, according to online jail records.