Bodycam footage shows welfare checks before two children died from neglect
Police body-camera footage from two welfare checks in August and September shows officers visiting Justine May’s home weeks before her two young children were found dead. The deaths have prompted scrutiny of how authorities assessed concerns about the family and why checks stopped before the children were discovered.
Harlow Deacon, 15 months, and Emory Deacon, two, were found dead at their home in Ladson, South Carolina, on 29 September; the coroner attributed their deaths to starvation and dehydration caused by neglect. At least 13 checks had been made, but none had led deputies to report concerning behaviour. The sheriff’s office said checks stopped after a supervisor reviewed previous contacts and involvement by social services and a crisis team, with no new information indicating an immediate threat. Their father has called for a review of police conduct.
- Two young children died from starvation and dehydration.
- Police made at least 13 welfare checks before their deaths.
- Their father is seeking a review of police conduct.
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Two young children in South Carolina died in late September from starvation and dehydration caused by neglect. Harlow Deacon was 15 months old and his sister Emory was two when they were found at their home in Ladson.
Police officers made at least 13 welfare checks at the home before the children were found, including visits in August and September that were recorded on bodycam footage. None of these visits led officers to report concerning behaviour or take further action.
The case has raised questions about whether authorities properly assessed the risks to the children and why the welfare checks eventually stopped before their deaths were discovered. The children's father has called for a review of police conduct.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Social services and crisis teams had been involved alongside police, and welfare checks can only observe what's visible during brief visits; supervisors made decisions based on the information available to them, and without clear evidence of immediate danger during checks, authorities must respect family privacy whilst preventing harmful overreach. The tragedy cannot fairly be judged by hindsight.
The case against
The system had at least thirteen contact points with the family and documented concerns; the decision to stop checks appears premature, suggesting insufficient coordination between agencies and inadequate escalation protocols. When infants and young children are involved, child protection should take priority over assumptions that previous checks and agency involvement made further monitoring unnecessary.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Chilling bodycam footage shows cops carrying out welfare checks just days before two children were found dead in their home”.