South Carolina Mother Charged in 2 Daughters' Deaths After Allegedly Withholding Food
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 3
South Carolina Mother Charged in 2 Daughters' Deaths After Allegedly Withholding Food
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 3
Summary
Justine Marie May, 31, was charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse after deputies found her daughters — about 1½ and 2½ years old — dead in their Ladson home on Sept. 29.
Affidavits say May told investigators the previous two weeks were a "blur," that she could not remember when she last gave the girls food or water, and that she believed they died because they did not eat.
Investigators alleged May was the children's sole caregiver for weeks and showed "extreme indifference for human life" by failing to provide basic sustenance, which they said was a main contributor to the deaths.
Charleston County deputies had contacted May and the children five times in August and September, with the last reported visit on Sept. 20, and said they saw no obvious signs of concern.
May remained in the Charleston County jail as of Friday while the sheriff's office opened an internal review and state child-fatality investigators joined the case.