CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) — Authorities released body camera footage Friday showing Justine May and her daughters weeks before the two girls were found dead.
The images offer the clearest look yet at daily life inside the Pinewood Drive home where Emory and Harlow Deacon died. Their bodies were discovered during a social check on Tuesday September 29.
Authorities say the girls died three to five days before they were found. Justine May is charged with two counts of child neglect homicide.
The footage shows visits from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office to the home on August 30 and a visit from the Mobile Crisis Unit on September 12.
The August 30 sequence lasts approximately 22 minutes. It begins with May answering the door while holding Harlow, who is only wearing a diaper.
The officers enter the house as a dog barks in the background. The house appears well-kept, and pop music plays from a speaker in the kitchen.
During May’s conversation with an officer, Harlow is placed on the ground and soon begins to crawl. Emory sits on the couch and draws.
Most of the discussions between MPs and May focus on her former fiancé.
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Zachary Deacon, the girls’ father, had requested several welfare checks at the home, informing authorities of what he described as May’s unusual behavior.
Deacon and May ended their eight-year relationship in early August. They had been engaged for five years.
A speaker takes notes throughout the conversation while the girls continue to draw and interact with the strangers inside their home.
In the September 12 footage, May is seen throughout most of the video, which takes place outside the front door of the house. Dogs barking can be heard inside, as well as occasional sounds of children playing.
May opens the door briskly and asks, “How can I help you?”
She then tells the policeman that no one can enter the house.
May asks if her ex-fiancé applied for the welfare check. The officer says no; May’s parents had called.
May says she’s frustrated but not suicidal.
The officer asks her questions about her mental state, including whether she hears or sees things. May says no to both and says she sleeps seven hours a night.
“My family taunted me,” May says.
She told police that her ex-fiance was spreading “crazy lies” about her, including that she was suffering from a nervous breakdown. She also says she cut off all contact with her family because they were “harassing” her.
May also mentions an email from her mother, describing it as “horrible.”
“I’m clearly not crazy,” May says at one point. “And no, I’ve never had any mental health issues.”
The day after the visit, May shared screenshots of text messages and emails that she described as coming from concerned family members.
One email expressed concerns about May’s parenting. The screenshot reads: “It’s not just about you, it’s about these two babies who rely on you for their lives and well-being. As hard and heartbreaking as it is to admit to yourself, the signs of neglect are there…”
At the very end of the visit, the two girls can be seen again: May holding Harlow in her arms and Emory standing in the doorway.
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