LADSON S.C. (WCIV) — In the weeks before authorities charged Justine May with two counts of homicide in the deaths of her children, social media posts and text messages on Justine’s Facebook profile depicted a woman increasingly estranged from family members who said they were concerned about her well-being and relationship with her children.
May, 31, was arrested Sept. 29 after deputies conducting a welfare check at a home in the 3200 block of Pinewood Drive discovered two people dead. Court records show she has been charged with two counts of homicide by child abuse. She remains in custody after waiving a bond hearing, and an initial court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 20.
Prior to her arrest, May used Facebook to publicly document disputes involving relatives and acquaintances. In a Sept. 13 post, May wrote that police, the South Carolina Department of Social Services and mental health crisis workers had been repeatedly sent to her home following complaints from others. She said she had been “cleared in every which way” and accused family members of spreading false information about her.
“I just find it laughable that they all claim to know what’s going on with me when they quite literally don’t,” May wrote. “They’re all upset that I cut them off for harassing me.”
A screenshot of Justine May’s Facebook page.
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The posts were part of a broader pattern of increasingly public family conflict that continued through messages and emails May publicized on Facebook.
Some text messages show a relative, identified as an aunt, criticizing May’s Facebook posts and urging her to stop airing family disputes publicly.
“Please stop destroying everyone and everything around you,” the relative wrote. “I love you but you are creating the drama you say you want to avoid.”
May pushed back against the criticism, defending her decision to speak publicly and arguing that relatives had mistreated her.
“I’m done with people walking all over me,” she wrote in response. “I don’t care about anyone’s opinion but my own.”
She also accused several relatives and acquaintances of treating her unfairly and repeatedly emphasized what she described as the need for personal boundaries.
“I’m still not going to listen to anyone telling me what to do or how to behave anymore,” she wrote. “I wish everyone would respect that.”
Text messgaes posted on Justine May’s Facebook page
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The messages reveal two sharply different perspectives. While May portrayed herself as someone responding to harassment and interference from others, family members described behavior they believed was increasingly alarming and out of character.
That divide is evident in lengthy emails sent by another relative.
In the message, the person expressed deep concern for May, due to her isolating herself from relatives and blocking communication with family members. The emails repeatedly referenced concerns about access to May’s children and the breakdown of family relationships.
“You’ve asked for space and asked everyone to respect your boundaries but haven’t told anyone what those are,” one email states. “No contact is not a boundary; it is severing ties and isolating.”
Elsewhere, they described what she viewed as a significant change in May’s behavior and wrote that family members feared something was wrong.
“That weekend, I saw darkness and blankness in your eyes,” they wrote. “I don’t know where your light has gone.”
One portion of the email references the nationally known case of Lindsay Clancy. The family member wrote that she feared May could be experiencing mental health struggles and referenced Clancy while describing her concerns.
“This is the terrifying part of all this. This could lead to you harming the girls and/or yourself.” They continued, “Have you watched the news? Lindsay Clancy is on trial right now for killing her 3 children! Would Justine do this? No. Would this dark entity that is behind Justine’s eyes do this? This haunts my worst nightmares.”
The email repeatedly urges May to accept help from relatives and allow family members access to the children.
“I will not give up on you or the girls,” they wrote. “I want to give you and the girls help, love, and safety.”
Email posted on Justine May’s Facebook Page
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Special Victims Unit Department of Child Fatalities is assisting the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. The Charleston County Coroner’s Office has not yet released the names of the two victims.
The investigation remains ongoing
