Two little girls were found dead inside a home in Ladson, South Carolina. One was 2 years old. The other was just 15 months old.

The coroner says they died of starvation and dehydration. That means they went without food and water. The coroner said it was due to neglect. She ruled both deaths homicides.

Now their mother is in jail.

Her name is Justine Marie May. She is 31. Court records show she faces two counts of homicide by child abuse. In South Carolina, that charge can mean 20 years to life in prison.

The girls were found on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Deputies with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office went to the home for a welfare check. That is when cops stop by to make sure people inside are OK.

A caseworker from the state child welfare agency went with them. They got there a little after 12:30 p.m., the sheriff's office said.

May came out of the house. Deputies knew from past visits that she was the main person caring for the girls. So they went inside to check on them. That is when they found both girls dead.

"On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) responded to the most difficult call any department could face. The senseless death of two innocent children," said sheriff's office spokesperson Lexi Douglas.

Here is what has people asking hard questions.

This was not the first time deputies had been to that house. Not even close.

From Aug. 10 on, calls about the home sent deputies there 13 times, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies saw May and the girls on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26, the sheriff's office said. They saw them again on Sept. 8, Sept. 11 and Sept. 12.

On those visits, deputies "and other responding agencies observed no signs of concern," the sheriff's office said.

One time, deputies went along with the state child welfare agency. Another time, they went with a state mental health crisis team.

The last visit before the girls were found was on Sept. 20. That day, deputies saw only May, the sheriff's office said. They did not see the girls.

That leaves a hard question. What happened in the weeks after deputies last saw the girls? The sheriff's office has not said.

A state police unit that looks into child deaths is helping with the case. Deputies are still investigating.

Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O'Neal gave the cause of death on Thursday.

May gave up her right to a bond hearing on Wednesday. She stays in jail for now. Her first court date is set for Nov. 20, public court records show. A second one is set for March 19.

Neighbors were stunned. Shannon Green lives in the area.

"We really haven't seen much of anything," she said. "I learned about the incident when I was scrolling social media earlier. I looked out the back window and saw a bunch of blue lights."

Bob Matthews is a pastor who lives across the street. He said the family usually kept to themselves.

"It made me wonder if I had done all that I should have done," he said. "It just really devastated me, the idea of losing two precious little lives."

El Tejano is not naming the two girls. We do not name child victims.

Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.