Released bodycam video shows deputies seeing two South Carolina toddlers alive weeks before the same home became a crime scene where they were found dead from starvation.
Story Highlights
- Deputies and a state case worker found two toddlers dead on September 29.
- Bodycam video shows earlier visits where deputies saw the children with their mother.
- The coroner found starvation and dehydration, with death days before discovery.
- Officials cite multiple welfare checks and contacts with social services.
Deputies And Social Worker Found The Children On September 29
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and the family’s state social services case worker entered a Ladson residence on September 29, shortly after 12:30 p.m., for a welfare check and found two toddlers dead inside. The agency said personnel had responded to multiple calls to the Pinewood Drive home since August. The office described contacts with social services and a mobile crisis team before the final entry and said the September 29 visit followed an external request for a welfare check.
The county coroner later ruled the girls died from starvation and dehydration due to neglect. A forensic autopsy estimated the deaths occurred three to five days before the September 29 discovery. Reports identified the victims as toddlers and said family members had tried to see the children in the weeks before they were found. Officials did not report any signs of trauma. The timeline places the deaths within days of the last known agency contact with the home.
Bodycam Footage Shows Earlier Contacts With The Family
The sheriff’s office released body-worn-camera footage from visits on August 30 and September 12. Reporting also identified additional dates of August 25, August 26, September 8, September 11, and September 12. The footage shows deputies meeting the mother in the home and seeing a child in her arms while a state social services worker looked around. Sheriff Carl Ritchie said deputies saw the children with their mother on six separate dates before the deaths.
The released clips give a limited view of rooms and conversations, but they confirm that deputies had face-to-face contact with the family. The sheriff said deputies saw no visible signs of distress during those visits. That claim sits beside the medical findings that the children later died from starvation and dehydration. The public record does not include a full inventory of what each officer checked in every room during each visit.
Conflicting Visit Counts And A Halt To Welfare Checks
Public accounts differ on how many welfare checks and visits took place. One report cites thirteen welfare checks within weeks. Another cites ten separate visits involving the mother and children between August 25 and September 20. The sheriff’s office has not released a complete call-by-call log that reconciles these totals. That mismatch has fueled questions about how often officers and social workers engaged the family.
Reporting also describes a decision on September 22 by an on-duty supervisor to discontinue additional welfare checks at the address. Later, a deputy returned and found the children despite that directive. The available public materials do not show the directive’s exact wording, the policy basis, or how it was approved. The lack of those details leaves open how supervision and policy shaped the final week before discovery.
What The Timeline Shows About System Gaps
The timeline shows repeated contacts by deputies and state social services without an emergency removal, followed by a rapid decline that ended in tragedy. Child-welfare reviews often find that quick visual checks can give false reassurance. A child can appear present and calm while lacking food, water, or safe care over time. This case fits that risk pattern, where short visits could not rule out neglect that built over days.
For conservative readers, the stakes are clear. Families, churches, and neighbors are the first line of defense, but when the state steps in, it must act with clarity and backbone. Agencies need simple rules that escalate action after repeated calls, clear logs that match every visit, and leadership that backs front-line officers who press for entry when a child’s safety is in doubt. That approach protects the innocent and respects the law.
Sources:
nypost.com, wect.com, wistv.com, postandcourier.com
