Leilani Simon Georgia mom prime suspect in disappearance of toddler son, Quinton as cops now search Chatham County landfill where they believe murdered boy’s remains are.
13 days in but are cops any close of finding a missing 20 month toddler boy whose mother says was kidnapped?
Georgia investigators are searching a Chatham County landfill that they now believe holds the remains of a missing 20 month old toddler boy, who cops now suspect was murdered by his own mother.
Leilani Simon — who admitted to drug use while pregnant in court this week — remains the top suspect in her son, Quinton‘s disappearance, according to Chatham County cops.
Quinton Simon disappeared from his home in Savannah just after 6 a.m. on October 5 and hasn’t been seen since. Authorities going off fragmented evidence, search warrants and interviews, believe the boy is dead and that he was killed by his own mother.
The FBI said Tuesday they believe Quinton was placed in a ‘specific dumpster at a specific location’ that would have been emptied at the county’s waste management facility.
Quinton Simon mom charged w/ murder of missing Georgia toddler after human remains found
Day 14 of search. We now know he is at the landfill. The FBI has a very targeted and strategic plan to locate his body. It will be a tiring and emotional search. #quintonsimon pic.twitter.com/IkQISpLgZt
— Rose (@901Lulu) October 18, 2022
DRONE VIDEO: Search crews are seen sifting through a Savannah landfill in hopes of finding the remains of missing toddler #QuintonSimon. More info: https://t.co/waJKIXLFzB
📹: @ChathamCountyPD pic.twitter.com/IP9hIRfIEy— WJCL News (@WJCLNews) October 18, 2022
Ongoing issues
Simon was last seen by his 24-year-old mother’s boyfriend, and she later reported him missing at 9:40a.m. after waking up, according to police.
‘Complainant advised her 1-year-old son is missing,’ a 911 dispatcher is heard saying in audio according to WJCL.
‘She woke up, her door was open. Advised he’s unable to open a door. Thinks someone came in and took him.’
However, babysitter, Diana McCarta, said she received a text message at 5:30am telling her she wouldn’t need to look after Quinton on the day of his disappearance.
Leilani appeared in court Monday for a custody proceeding related to her other two young children, ages 6 months and 3 years old.
While the case is sealed, papers obtained by the US Sun claimed Simon was a ‘chronic, unrehabilitated substance abuser of cocaine and cannabis,’ who used drugs while pregnant.
Leilani’s mother, Billie Jo Howell, had previously sought to evict her from her home and had been made legal guardian of Leilani’s other two children, who all have different fathers.
Child Protective Services
But Child Protective Services in Chatham County, Georgia, found she had ‘failed to provide adequate supervision’ and the children have since been placed in foster care.
The father of one of Leilani’s children, Cody Wharton, said he feared for the welfare of his son, Zayne, and said his former girlfriend suffers from mental illness and drug addiction.
Leilani Simon admitted to parenting struggles in TikTok videos, with Billie Jo telling authorities that she did not trust her daughter after Quinton’s abrupt disappearance.
Billie Jo also has a lengthy rap sheet including arrests for using stolen credit cards, prostitution, burglary and drugs offfences, according to the dailymail.
‘We’re not ready to charge anyone yet. We still have work to do,’ Chatham County police chief Jeff Hadley said Tuesday as the search proceeded.
FBI agent Will Clarke added: ‘We are not just randomly searching this landfill, we have specific evidence that leads us to this large property.
‘This will not be quick, this will not be easy, and the outcome is uncertain.’
