Quinton Simon - update: Mother of missing Georgia toddler under fire as search enters fourth week
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Your support makes all the difference.The search for missing toddler Quinton Simon has entered its fourth week in Savannah, Georgia.
The 20-month-old vanished on 5 October and is now presumed dead and buried in a landfill, Georgia authorities said. His mother, 22-year-old Leilani Simon, is considered the prime suspect in the case but has not been arrested or charged.
Speaking to WTOC on Monday for her first interview since Quinton was reported missing, Ms Simon complained that she has been a victim of “devastating harassment” by protesters camped outside her home.
“I’ve been here every day since this. I’m not running and I’m not hiding,” Ms Simon told the outlet. “And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station.”
Curiously - given investigators’ confidence that Quinton is dead due to actions of his mother - Ms Simon said she hopes the boy is found “happy and alive”.
Investigators renewed their dedication to finding Quinton’s body in a statement on Wednesday, marking three weeks since he disappeared.
Quinton is believed to be in a landfill
Investigators with the Chatham County police and the FBI revealed they believe that 20-month-old Quinton was placed in a dumpster and taken to a landfill in the area.
His mother, 22-year-old Leilani Simon, is considered the “prime suspect” and no arrests have been made in the case so far.
Authorities said they are not releasing more information about the case in hopes that Ms Simon can be ultimately arrested.
Gino Spocchia has more details:
Quinton Simon: What we know about search for missing toddler feared dead in Georgia
20-month-old went missing from address he shared with mother and grandparents
Quinton’s mom appeared in court Monday over custody of two other children
On Monday, Leilani Simon attended a court hearing over the custody of Quinton’s siblings, a 6-months-old baby and a 3-years-old.
The hearing was sealed from the public, local news station WOC11 reported.
Other attendees are prohibited from discussing the hearing.
Ms Simon is the prime suspect in Simon’s disappearance and possible death but has not been charged with any crime.
Leilani Simon is “unpredictable,” former partner says
The father of one of Leilani Simon’s children told the US Sun that Ms Simon was “unpredictable.”
“She’s always been unpredictable,” Cody Wharton told the outlet.
“But I wasn’t worried about Zayne’s safety until all this started going on. She was a good mother. I don’t know what happened.”
Mr Wharton added that at times when he was picking up his child for a visit, Ms Simon would seem “overwhelmed.”
Mr Wharton also told the Sun: “Even now, I’m questioning everything. Is he hurt? What is he doing? I don’t want to get a call saying your son is hurt and going to the hospital.”
Ms Simon’s other two children have been removed from her care.
Quinton’s mother ‘used drugs while pregnant’
Court documents obtained by the US Sun describe Ms Simon as a “chronic, unrehabilitated substance abuser of cocaine and cannabis.”
The outlet reports that Ms Simon consumed illegal substances while she was pregnant and tested positive for cocaine at the time of one of her births.
Ms SImon’s mother, Billie Howell, had custody of Quinton.
Leilani Simon is ‘not a flight risk,’ authorities say
After it was revealed that Quinton is believed to be dead, authorities named his mother, Leilani Simon, as the main suspect.
She has not been charged with any crimes but does not pose a flight risk, investigators said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley was asked by the press how long he expects the landfill search to take.
“It’s kind of up to what happens ... this is not going to be quick,” he replied. “This is not going to happen within a day or so. We are here for the long haul.”
The police chief was asked about Ms Simon’s whereabouts.
“I believe she’s still here in Chatham County,” the chief said, later adding that he doesn’t think she’s a flight risk.
Asked why, he said, “I can’t get into that”.
The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander has more details about the case:
Quinton Simon: What we know about search for missing toddler feared dead in Georgia
20-month-old went missing from address he shared with mother and grandparents
Quinton is believed to be buried in landfill, police say
Local police and the FBI announced the grim development at a news conference on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after 20-month-old Quinton vanished on 5 October in Savannah.
Officials said there is evidence to suggest the toddler was placed in a dumpster and taken to a landfill in the area. A search is now underway.
“We know that this is going to be a physically, mentally and emotionally gruelling task for our investigators and team,” Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said.
“We want justice for Quinton just like everyone else.”
Quinton’s grandmother shared bizarre post
Last week, Billie Jo Howell, who reportedly has legal custody over the 20-month-old and his three-year-old brother, shared an old Facebook post from “years ago”, Fox News reported on Tuesday.
In the post, Ms Howell thanked those who stood by her side throughout her life and that “calm” was coming following a “storm”. The meaning behind the message remained unclear, however.
“Seems there’s always a storm before the calm in my life,” the post reportedly read. “Boy let me tell you it felt like a tornado was spinning everything at once. Finally, I feel the calming peaceful sunshine hitting my face.”
Ms Howell posted that the message “stands true today.”
The Independent’s Gino Spocchia has more:
Grandmother posts unusual message on Facebook in case of Quinton Simon
Messages came amid new ‘evidence’ obtained by police
Quinton’s babysitter received “odd text” the day he disapeared
Speaking in an interview with WSAV last week, Quinton’s babysitter said she was surprised to receive a message on the day the toddler disappeared that she would not be needed to look after Quinton and his sibling.
“I got a text this morning saying they would not be here, would not be babysitting them at 5.29 [a.m.],” said Diana McCarta, who expressed surprise at the seemnigly last-minute decision.
She continued: “Which was kind of odd because I have them even when she (their mother) doesn’t work”.
Police said Quiton was last seen at 6am, about half an hour after the babysitter says she was told she was no longer needed for the day.
“And then I get a text at 9am saying have I seen Quinton,” said Ms McCarta of her exchange with Quinton’s mother. “I immediately go to their house. I try to help them look, they didn’t want that. So, I’ve been just waiting around like everyone else.”
Gino Spocchia has the story:
Babysitter reveals odd text before Quinton Simon’s disappearance
‘I’ve been just waiting around like everyone else’, says woman
Quinton’s grandmother and babysitter had confrontation after he disappeared
In a video obtained by WSAV, Billie Howell and Diana McCarta are reportedly seen engaging in a verbal dispute over the disappearance of Quinton.
The grandmother accused the babysitter of organising a memorial for Quinton in the video and exclaimed: “You’re awful to say you’re going to put up a memorial...My baby’s not dead.”
Ms McCarta responded by denying the memorial idea and calling Ms Howell a “liar”. Most of the comments made in the video are inaudible, however.
The babysitter claimed to the news station that she had previously alerted Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) about Quinton, and that the department had an open case.
Law enforcement officials discuss ‘gruelling' search for Quinton
“We know that this is going to be a physically, mentally and emotionally gruelling task for our investigators and team,” Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said during a press conference on Tuesday.
“We want justice for Quinton just like everyone else.”
The update comes days after police announced they believed Quinton is dead and his mother, 22-year-old Leilani Simon, is considered the “prime suspect”.
No arrests have been made in the case so far.
The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander has the story:
Missing toddler Quinton Simon believed to be buried in landfill, police say
‘We know that this is going to be a physically, mentally and emotionally gruelling task for our investigators and team’
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