Quinton Simon - update: Mother of missing Georgia toddler under fire as search enters fourth week

Follow for the latest updates on the search for Quinton Simon

Quinton Simon: Missing toddler's body believed to be in landfill, police say

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.

Key Points

• Quinton Simon’s mother seen out drinking at bar amid landfill search
• Search for Quinton Simon focuses on landfill
• Quinton Simon’s babysitter raised concerns with Child Protective Services

[28 October 2022 11:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Quinton Simon’s mother and grandmother hit bar amid landfill search

As the FBI continues searching for Quinton’s body in a landfill in Savannah, local news station WSAV first reported that Leilani Simon, now the prime suspect in the investigation, and her mother Billie Jo Howell were seen drinking at Sting Ray’s, a bar in the neighbouring Tybee Island.

When contacted by The Independent, a staff member at the bar said: “They were here, they drank, they left.”

Andrea Blanco has more:

[28 October 2022 15:00 · Andrea Blanco]

Quinton Simon’s mother says she’s ‘not hiding’ as police consider her prime suspect

The mother of Quinton Simon, a 20-month-old boy from Georgia who has been missing for nearly three weeks, says she’s “not hiding,” even as police consider her the prime suspect in the child’s disappearance.

“I’m here. I’ve been here every day since this. I’m not running and I’m not hiding,” Leilani Simon told WTOC. “And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station.”

Local police in Chatham County and the FBI are actively searching a nearby landfill, where they believe they will find the child’s remains.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has the story: