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

Last week, the father of one of Leilani Simon’s children told the US Sun that she is “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.”

Ms Simon’s other two children have been removed from the home.

On Tuesday, local Georgia police and the FBI revealed they believe Quinton is buried in a landfill after his body was disposed of in a dumpster.

Pictures released that day show investigators combing through the Waste Management landfill in Savannah.

Authorities have said that strong evidence led them to the grim conclusion, but they will not be releasing more information in order to protect the criminal investigation.

They warned that the search could take days and the potential results are “uncertain.”

Leilani Simon, Quinton’s mother, is the prime suspect in the investigation. No arrests have been made.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has more details:

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:

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.

FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Will Clarke said during a presser on Tuesday: “We, along with our law enforcement partners, go into this process with heavy hearts.

“We did not want to end up at this point. But the evidence has taken us here.”

Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said he was unable to share what evidence led the authorities to the landfill.

“We’re not ready to charge anyone yet, we still have work to do,” he added. “We still have an investigation to do and we are not going to do anything preemptively that would harm future prosecution.”

“We’re in for the long haul,” Chief Hadley said.

The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander has more:

Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley told a press briefing that Quinton’s body is believed to have been taken to the landfill after being placed in a dumpster at some point after he vanished on 5 October.

“We know that this is going to be a physically, mentally and emotionally gruelling task for our investigators and team,” Mr Hadley said of the narrowed search.

“We want justice for Quinton just like everyone else.”

FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Will Clarke said during the press conference that “we, along with our law enforcement partners, go into this process with heavy hearts”.

The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander has more:

Diana McCarta told WSAV last week that she babysits Quinton and his sibling.

She said in an interview on 11 October that she had previously reported the family to Georgia’s department of families and children services (DFCS) with concerns, but this was unconfirmed.

The department told The Independent: “DHS/DFCS is bound by both state and federal law to protect the privacy of the people we serve.”

“As such, we are unable to comment on the specifics of any reported abuse or neglect cases nor confirm or deny the existence of any abuse or neglect records.”

It continued: “We take seriously every report that might be made to the Department and work with law enforcement when appropriate to ensure the safety of Georgia’s children.”

Gino Spocchia and Gustak Kilander have more details about the case:

The woman who babysits Quinton Simon said last week that she received an unusual text message the morning he went missing from his home in Savannah.

Speaking in an interview with WSAV on 10 October, the babysitter said she was surprised to receive a message on the morning that Quentin went missing 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”.

The Independent’s Gino Spocchia has the story:

Police said they were “saddened” to report on 12 October that they believed the 20-month-old was dead.

“The CCPD and the FBI have notified Quinton Simon’s family that we believe he is deceased,” a statement shared on Facebook said.

His mother, Leilani Simon, has been named a prime suspect.

Officials held the first press conference on the case on 13 October, where they reiterated the belief that Quinton is deceased.

“To the Chatham County community, our heart breaks along with yours trying to comprehend what we believe happened here. The FBI along with our law enforcement agencies have followed every lead, every tip and every piece of evidence to get to this point and we will continue to do so,” FBI Supervisor Senior Resident Agent Will Clarke said.

Officials did not disclose the nature of evidence suggesting Quinton is dead, or why Ms Simon is the main suspect.

On 18 October, the FBI and Chatham County authorities said Quinton is thought to be buried in a landfill.

The Independent’s Gino Spocchia has more:

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.