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

After Quinton disappeared, authorities searched a nearby pond, a backyard swimming pool and the Savannah house where he was last seen.

Those areas were re-canvassed on 10 October when the pool in the backyard of the home was drained. While it was unclear if any evidence was found or removed from it, police announced on 11 October the discovery of evidence “that we believe will help move this case forward”.

That evidence went under analysis, police said, and it was revealed that Quinton was believed dead.

On Tuesday, police announced that Quinton is believed to have been buried in a landfill. Local Georgia police and the FBI think the 20-month-old was placed in a dumpster and taken to a landfill in the area.

On the first day of the FBI search for Quinton’s remains 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 about the incident on 18 October, a staff member at the bar said: “They were here, they drank, they left.”

The Independent’s Andrea blanco has more:

Leilani Simon was on probation at the time of her son Quinton’s disappearance, it has emerged.

WSAV reported details on the arrest that led to her probation on Friday.

According to the outlet, Ms Simon was charged with a felony last year for stealing items from the Love’s Truck Stop where she worked.

She was sentenced to 12 months of probation under a plea deal that saw the charge downgraded to a misdemeanour.

Separate records showed that police were called to intervene in a fight between Ms Simon and her mother, Billie Jo Howell. At that time, Ms Simon told officers she didn’t want trouble because she was already on probation, WSAV reported.

Chatham County police have been given $250,000 to fund their ongoing search for Quinton.

The county’s Board of Commissioners approved the request on Friday, agreeing to reallocate money from a school zone camera fund.

“We’ve never had an investigation of this magnitude in the five years of this department’s existence,” a police spokesperson told WJCL.

“Those funds are supposed to be used for public safety purposes. Chief could not think of a greater public safety purpose than seeking justice for Quinton Simon.”

The funding comes as the search nears its fourth week.

Investigators continue to search landfill where Quinton is believed to be buried

After Quinton disappeared, authorities searched a nearby pond, a backyard swimming pool and the Savannah house where he was last seen.

Those areas were re-canvassed on 10 October when the pool in the backyard of the home was drained. While it was unclear if any evidence was found or removed from it, police announced on 11 October the discovery of evidence “that we believe will help move this case forward”.

That evidence went under analysis, police said, and it was revealed that Quinton was believed dead.

On Tuesday, police announced that Quinton is believed to have been buried in a landfill. Local Georgia police and the FBI think the 20-month-old was placed in a dumpster and taken to a landfill in the area.

Here’s everything we know about the case so far:

Three people were arrested on Friday night while protesting outside Quinton Simon’s home.

Chatham County police went to the home after receiving complaints about protesters, who then left the scene, WJCL reported.

But later in the night, three protesters returned and blocked the driveway, preventing someone from being able to leave.

The protesters - William Garrett, Wanda Boatright and John Boatwright - were subsequently charged with disorderly conduct after ignoring officers’ orders to move.

Police did not specify whether Quinton’s mother Leilani Simon or his grandmother Billie Jo Howell were home at the time.

Investigators paused their search for Quinton Simon at a Chatham County landfill over the weekend and are set to resume on Monday.

The pause - which came after four days of combing through the trash - was meant to “maintain the health of the search team”, police said in a statement.

“This is a grueling part of our investigation that can only be performed by a team of specially-trained law enforcement searchers,” the statement read. “It is also dangerous & searchers are exposed to numerous — and very real — health and safety hazards every minute that they are working.”

The search team is comprised of both Chatham County officers and FBI agents specialising in locating evidence in landfills.

Three people were arrested while protesting outside the home of missing Georgia toddler Quinton Simon on Friday night.

Chatham County police went to the home in Savannah after receiving complaints about protesters, who then left the scene, WJCL reported.

But later in the night, three protesters returned and blocked the driveway, preventing someone from being able to leave.

The protesters - William Garrett, Wanda Boatright and John Boatwright - were subsequently charged with disorderly conduct after ignoring officers’ orders to move.

Police did not specify whether Quinton’s mother Leilani Simon - the “prime suspect” in the case - or his grandmother Billie Jo Howell were home at the time.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has more:

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:

Quinton went missing on 5 October from his home in Savannah, a coastal city on the border between Georgia and South Carolina.

He was last seen at about 6am that day at an address in the 500 block of Buckhalter Road, and was reported missing at approximately 9.40am by his mother, who is now the prime suspect in the investigation.

Ms Simon told police her son was playing in a playpen when he was last seen, although earlier reports suggested Quinton had wandered off, CNN reported.

A dispatch call made by the emergency services reveals some details concerning what the authorities were told when Quinton’s mother called 911.

“Complainant advised her one-year-old son is missing,” the dispatcher said, WJCL reported. “She woke up, her door was open. Advised he’s unable to open a door. Thinks someone came in and took him.”