Has Quinton Simon's body been found? Mom Leilani Simon charged with missing toddler's murder
CHATHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA: Remains believed to be those of missing toddler Quinton Simon have reportedly been found in a landfill. Leilani Simon, his mother, was arrested and charged with murder on Monday, November 21, Chatham County Police Department confirmed. She was transported to Chatham County Detention Center where she will be waiting for a bond hearing. Leilani has been charged with malice, murder, concealing the death of another person, false reporting and making false statements in connection with the disappearance and death of Quinton.
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said police confirmed human remains were found on Friday, November 18. DNA analysis is being conducted at present. "Our search teams at the waste management landfill found what they believed were human remains this afternoon. The FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, confirmed that they are in fact human remains and additional testing including DNA analysis is being conducted and we have every reason to believe that this will confirm the remains are Quinton's," Hadley said, according to the Daily Mail.
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"This is a heartbreaking development for everyone who loved Quinton for the many people who came to know him after his disappearance and for our department when we first received the call that Quinton was missing, we were hopeful that we would find him alive and unharmed," he said. "'But as we have been telling you for weeks all of our evidence pointed to his mother being responsible for his death and disappearance and his remains being found in the landfill."
The bones found have been sent to a lab. Additional testing is now underway. "What happened to this 20-month-old child is unthinkable," said Will Clarke, senior supervisory resident agent in charge of the FBI's Savannah and Brunswick offices. "No child should be harmed by anyone, let alone the person in their lives that should be their protector. This investigation does not end here. There is more work to do. The FBI along with our law enforcement partners will continue to find justice for Quentin. This investigation does not end here, there is more work to do."
Of Quinton's mother, Hadley said, "She [Leilani] has been the sole suspect since the beginning. We feel that we have a very strong case. She [Leilani] doesn't deserve a Thanksgiving, frankly. Quinton deserves that."
Hadley went on to thank those who worked alongside the force, including The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Chatham County Sheriff's office and Department of Natural Resources. "I want to thank the FBI. We are incredibly grateful for their invaluable assistance, their expertise, their manpower, resources and guidance are unmatched and were crucial in our efforts to find Quinton. They were on the scene within three hours of Quentin being reported missing and have assisted with every aspect of this investigation. The resources they poured into the landfill search are extraordinary and are the reason that we were able to find Quinton," he said.
"I want to thank the FBI. We are incredibly grateful for their invaluable assistance, their expertise, their manpower, resources and guidance are unmatched and were crucial in our efforts to find Quentin. They were on the scene within three hours of Quentin being reported missing and have assisted with every aspect of this investigation. The resources they poured into the landfill search are extraordinary and are the reason that we were able to find Quinton," he added.
"I would like to thank the many people who showed their support for our department during this incredibly difficult and important investigation. We appreciate those who kept faith in the system and waited patiently for evidence. We needed to make sure Quinton has every opportunity to receive the justice he deserves," he added.
He continued, "We were 100% committed to bringing justice for Quinton and to appreciate the amount of human effort, the amount of human emotion that goes into a case like this and to appreciate hopefully that this comes to a conclusion uh in terms of a conviction and things of that nature. You know you have a lot of emotions as a human being who has children. You see the impact that that has on people. So if you step back and take a moment to to kind of absorb that, I think that um if if you didn't have any feelings about that, you might have to ask yourself a few questions."
Thanking journalists, Hadley said, "I want to thank all of you guys in the local media. You guys have been amazing. You've been fair, you've been direct, you've asked good questions and you've given us some deference when we needed some deference. And so I just wanted to say thank you for your work that you do every day."
In October this year, the Chatham County Police Department and the FBI announced that they believe Quinton is dead. A manhunt had been launched for Quinton, who disappeared from his home in Savannah, Georgia, on October 5. The Daily Mail reported that there were issues going on within the baby's family, between his grandmother and Leilani. Quinton's Billie Jo Howell, had legal custody over him.