'I'm not running': Leilani Simon breaks silence on son Quinton's disappearance after being spotted at bar
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA: The mother of the missing toddler Quinton Simon who was identified as a key suspect in her son's disappearance case and presumed death has finally spoken out after reportedly being spotted at a bar downing shots of tequila. In an interview with WTOC-TV on Monday, Leilani Simon revealed that she’s not hiding from the law and prays that her baby boy is found “happy and alive." Leilani Simon and her mother, Billie Jo Howell, who allegedly partied at a beachfront bar on Tybee Island said that they're hoping their toddler who's been missing since October 5 isn't dead, as reported by New York Post.
Looking visibly distressed and in tears, Quinton Simon's grandmother said, "We want something great to come out of this, but mostly we want him not to be found in that landfill." She further added, "We want him found…" To which Leilani interrupted and said, "Happy and alive. We want him back in our arms, holding us. That's what we want." Speaking further to the news outlet, Leilani boldly told, "I'm here. I've been here every day since this. I'm not running, and I'm not hiding. And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station." Authorities have been searching a Chatham County landfill for the remains of the 20-month-old child, as per WTOC-TV.
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According to the New York Post report, Leilani said on Monday, "We're just hoping that he's in somebody's house and they're feeding him, and maybe they wanted a baby or couldn't have a baby." She further added talking about Simon, "Maybe they thought they were his savior. That's our best hope at this point."
Though Leilani, 22, has been identified as the only suspect in the toddler's disappearance and presumed death, police have stated that no charges have been brought against her. She added to the news station that she wakes up each day anticipating a call regarding her child, "Every day that goes by, it's less tears and more anger, not knowing what's happening, if that's even understandable. You wake up every day, angry, hoping that you'll get a phone call, and that phone call just doesn't come."
Protests have taken place in front of Leilani's house, and the case has received extensive media coverage nationwide. According to WTOC, four people were even detained over the weekend for obstructing the Simons' driveway and pounding on the house's windows and door.
As per New York Post, Leilani told the news station, "It makes it hard to even process what's going around us," adding, "we get to the point where we have to barricade our own home in order to even feel safe in our backyard because we can't even process what is happening everywhere else or even have the time to do so." She further said, "I can't even walk out and appreciate my own son's memorial or put down gifts that I got for him. I can't even go out there and do that without harassment and negligence and everything. It's just devastating to see that this is how the outside world reacts."
As previously reported by MEAWW, authorities continue to search for the missing 20-month-old, whom they now believe is dead. On October 5, Quinton's mother reported him missing, stating that he was nowhere to be found when she awoke at 9.30 am. As per court records, Leilani Simon, 22, is described as a "chronic, unrehabilitated cocaine and cannabis abuser." She also allegedly admitted to using cocaine and tested positive for the drug during one of her children's birth.
