Quinton Simon's grandmom Billie Jo Howell deactivates Facebook following heated argument with babysitter
CHATHAM COUNTY, GEORGIA: The grandmother of the 20-month-old missing child Quinton Simon, who authorities believe is dead, has spoken up following the violent encounter with the child's babysitter. Billie Jo Howell seemed to have shared a post over the weekend before deactivating her Facebook account.
According to The Sun, Howell reportedly said, “We are welcoming prayer and kindness in our yard that shows hope for Quinton. We love him and are completely devastated. The gifts for him give us hope in humanity." Earlier, Howell and Quinton's babysitter, Diana Michelle Mccarta, engaged in a heated argument that was caught on camera. According to reports, Howell barged into Mccarta's home and charged her with kidnapping the missing toddler. After McCarta talked about creating a memorial, the grandmother reportedly yelled, "My baby's not dead!" The horrifying video was captured by Mccarta's daughter and sent to the local TV station WSAV. Both Quinton's babysitter Mccarta and Howell, who purportedly has custody of the 20-month-old, accused the other of lying in the video.
RELATED ARTICLES
Now Quinton Simon's mom is MISSING! Georgia cops don't know where prime suspect Leilani Simon is
Later, in a Facebook post from October 11, Mccarta provided an explanation for what happened, adding, "The reason she barged into my house is ... because I offered to cook for her and to put flyers out. I don't understand why it made her so mad. She told me I was overstepping because I was just the babysitter. If my child or my grandchildren was missing ... I would want any and everyone to help me.”
She went on to say, "I know I did contact the grandmother a lot via text or calling because she had custody. She did barge into my house and she did get mad because she said I was putting up a memorial for her grandson. I never said that. I didn't know getting some people together praying for Quinton was putting up a memorial. I didn't know that cooking her food was overstepping my boundaries. I thought that's what you should do when a family is going through something.” “These babies didn't come to me every day with bruises. Quinton did have bruises. But he also fell a lot because he ran. I wasn't there. I don't know if his mother beat him or gave him them bruises. All I know is that when he was here, he was taken care of. The right people knew what was going on. It was up to them to fix this,” Mccarta remarked.
On October 5, Quinton Simon disappeared from his Chatham County, Georgia, home. But this week, the Chatham County Police Department announced that they now think he has passed away. The toddler's mother Leilani Simon has been named the prime suspect in the case.
According to The Sun, Chatham County police reportedly said in a statement, “As you know, our investigation over the last eight days has led us to the heartbreaking conclusion that 20-month-old Quinton Simon is deceased. We have named his mother, Leilani Simon, as the primary suspect in Quinton’s disappearance and death. We have not made an arrest or filed any charges in this case. It will continue with every available resource we have in order to give Quinton’s family closure and see that justice is served in this case.” Police stated that they will continue searching for Quinton despite their preliminary investigation results.