CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. – A Georgia toddler who was reported missing last week is believed to be dead and his mother is a “prime suspect” in the case, police said Thursday.
Update 4:37 p.m. EDT Oct. 13: In a Facebook post, Chatham County police Chief Jeff Hadley said an investigation over the past eight days led to the belief that Quinton Simon was dead.
“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,” Hadley said. “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.
From the moment we received a 911 call reporting Quinton missing, we have conducted an exhaustive search for him. Sadly, we still have not found Quinton. But, our search and our investigation will continue. And, 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.”
Hadley said he was not sure where the 22-year-old Simon was but does not believe she is a flight risk, The Savannah Morning News reported.
“What I can say is that the evidence so far, based on multiple interviews and search warrants has led us to the conclusion that Quinton is deceased,” Hadley said. “The investigation doesn’t end right there.”
Original report: According to WSB-TV, local and federal investigators told the family of Quinton Simon, a 20-month-old Savannah boy, that the toddler is likely dead, Chatham County police said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
“We have named his mother, Leilani Simon, as the prime suspect in his disappearance and death,” the post read. “However, no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.”
According to WJCL, Quinton’s family noticed the toddler was missing about 9 a.m. Oct. 5, three hours after he was last seen at his Buckhalter Road home. They then contacted police.
In a recording obtained by WJCL, a dispatcher says the boy’s mother said the child was missing.
“She woke up; her door was open,” the dispatcher says in the recording, according to the news station. “Advised he’s unable to open a door. Thinks someone came in and took him.”
Chatham County police Chief Jeffrey Hadley is slated to release more details in a news conference Thursday, according to the department’s Facebook post.
“We know that thousands of people around the world will be heartbroken by this news, and we share your sorrow,” the post read.
