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Mother of missing Georgia toddler arrested in his disappearance, death
The mother of a 20-month old Georgia boy who disappeared in October was arrested Monday in connection with his death, local police said.
Leilani Simon, 22, was charged with the murder of Quinton Simon, who remains missing. The Chatham County Police Department said Simon was taken into custody and transported to the county detention center.
No other arrests were expected to be made, police said.
“We are deeply saddened by this case, but we are thankful that we are one step closer to justice for little Quinton,” the department added.
Simon reported Quinton as missing from their home near Savannah on Oct. 5. She told police her boyfriend saw him in his playpen around 6 a.m. but the boy was gone about three hours later. Searchers looked in nearby woods, ponds, dumpsters and other areas but came up empty.
Days later, police said Quinton was likely dead and named his mother as the prime suspect in the case.
“The evidence that we have so far, based on multiple search warrants and interviews, has led us to the conclusion that Quinton is deceased,” police chief Jeff Hadley said at the time.
Investigators from Chatham County and the FBI have been searching for the boy’s remains since Oct. 18 in a landfill.
