Heartbreak as toddler Quinton Simon presumed dead as mother named prime suspect

Twenty-month-old Quinton Simon is presumed dead, Georgia police and the FBI said on Wednesday, October 12 (local time). His mother Leilani Simon has been named the prime suspect in his disappearance and death.

Quinton Simon went missing last week on Wednesday, October 5 at 9 am, three hours after he was last seen in his home, according to his 22-year-old mother, who has not been arrested or charged.

Chatman County Police Department announced: “We are saddened to report that CCPD and the FBI have notified Quinton Simon’s family that we believe he is deceased.

“We have named his mother, Leilani Simon, as the prime suspect in his disappearance and death. But, no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.”

We are saddened to report that CCPD and the FBI have notified Quinton Simon’s family that we believe he is deceased. We have named his mother, Leilani Simon, as the prime suspect in his disappearance and death. But, no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.

— Chatham County Police Department (@ChathamCountyPD) October 13, 2022

No further information has been provided on the boy’s death.

“We know that thousands of people around the world will be heartbroken by this news, and we share your sorrow,” police said Wednesday evening.

The young boy lived with his mother and her boyfriend, his three-year-old brother and Leilani’s parents.

Leilani’s parents have custody of the two toddlers.

Leilani’s mother, Billie Jo Howell, was previously quoted as saying “[Leilani] hasn’t always done the right thing.”

Howell’s boyfriend said that he last saw Quinton at 6 am on October 5. Leilani reported him missing at 9.39 am.

The family lives in Savannah, a coastal Georgia city, which is separated from South Carolina by the Savannah River.