FBI Says Missing Toddler's Remains Found in Landfill

Quinton Simon's mother was arrested last week
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Nov 28, 2022 2:58 PM CST
FBI Says Missing Toddler's Remains Found in Landfill
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley speaks to reporters as he stands in front of a large photo of missing toddler Quinton Simon at a police operations center being used in the search for the boy's remains just outside Savannah, Ga., on Oct. 18, 2022.   (WSAV-TV via AP, File)

The FBI on Monday confirmed that the bones found in a Georgia landfill are those of a toddler who had been reported missing last month and whose mother was arrested last week on charges including murder. The FBI used DNA analysis to confirm that the bones belonged to 20-month-old Quinton Simon, the agency said in a news release. Chatham County police said on Nov. 21 that they had arrested Leilani Simon, 22, on charges of malice murder, concealing the death of another person, false reporting and making false statements involving her son.

Simon is being held in the Chatham County Jail. Simon called police on Oct. 5 to report that her son was missing from his playpen in their home just outside Savannah. The remains that were determined to be Quinton's were found in a landfill on Nov. 18 and sent for analysis, the AP reports. The FBI's Atlanta office said authorities officially ceased operations at the landfill on Monday after a search that lasted five weeks. The office thanked the Chatham County Police Department for its assistance, saying a "monumental team effort was put forth by everyone involved in bringing closure to this horrific situation."

(More missing child stories.)

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