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No Signs Of Georgia Toddler Who Mysteriously Vanished From Home Nearly A Week Ago
“As of this time, we have not had any evidence to lead us to believe foul play,” Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said.
FBI agents and local police are scrambling to locate a missing 20-month-old child who vanished from his home in Georgia roughly five days ago.
Quinton Simon was reported missing by his family on Oct. 5 after his mother was unable to locate the toddler at their house on Buckhalter Road in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Chatham County Police Department.
Police said the boyfriend of the child’s mother woke up and saw Simon at approximately 6 a.m. on the morning he disappeared. When his mother, Lelani Simon, woke up hours later, the child was nowhere to be found. She phoned police at approximately 9:42 a.m. to report her son missing.
As of Monday morning, police said there were no new significant updates in the case to report.
Investigators said foul play isn’t currently suspected in Simon’s disappearance. An Amber Alert was never issued because there wasn’t sufficient evidence to indicate the child was abducted, police said at the time.
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“As of this time, we have not had any evidence to lead us to believe foul play,” Hadley told reporters on Oct. 6. “But everything’s on the table, honestly. We’re looking at this from many different angles.”
Investigators also acknowledged the child’s parents were cooperating with detectives.
“At this point, they’re victims, they are dealing with the loss of a child,” Hadley added. “They are worrying and wondering where he may be at. As any of us, if you were in that position, I would be terrified. Having six children of my own, if one of my children went missing, I’d be a mess quite frankly.”
Simon lived with his 22-year-old mother, her boyfriend, his 3-year-old brother and his maternal grandparents at the time of his disappearance, according to Savannah television station WJCL. Police said they’d previously been dispatched to the home on two separate occasions in the past two years. Authorities didn’t elaborate on the nature of the calls.
According to court documents cited by the outlet, the child’s grandmother, Billie Jo Howell, previously tried to remove Simon’s mother, Leilani, and her boyfriend, Daniel Youngkin, from the property prior to the 20-month-old’s disappearance. The child's grandparents reportedly have custody of Simon and his older sibling.
In the days since Simon’s disappearance, police have scoured the surrounding neighborhood by foot, on horseback, with K-9 units, drones and a helicopter equipped with heat-seeking technology. Officials said a pond was also searched.
The FBI, along with multiple local law enforcement agencies, including the Savannah Police Department, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office are assisting local authorities as well.
“FBI Atlanta is assisting the Chatham County Police Department with the case of missing toddler Quinton Simon," Jenna Sellitto, a spokesperson for the FBI, told Oxygen.com on Monday afternoon. "We will spare no resource when it comes to locating Quinton and bringing him home.”
Chatham County Police, who also vowed they’ll “continue to aggressively investigate” the 20-month-old’s disappearance, said that finding Simon is the department’s “highest priority.” Last week, police said many officers were clocking 18- to 20-hour shifts as searches for the toddler continued.
“I hope he’s still alive,” Hadley said. "We don't have any information to believe he’s not. But statistically, we know how these cases may end up. We’re going to hold out hope he’s alive, that we can find him and bring him home safely to his parents.”
Investigators are now begging the public to come forward with any information regarding the toddler’s whereabouts.
“This is a fluid situation,” Hadley also said last week. “All things are still possible. We don’t have one concrete theory…all things are possible.”
Simon was last seen wearing a light blue Sesame Street t-shirt and black pants.
Anyone with additional information pertaining to Simon’s whereabouts is urged to contact the case’s tip line at 912-667-3134. Tips can be submitted anonymously. Possible sightings of Simon should be reported by calling 9-11.
