Quinton Simon missing in Savannah Georgia
Local toddler Quinton Simon has gone missing in Savannah, Georgia, police are investigating the scene.
Eight days after Georgia toddler Quinton Simon was reported missing from his Savannah home, police announced Thursday that they have not yet located the 20-month-old's remains, despite naming a prime suspect – his mother – and accumulating evidence to indicate that he is no longer alive.
"Sadly, we still have not found Quinton," said Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley. "The evidence that we have so far, based on multiple search warrants and interviews, has led us to the conclusion that Quinton is deceased."
He added: "The accumulation of evidence over these last eight days has led us to this conclusion today."
Law enforcement notified Quinton’s family on Wednesday that investigators "believe he is deceased," the Chatham County Police Department announced later that day. The department did not provide details of Quinton’s whereabouts but said that investigators had named the boy’s mother, Leilani Simon, "as the prime suspect in his disappearance and death."
MISSING GEORGIA TODDLER QUINTON SIMON LIKELY DEAD; POLICE NAME MOTHER AS 'PRIME SUSPECT'
Quinton Simon's mother, Leilani Simon, was photographed outside her Savannah home on Oct. 12, 2022 (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital; Chatham County Sheriff's Office)
The police chief said that officers had not made any arrests as of Thursday but said that the baby's mother "is the main focus of this investigation." He added that they were not considering charges against any of Quinton's other family members.
Hadley would not disclose any information about the possible whereabouts of Quinton's remains, despite statements purportedly made by the boy's family that he was believed to be in a landfill.
When asked on Thursday why police had not yet arrested Simon, Hadley said that investigators first wanted to ensure they have "everything that we need to."
Quinton Simon was last seen on Oct. 5, 2022. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
"We only get one shot at this," he went on. "We're going to do it right."
Hadley said that investigators do not believe that Simon was a fight risk, but would not say why.
Speaking to Fox News Digital on Thursday, former longtime homicide detective and Fox News contributor Ted Williams said while police have suspicion that Simon was involved in Quinton's disappearance and death, "they do not have probable cause to make an arrest."
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley addresses the media in relation to the search for missing toddler, Quinton Simon, Thursday, October 13, 2022. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
"If there was sufficient probable cause to make an arrest of the mother, I believe that the authorities would have done so," said Williams, who is also a renowned attorney. "I think the reason that they have named the mother as a possible suspect is because they are trying to make a determination if there are others who have information concerning this child gone missing. And I think they're trying to flush those individuals out."
As police were making their announcement on Thursday, about eight vehicles'-worth of people were gathering at the family's home, bringing with them what looked like food and decorations.
Leilani Simon, mother of Quinton Simon, posing for an undated photo. (Facebook)
Quinton was last seen in the early-morning hours of Oct. 5, inside his family’s house on Buckhalter Road in Savannah. The residence is a large, yellow-colored, two-story home with a fence-in yard and includes a pool. The child reportedly lived there with his brother, his maternal grandparents, his mother and her boyfriend.
Simon, 22, called police around 9:40 a.m. and said her son was not inside their home, police officials stated. The toddler was allegedly last seen around 6 a.m. Wednesday, when he was wearing a Sesame Street shirt and black bottoms.
MOTHER OF MISSING GEORGIA TODDLER QUINTON SIMON PICTURED FOR FIRST TIME SINCE BOY’S DISAPPEARANCE
Photos provided by Chatham County Police Department show missing toddler Quinton Simon. (Chatham County Police Department)
Details of a dispatch call obtained by WJCL shed light on the moments the mother notified police that she could not find her son.
"Complainant advised her 1-year-old son is missing," the dispatcher could be heard saying, according to the report. "She woke up, her door was open. Advised he's unable to open a door. Thinks someone came in and took him."
QUINTON SIMON MISSING: POLICE IN GEORGIA DEPLOY K9S AFTER SEIZING 'EVIDENCE'
Mother of missing Georgia boy Quinton Simon, Leilani Simon, is spotted leaving the house for the first time, with an unknown friend. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Chief Jeffrey M. Hadley said Monday that more than 40 FBI agents were assisting the police department with the case, which has consisted of several interviews, searches and canvasses of a number of geographical areas.
On Wednesday, three black SUVs and two K9s arrived in the neighborhood and were in the area of the family's home for about an hour before they left. They appeared to focus their efforts in part on a wooded section behind the family’s and neighbors’ homes.
General view of the house where missing toddler Quinton Simon was last seen in Savannah Georgia, Tuesday, October 11, 2022. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
"Our search and our investigation will continue. And it will continue with every available resource we have in order to give Quentin's family closure and see that justice is served in this case," Hadley told reporters Thursday. "We know that millions of people fell in love with Quentin Simon the moment they saw his face and learned of his disappearance."
He added "We have seen the outpouring of love and concern for this child and the outpouring of grief at the latest developments in this case. The men and women of the Chatham County Police Department share that same sadness, but we also feel very determined to keep working as hard as we can and for as long as we have to, to find Quentin."
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Police are asking anyone with information related to this case to call 912-667-3134.
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