What Happened to Quinton Simon? Mother Charged as Remains Are Found

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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The remains found in a landfill in Savannah, Georgia, are those of missing toddler Quinton Simon, the FBI announced on Monday.

The finding has put an end to the search for the 20-month-old boy, which began on October 5 after his mother, 22-year-old Leilani Simon, reported him missing, suggesting that he had likely been abducted.

Since then, the woman has been arrested and charged with malice murder, concealing the death of another person, false reporting and making false statements.

Handout Photo of Quinton Simon
On Monday, the FBI announced that the remains found in Savannah landfill were that of 20-month-old Quinton Simon, who went missing on October 5. His mother has been arrested as the prime suspect in his... FBI Atlanta

Quinton Simon was last seen alive at around 6 a.m. by Leilani Simon's boyfriend Danny Youngkin on October 5 at the home where he lived with his mother, Youngkin, his grandparents and siblings.

Leilani Simon said that, when she woke up later that same morning, the boy was gone and she believed someone had entered his room and taken him away. She didn't report him missing until 9 a.m.

On October 12, Chatham County police said they believed the child was dead, and named his mother as the primary suspect in his murder. On October 18, investigators said Quinton Simon's body had likely been left in a dumpster.

Three days later, on November 21, Leilani Quinton was arrested. She remains the sole suspect in the murder, and police said they don't expect any other arrests in relation to the case.

For 30 days, officers searched through 1.2 million pounds of trash in the Waste Management landfill in the Georgia city looking for the toddler's body. It's extremely difficult to find remains in landfills—historically, the FBI says landfill searches are successful 5 percent of the time, according to a Chatham County police press release.

Remains were found in the Superior Landfill in Savannah on November 18 and were identified as belonging to Quinton Simon through DNA analysis. The toddler's cause of death hasn't yet been determined.

"A monumental team effort was put forth by everyone involved in bringing closure to this horrific situation," the FBI wrote in a statement released on Monday, thanking Chatham County police, the Waste Management Superior Landfill team and all others involved in the search for Quinton Simon.

According to the FBI, the toddler's case and the legal proceedings against his mother are now in the hands of the Chatham County District Attorney's Office.

According to Chatham County police, Leilani Simoni is currently being held in the Chatham County jail waiting for a bond hearing.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more