Earlier this month, investigators found what they believed to be human remains at the Superior landfill in Georgia, according to the Chatham County Police Department.
This Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that the remains belonged to 20-month old Quinton Simon. His mother, 22-year-old Leilani Simon, was arrested by Chatham County authorities and charged with murder.
Police said that Leilani Simon reported her son missing Oct. 5 and the FBI added that a search for the toddler went on for five weeks. However, by Oct. 12, authorities believed that Quinton Simon was deceased and identified his mother as the prime suspect in his death.
Around a week later, investigators began searching for the boy’s remains in the Waste Management landfill.
“During the landfill search, law enforcement officers meticulously combed through 1.2 million pounds of trash over a thirty-day period,” said the Chatham County Police Department. “The working conditions were grueling and hazardous, and searchers knew that the chances of finding Quinton were low.”
In a press release issued this week, the FBI thanked management and workers at the landfill site, forensic anthropologists from Georgia Southern University who were on site everyday verifying any potential human finds, experts from Team Adam and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and more.
Generally, only 5% of searches for remains in landfills are successful, according to law enforcement.
“The FBI’s expertise was instrumental in solving this case and locating Quinton,” said Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley. “They are the undisputed experts in missing child cases, and they were with us at every turn in our investigation.”
Other agencies, such as the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources, also helped find the remains.
“We are indebted to the many law enforcement and public service agencies who assisted with this search, which was a crucial part of our investigation,” said Hadley.
Leilani Simon and been charged her with malice murder, concealing the death of another person, false reporting, and making false statements. She was transported to the Chatham County Detention Center.
According to WTOC, Simon waived her right to appear at her first court hearing last Wednesday. As of that day, no bond had been set.
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