- [Narrator] 20-month-old Quinton Simon disappeared from his home in Savannah, Georgia on the morning of Wednesday, October 5th, 2022. His mother, 22 year old Leilani Simon, has been named by police as the primary and only suspect in her son's disappearance. Amid rising tensions within the community, Leilani and her mother spoke with a local news station. - That goes by, it's less tears and more anger, not knowing what's happening, if that's even understandable. You wake up every day angry, hoping that you're gonna get a phone call, and that phone call just doesn't come. We want something great to come out of this, but mostly we want him not to be found in that landfill, we want him found ... happy and alive. - We want him back in our arms holding us. This is what we want. We're just hoping that he's in somebody's house, and they're feeding him, and they, we're hoping that, you know, maybe they wanted a baby or couldn't have a baby, maybe they thought they were his savior, but it's not, that's our best hope at this point. And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an estimated 460,000 children are reported missing in the United States each year. This is the story of 20 month old Quinton Simon, and the great lengths our society goes to to preserve innocent life. Leilani Simon is a 22 year old resident of Savannah, Georgia. She shared a home with her three children, her boyfriend, her mother, Billie Jo Howell, and her stepfather, Thomas Howell, who owns the house. Leilani attended New Hampstead High School, which ranked in the 25th percentile nationally and statewide, according to the US News and World Report. There is no history of post-secondary education. She has three children, including a three-year-old boy, born in 2019, a 20 month old boy, born in 2021, and an infant daughter, born in 2022. The three children have separate biological fathers. Leilani's young adult life has been marked by convictions for felony larceny, trespassing, as well as intermittent substance abuse. Her problems affected her parental fitness. And in July, 2021, Leilani's mother was awarded custody of the two boys. By November of 2021, Leilani had relocated to Dunn, North Carolina and was employed at a local convenience store. However, she did not leave behind her habit of poor decision making. She was convicted of felony larceny after she stole $20 worth of goods from her employer. In North Carolina, you can be charged with a Class H felony for stealing any amount of goods from your employer. She was sentenced to 12 months probation and 48 hours of community service. At some point in 2022, a pregnant Leilani returned to Savannah to live with her mother. Soon after she gave birth to her third child, a daughter. Ms. Howell's household, which was previously made up of two children and two adults, now included the Howells, two toddlers, an infant, Leilani and her boyfriend. The crowded living conditions exacerbated the already rising tensions between Leilani and her mother. Over time, Ms. Howell became frustrated with what she perceived as her adult daughter's irresponsibility and lack of willingness to assist. But even Ms. Howell could not anticipate just how stormy the situation would become. On September 7th, 2022 at 4:07 p.m., Chatham County Police were called to a domestic disturbance at Buckhalter Road between mother and daughter. Officers first spoke with Leilani, as she was the one who called. She told police she and her mother had a dispute over clothing in the washing machine. She said that led to a verbal altercation over "how things were," referring to living conditions and other matters. Then the dispute became physical. According to Leilani, her mother got in her face and shoved her into a wall. Leilani claimed her elbow was reddened as a result. However, officers did not observe any signs of bruising. Leilani mentioned that she was on probation. She said she called 911 in order to prevent the conflict from escalating further. She said she did not wish to press charges against her mother. Officers then spoke with Mrs. Howell. She corroborated the dispute over the washing machine, and added that she has been frustrated over the responsibility that has been thrust upon her. She stated that she works, takes care of the household, pays all the bills, and essentially supports Leilani, her boyfriend and her grandchildren. Mrs. Howell conceded that she did push Leilani, but only in defense after Leilani yelled and got in her face. Eventually, Mrs. Howell's son arrived to take her back to his place. Mrs. Howell was overheard stating that she may have to evict Leilani and her boyfriend. Before leaving, Mrs. Howell's son told the officer that his mother was tired of the conflict, and that Leilani had a very long history of stealing from her mother to buy drugs. The next day on, September 8th, Mrs. Howell filed a petition in the Magistrate Court of Chatham County to have Leilani and her boyfriend evicted from her home. The court document alleges, "they have damaged my property and at this point, no one is living in peace." And she wanted them removed as soon as possible. Shortly after she headed to Illinois on a three-week work assignment, but expected to return home before her daughter moved out. The week of September 25th to October 1st was challenging for Leilani. The realities of adult life, its financial obligations and legal consequences came crashing down upon her. First, she received notice that the family court had entered a default judgment against her. As a result, she was required to pay her mother $150 monthly in child support. The payments were to begin on November 1st. Then, around the same time, Leilani received the eviction notice. She was essentially destitute and under extreme financial pressure without her mother's support. On Wednesday, October 5th, just days after receiving the eviction notice, Leilani's babysitter received a text message at 5:30 a.m. from Leilani's boyfriend. The message said she would not be needed to look after the kids. She found the message surprising, as she usually watched the kids on weekdays from around six a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. at nine a.m. the babysitter received a second text message from Leilani's boyfriend. This one said, hey, have you seen Quinton? She responded that she hadn't, and then immediately headed to the house to help search. However, when she arrived at the house, she was told her help was not needed. She called Mrs. Howell, and that's how Mrs. Howell learned of Quinton's disappearance. At 9:39 a.m., 20 month old Quinton is reported missing by his mother. Quinton was last seen in his playpen by Leilani's boyfriend around six a.m. at the Buckhalter Road home. Leilani initially told authorities she woke up, her door was open, and she thinks someone came in and took him or he wandered off. Then she pointed the finger at Quinton's biological father, stating that perhaps he came by unannounced to collect his son. The search for the missing toddler began immediately. Chatham County Police, Savannah Police Mounted Patrol, the FBI, a K-9 team and a mosquito control helicopter participated in the search. It would become the most extensive search in the history of the Chatham County Police Department. Police said there was no immediate evidence of foul play. They considered it a missing person's case and hoped to find Quinton alive. George's Amber Alert system was not activated as there were no signs of abduction, according to police. Police spoke with the biological father and he was cleared of any involvement. During interviews, several neighbors stated that they had seen Quinton outside the house and wandering the street in the past. When asked who was inside the home when Quinton went missing, Mr. Howell stated "my stepdaughter, Leilani, her boyfriend, three kids and her brother Paul." Mr. Howell said the idea that Quinton wandered off is baffling. "I've never seen him open a door," Mr. Howell said. "The oldest one has opened the door and came out, but Quinton never opened a door. So, I mean, that's what's crazy about everything." An open records request was made for the 911 audio and body cam footage, but was denied by the Chatham County District Attorney's office, as the investigation is still ongoing. However, they did release portions of the police dispatch recording. - [Dispatcher] We have a signal 56 ... Complainant advised her one-year-old son is missing. She woke up, her door was open, but as he's unable to open a door thinks someone came in and took him. - It's just been, it's been crazy. I mean, we don't know nothing. Whether it's the answers we want to hear or answers we don't want to hear, we just want to know something. My concern is him, and that's all it is. I mean, we concerned with his, with his wellbeing. - I know everybody worked really hard yesterday, and I want them to keep working hard. - And we appreciate everything that everybody has done. All the people that's come out and searched for him, and all that, and he's always smiling. He's a happy, he's a happy kid. I mean, you get some kids, that's that. But he always had a big smile on his face, and he was always happy. - [Reporter] Let me ask you, why are you getting emotional? - Because he's not here, he's just a baby. And I want him home. He's just a baby. Leilani's my daughter, she's 22. She hasn't always done the right things, and sometimes she does really great and sometimes she doesn't. And I don't know what to think right now. I don't know what to believe. I don't think anybody ever believes that this is gonna happen to them. I don't know if I can trust her if I don't. I just know I'm hurting, and I want this baby home. - We want answers, we want answers, and we don't have answers. - Just thank you to everybody that's helped. - Thank you to everyone that's looked for him. - And please don't stop looking. - Yeah, I said we want answers. We want to find him, that's the answer we want. That somebody found him. You know, we're still hoping and praying, and we wish everybody to pray for him, pray for us. - [Narrator] At some point between October 6th and the 10th, Ms. Howell learned that Quinton's babysitter was considering organizing a memorial for Quinton. Ms. Howell became enraged as police had not yet said they believed Quinton was dead. She decided to confront the babysitter at the babysitter's house. - Don't put nothing in your-- This is my baby, not yours. (Ms. Howell shouts) - I text you and I told you-- - that's my baby. (women screaming over one another) (women screaming over one another) - Over and over I asked you, and you want to blame me? I don't care about your threat. (bleep) Do you think I would do that? - Hit me. - Because you-- - I'm what? I'm what? (women screaming over one another) - I told you. - I provided for you and your (bleep) Yeah I did, yeah I did. I didn't pay for your family, your entire family. - I didn't ask. - I got you entire family. Keep recording. - Don't touch my phone. - Keep recording. - Don't touch my phone. - Good, you were wrong. I begged you to help. I begged you to help, put that on social media. I begged you to help. And I begged you to help. (woman screams) Michelle, please get the kids. - You're a liar. - Take 'em, I'll give you $300. - I'm a liar. - I'm about to put it all over. - Good. Good, because you're awful to say you're gonna put a memorial, my baby's not dead. My baby's not dead. - You are a liar. - My baby's not dead. - You are a liar. - My baby's not dead. - You are dead, you're a liar. - You're a liar. - No, you are. - You are. - My baby's not dead. I thought you were a woman of God. I am. - You got Quinton? Do you have Quinton? - I don't have Quinton. You're the one. - Maybe you do. Maybe you do, you got him, you got him. - Okay. Well, I'm about to call the police. - You're the only one that can go in my house and take him. Your kids go in my house and take him all the time. - Oh yeah, go ahead, go ahead. - [Child] We do not go in her house. - [Man] I want to see that (bleep) on the news. - Oh, it's gonna be! It's gonna be! - Maybe we need to look at some green cards. Yeah we do. She's gonna put a memorial up in her yard. Quinton's not dead. - I didn't put a memorial. He's not dead. - No one said he was. - [Narrator] On October the 10th, for the first time, police stated they were looking into the possibility of a criminal aspect to Quinton's disappearance. Police and the FBI searched the house again, and drained the backyard pool. Meanwhile, Quinton's babysitter told WSAV TV that she had previously reported the family to Georgia's division of family and children's services with concerns, but this cannot be confirmed for privacy reasons. Later in the evening, the Chatham County Police announced we've seized evidence that we believe will help move this case forward. And we're now working to analyze the evidence to see where it leads us. We will continue to pursue all avenues to bring Quinton home, following all leads and evidence. One into the search for Quinton, the Chatham County Police Department tweeted the following statement. We are saddened to report that the Chatham County Police Department and the FBI have notified Quinton Simon's family that we believe he is deceased. We have named his mother, Leilani Simon, as the primary suspect in his disappearance and death. But no arrests have been made and no charges have been filed. Officials did not state at this time why they believed Quinton was dead or why Leilani was the main person of interest. Six days later, on October 18th, Chatham County Police and the FBI announced that they believed the missing toddler was placed in a dumpster and, from there, transported to a local landfill. A massive search of a landfill was initiated. Surprisingly just hours after the first day of the landfill search ended, Leilani and her mother were spotted at a popular bar on Tybee Island enjoying alcoholic beverages. Witnesses said they drank tequila shots and ran up a tab of over $300 at Stingrays seafood restaurant. One server also told the New York Post that Leilani and her mother stayed at the bar for hours despite patrons complaining about them drinking in public during an ongoing investigation into Quinton's likely death. The server added they were having a great time, like they didn't have a care in the world. They were drinking Patron shots in the deck area, being loud and laughing. It's almost like they were trying to draw attention to themselves. WJCL TV reported that police were called to a Tybee motel on more than one occasion, after protestors learned Quinton's family members were staying there. On October 21st, police arrested multiple people who had been protesting outside the Howell's residence. The protestors were heckling the family and taking actions such as blocking the driveway with their vehicles, playing loud music and pounding on the house's doors and windows. Some were even livestreaming their efforts on social media. - Quit holding our people hostage. While you let baby murderers run your streets. - [Journalist] A heckler is in jail after a clash at the home where Quinton Simon was last seen. Jimmy Williams was charged with simple battery and disorderly conduct. His arrest marks the fifth heckler jailed over the last month. Chatham County Police say since October 12th, they've responded to the neighborhood 50 times. In a statement, Chatham County's police chief says, quote, many of the people claiming to want justice for Quinton have turned his tragic and heartbreaking case into a money-making circus. And they have made it impossible for the people who live in the area to enjoy the peace and tranquility of their homes. This is unacceptable and has to stop. - This is what I do all over the country. - [Journalist] Bullhorn Betty has been outside Quinton's home for weeks. She runs a YouTube channel and live streams her interactions daily. She calls Chief Jeff Hadley's statement lies. - When I see Billie Jo and Leilani, I ask them questions. Where's the baby, what did you do with the baby, things like that, in a professional capacity. Now is it loud? Yes, 'cause I'm across the street and they're at their gate. But I have not caused this. No other YouTubers have caused this. This is their community doing this, not us. - [Journalist] Chief Hadley said that over the next few days, police will unveil new measures to minimize the disruption to the surrounding neighbors. Bullhorn Betty, however, tells me she isn't going anywhere. - And I absolutely plan to come back to that house tomorrow. Because I will not be intimidated by some police chief. - What's gonna stop you from coming back to that house? - There's nothing that's, he can arrest me every single day that I'm out there. He can, this is not about me. This is about Quinton. - [Narrator] Leilani told a news station that the family has had to barricade themselves inside the house for fear of the hecklers. After community complaints led to more than 50 visits to the house by local police, a no loitering ordinance was enforced and protestors were required to obtain a permit beforehand. With tensions rising amid growing community pressure for answers about Quinton's whereabouts, Leilani made her first media appearance, speaking with WTOC TV. - I'm here, I've been here every day since this. I am not running and I'm not hiding. And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station. Every day that goes by, it's less tears and more anger, not knowing what's happening, if that's even understandable, they wake up every day angry, hoping that you're gonna get a phone call, and that phone call just doesn't come. - We want something great to come out of this, but mostly we want him not to be found in that landfill. We want him found-- - Happy and alive. We want him back in our arms holding us. This is what we want. We're just hoping that he's in somebody's house and they're feeding him and they are hoping that, you know, maybe they wanted a baby or couldn't have a baby. Maybe they thought they were his savior, but it's not. That's what our best hope at this point. - [Narrator] On November 3rd, deputies arrived on the 9,900 block of Highway 23 in response to a call for an unconscious pedestrian. On arrival, they found the body of Quinton's paternal grandfather, Henry Moss Senior, lying in the road. According to police, Mr. Moss' vehicle sustained a flat tire, causing him to pull over to the side of the road. He was then struck and killed by another car. The driver fled the scene, and authorities opened an investigation. On November 18th, one month after the search began at the southwest Chatham County Landfill, investigators discovered what they believed to be human remains. The remains were subsequently confirmed as human by the FBI lab at Quantico. Three days later, the Chatham County Police Department held a special news conference. - Good evening everybody. I'm Jeff Hadley, I'm the chief of police for the Chatham County Police Department. I'm accompanied this evening by Will Clark with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This afternoon, Chatham County Police Department detectives arrested 22 year old Leilani Simon and charged her with malice murder, concealing the death of another person, false reporting, and making false statements in connection with the disappearance and death of her son, 20 month old Quinton Simon. Leilani Simon is being held at the Chatham County Detention Center, and is awaiting a bond hearing. We do not anticipate any other arrests in this case. She has been the sole suspect from the beginning. On Friday, our search teams at the Waste Management landfill found what they believed were human remains. This afternoon, the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia confirmed that they are in fact human remains. Additional testing, including a DNA analysis, is being conducted, and we have every reason to believe that this will confirm the remains are Quinton's. This is a heartbreaking development for everyone who loved Quinton, for the many people who came to know him after his disappearance, and for our department. When we first received the call that Quinton was missing, we were hopeful that we would find him alive and unharmed. But as we have been telling you for weeks, all of our evidence pointed to his mother being responsible for his death and disappearance and his remains being found in the landfill. We appreciate those who kept faith in the system and waited patiently for evidence we needed to make sure Quinton has every opportunity to receive the justice he deserves. At this point, I'd like to turn it over to Will Clark, who has some comments from the FBI. - Good evening. My name is Will Clark, I'm the senior supervisor and resident agent of the Savannah and Brunswick offices of the FBI. One month ago we began this landfill search alongside Chatham County Police Department with one purpose in mind, and that was to find Quinton and to bring him home. On Friday, search crews from the FBI and Chatham County found what we preliminarily believe are partial remains from a human child. Those bones were immediately sent to our lab in Quantico, Virginia. Additional testing for potential confirmation is now underway. It could be days before we have final results. What happened to this 20 month old child is unthinkable. No child should be harmed by anyone, let alone the person in their lives that should be their protector. This investigation does not end here. There is more work to do. The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to find justice for Quinton. Thank you. - Thank you, Will, appreciate that, and we'll try to answer some questions that you may have. Just be mindful that there's many we may not be able to answer. But we'll be willing to take some questions at this time. (journalists chatter) - [Reporter] You guys found bones in the landfill, is that? - We found human remains, yes ma'am. - [Journalist] Chief, do you believe that Quinton was put in that dumpster, do you believe that he was alive then or had died before he was in the dumpster and then made it to the landfill? - Could you, I didn't hear the first part, I'm sorry. - [Journalist] Do you believe that Quinton Simon was alive when he was in the landfill, do you believe he was, he died before he was put in that dumpster? - I can't answer that question. - [Reporter] You've charged Leilani with murder. Can you speak on whether you think it was accidental or intentional? - I can't speak to that. - [Reporter] Can you talk a little bit about what evidence you all confirmed or learned on Friday that led you all to go ahead and make that arrest specifically for today versus further earlier on? - Well, as we had said from the beginning with the landfill, we had every belief that Quinton was there in the landfill. Having found what we found on Friday, and the preliminary findings from the FBI that we got today led us to make an arrest today. We feel that we have a very strong case. We have put thousands of hours into this, and we believe that this was the right move today to be able to do that. She doesn't deserve a Thanksgiving, quite frankly. If I can go off script a little bit, Quinton deserves that. - [Journalist] You said that you didn't believe any other arrests would be made, are you guys looking into Billie Jo at all? - We are not. - And so you, just to confirm, kind of clarify that you all were looking to find some sort of remains from the body to go ahead and move forward with an arrest. - That's correct. - Chief, would the charge been the same in this case, had you not made that discovery on Friday? Say, if this case had continued, if the search found nothing in the landfill, would you still have been able to make a case for Quinton to have justice? Or how significant was this find? - Well, it was very significant, obviously, for obvious reasons. We do believe we had a strong case otherwise, but that would've been in counsel with the Chatham County District Attorney's office. But we believe we had a strong case otherwise. - [Narrator] Leilani Simon pleaded not guilty to all charges and is held in protective custody at the Chatham County Detention Center. After her arrest, Leilani's mother gave an interview in which she explained how Leilani was apprehended. - [Billie Jo] I get back home, I get a call from the place that she was at telling me that Leilani has checked herself out. Well, they're wanting me to come pick her up. And I've already made it very clear that Leilani cannot come back to my home. So I made a call to the FBI. When I made the call to the FBI, I let them know what was happening and the current circumstances. And I called the place that she was at again, I stalled some time, because that's what I was asked to do. So I went and picked Leilani up about 11:30, 11:45 today, whenever I picked her up, I took her to get all of her belongings to another place. Whenever I left from there, I took her to Chinatown Buffet and let her have a meal, because I knew already that it was gonna be the last free world meal that she was gonna have. So I leave from there and I take her to the FBI office and I sit at the FBI office for four hours. And I hug her and I tell her that the best thing she can do is just be honest and tell the truth. Now, Leilani still at this time is holding to her words that she didn't do this. Now, because of the way I feel and the way I believe and because of the circumstances that has happened over time, I don't know that I can believe my daughter, but there is a part of me that wants to. So I hugged my daughter for the last time today for a very, very long time. I hug her for the last time. And I tell her she has got to figure out a way to take accountability for the things that have happened in her life, not only in this situation, but in every situation over time, and that she's gonna be in a lot of dark places. And in those dark places it's gonna feel lonely, but she will be able to get through it. And that all she has to do is pray. And I hug her and I put my hands on her arms as I back away from her. And then whenever I walked out the doors that they started reading her her rights. - [Narrator] Leilani Simon's next hearing has been set for January 11th, 2023. In cases like this, when we do not achieve the desired result, we must observe the extraordinary lengths our society goes to to preserve human life. Law enforcement especially deserves recognition for their exceptional work in a highly sensitive case that garnered national attention. The investigation came at a tremendous sacrifice, as officers routinely worked 18 to 20 hour shifts, and many missed special family functions or important personal moments, hoping to find Quinton. Upon request, the FBI sent 40 officers to Chatham County, and they arrived within three hours to assist. Additionally, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners redirected $250,000 from the school zone camera fund to the police department to help cover the costs of the massive investigation. The Chatham County Police Department believes they have delivered a prosecutable case to the district attorney. With their work mostly done, it will now be up to the Georgia Court system to obtain justice for Quinton Simon. (dramatic music)