Despite authorities efforts to search for toddler Quinton Simon, who went missing from the playpen at his Georgia home on Oct. 5, he may never be found.
Simon has been missing for four weeks now and the Chatham County Police Department and others have been digging through “thousands of tons of garbage” in a landfill.
The Police Department released a statement on Wednesday, “At this point we have to sadly face the fact that we might not ever be able to find him.”
“We knew going into this landfill search, the odds of recovering Quinton’s remains were low,” the department wrote on Facebook and Twitter. “Most landfill searches do not end in a recovery due to many factors including volume of trash to search and compression of the debris, however, we stay focused.”
“The landfill search has been a task more grueling than anyone could imagine,” added the post. “We would like to thank the dedicated Chatham County Police Department, FBI, GBI and Chatham County Sheriff’s Office personnel who have gone to that site day after day, determined to find Quinton and to find answers.”
The police added that the boy’s mother, Leilani Simon, 22, remains the prime suspect, stating that everything still points to his remains being recovered in the landfill.
Simon’s mother was previously named as the prime suspect after he went missing from their Buckhalter Road home in Savannah on Oct, 5, although no charges have been filed against her.
The child was reported missing around 9 a.m. the morning of his disappearance after Quinton’s family realized he was gone at 6 a.m. He was wearing a light blue Sesame Street shirt and black pants.
In an Oct. 25 interview with local station WTOC-TV, Simon said, “I want my son recovered happy and alive. We want him back in our arms, holding us. That’s what we want. We’re just hoping that he’s in somebody’s house and they’re feeding him and maybe they wanted a baby or couldn’t have a baby. Maybe they thought they were his savior. That’s our best hope at this point.”
Previously, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said, “We believe Quinton’s body was put in a trash bin and later dumped at the landfill.”
While multitudes of people have helped in the search of Quinton, other locals have picketed outside the family’s home in Georgia, where four people were arrested for either blocking the home’s driveway or banging on the windows earlier this month.
Leilani and her mother, Billie Jo Howell, were spotted at a bar on Tybee Island. The mother denies her involvement in her son’s disappearance.
“I’m here,” Leilani said. “I’ve been here every day since this. I’m 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.”
“We would also like to thank the many people, both here at home and around the world, who have offered support and encouragement during these last four weeks,” Chatham County Police Department continued in its post. “We appreciate every word and act of kindness for our department and everyone who is working so hard on this case.”
