SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The search for a missing Georgia toddler presumed dead by police shifted Tuesday to a landfill outside Savannah where investigators planned to start sifting through trash for the child’s remains.
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said investigators had evidence that prompted the landfill search for the body of 20-month-old Quinton Simon, but he declined to say what it was.
“We believe that he was placed in a specific dumpster at a specific location and it was brought here by regular means of disposal,” Hadley said during a news conference. “I have every belief that we will find his remains here at the landfill.”
Police began searching for Quinton on Oct. 5 when his mother called 911 and said the boy had gone missing from his playpen. After more than a week spent searching the house and surrounding neighborhood, Hadley announced Thursday that police believe the child is dead.
He also named the boy’s mother, Leilani Simon, as the a suspect in her son’s death and disappearance. Nearly a week later, she has not been arrested or charged.