CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — At just 20 months old, Quinton Simon hasn’t been seen for 60 hours. In those moments, WSAV has told you a lot about the search to find him but to tell you about the environment he was living in, we have to back up weeks.
Sept. 7
Police were called to Quinton’s grandparent’s home, where Quinton, his mother, her boyfriend, two other children and the grandparents live.
There was a fight between Quinton’s mom Leilani Simon and her mother Billie Jo Howell, a police report said.
Leilani called the cops on her mom when officers showed up. She told them she was on probation and didn’t want trouble. WSAV doesn’t know what that probation is for.
The report said when police officers talked with Leilani’s brother, he told them that Quinton’s mom had a history of stealing and used the money to buy drugs.
Sept. 8
Billie Jo Howell wanted her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend, evacuated from the house.
She filed for eviction and according to the document she didn’t want any money, just her 22-year-old daughter Leilani, her boyfriend Daniel Youngkin and the three kids to leave and quickly.
Howell wrote that they damaged her property and “no one is living in peace.”
Sept. 16
Leilani and Daniel found out about the eviction but WSAV now knows, as recently as last Wednesday the two were still living there.
That gets us to Wednesday, the morning little Quinton was last seen.
At 5:29 a.m., Diana McCarta, who babysits Quinton, got a text message. She told us it was Quinton’s mom saying McCarta didn’t have to watch the kids that morning.
Police told us the boyfriend —who we know now is Daniel Youngkin — left for work at 6 a.m. Police say that’s the last time Quinton was seen.
At 9 a.m., another text to McCarta — this time from a grandparent — asking if she had seen the toddler. The 9-1-1 call to report Quinton missing was placed 42 minutes later.
The WSAV Investigative Unit asked Chatham County Police for that call and so far they haven’t responded to our request.
WSAV knows from the family, Leilani told police that Quinton’s father took the child. The family said that story didn’t make sense and by 2:30 that afternoon, police said the father wasn’t involved.
By Wednesday night, the effort to find Quinton involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, two helicopters, a drone, police on horses, tracking dogs and officers going door to door.
Thursday we watched federal agents search dumpers, ditches, drain pipes, and the woods.