A Georgia woman arrested for the murder of her toddler son was ordered held without bail on Wednesday in a Chatham County Court.
Leilani Simon did not appear at the bond hearing but is expected at a preliminary hearing set for January 11, 2023, when prosecutors will likely present some of the findings that led to her arrest, WJCL reports.
The 22-year-old mother is charged with murder, concealing death of another, false report of a crime, and false statements or writings conceal facts or fraudulent documents in matters of government.
Simon reported her 20-month old son, Quinton Simon, missing on October 5, launching a weeks-long search for the boy that ended last week when investigators found remains in a landfill they’d been searching since last month, as CrimeOnline has reported.
Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said on October 13 that investigators had concluded the little boy was dead and that his mother was the primary suspect. That week, investigators began their search of the landfill as Hadley said they believed Quinton’s body was put into a dumpster and taken there.
Search teams located remains in the landfill on Friday, and lab tests confirmed them to be human. Leilani Simon was arrested on Monday, the Chatham County Police Department announced.
A DNA analysis is under way to confirm the identity of the remains, but Hadley said investigators “have every reason to believe this will confirm the remains are Quinton’s,” according to WJCL.
Hadley pointed out that investigators combed through 1.2 million pounds of trash over 30 days.
“She doesn’t deserve a Thanksgiving, quite frankly,” Hadley said of Quinton’s mother. “Quinton deserves that.”
[Featured image: Leilani Simon, left, and Quinton Simon/Chatham County Police Department]
