The Chatham County Police Department said Tuesday it had “seized evidence” in the hunt for missing Georgia toddler Quinton Simon and believe the evidence “will help move this case forward.”
Quinton, 20-months-old, was reported missing on October 5 by his mother, who said her boyfriend had seen him at about 6 a.m. but later, when she woke up, he was gone, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
She made the 911 call shorty after 9:30 a.m., telling a dispatcher she found the door open although Quinton isn’t able to open the door. “Thinks someone came in and took him,” the dispatcher told responding officers.
Police launched an extensive search of the area, calling in help from other nearby jurisdictions as well as the FBI. Early on, after finding no evidence of foul play, investigators considered the case a missing person. On Monday, however, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said detectives were “looking at the criminal investigation aspect of it.”
Police have not revealed what type of evidence they seized or where it might have come from.
“We’re now working to analyze the evidence to see where it leads us. We continue to pursue all avenues to bring Quinton home, following all leads and evidence,” the department said in a simple statement announcing the seizure and saying they would have no further statements on Tuesday.
Many elements of the case have drawn close scrutiny. Quinton’s mother, her boyfriend, Quinton, an older brother, and a younger sister lived in a house with Quinton’s grandmother, who had recently begun eviction proceedings for her daughter and the boyfriend. The grandmother and her husband have legal custody of Quinton and the older brother.
Additionally, a babysitter who sits the two boys almost daily said that someone called her just before 6 a.m. on the day Quinton went missing and told her she wasn’t needed that day.
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[Featured image: Quinton Simon/Chatham County Police Department]
