Court documents show that Leilani Simon, mother of a 20-month-old boy who disappeared last Wednesday, was ordered to pay child support for the boy and his older brother on September 28, a week before Quinton Simon disappeared.
Simon’s mother, Billie Jo Howell, has sole custody of Quinton and his brother, Zayne Wharton, WTOC reported.
The order called for Simon to pay $150 a month toward the care of Quinton and Zayne, beginning on November 1.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Howell began an eviction process against her daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend earlier in September. Records obtained by WTOC show that Howell claiming Simon and the boyfriend failed to pay rent and refused to leave at the end of the lease.
“Not looking to be compensated,” Howell wrote in the court documents. “Just want to the move out as quick as possible. … They have damaged my property and at this point no one is living in peace.”
The day before Howell filed for the eviction, Simon called police after a reported domestic incident involving her mother, but she declined to press charges. Howell told officers she “may have to evict” her daughter and the boyfriend.
Leilani Simon reported Quinton missing shortly after 9:30 a.m. last Wednesday; her boyfriend was said the be the last person who saw him, at about 6 a.m.
The boys’ babysitter, Diana McCarta, said that she was told shortly before 6 that morning that she wouldn’t be needed that day, then got a text later asking if she’d seen the boy. Howell reportedly got into a screaming match with McCarta this week and was caught on video accusing the babysitter of taking the boy.
On Tuesday, the Chatham County Police Department posted that it had “seized evidence that we believe will help move this case forward” and were analyzing the evidence “to see where it leads us.”
Police brought a team of search dogs to the area near the home in unincorporated Chatham County, just outside Savannah, WJCL reported. Police Chief Jeff Hadley did not speak with reporters again on Wednesday, but the department posted Wednesday morning that they would be spending the day “gathering and analyzing evidence” and planned to schedule a media briefing on Thursday.
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[Featured image: Quinton Simon/Chatham County Police Department]
