Missing Georgia toddler Quinton Simon’s babysitter says she’s concerned that the tot may have drowned, since she previously spotted him unsupervised at his family’s pool over the summer.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 1-year-old Quinton’s mother, Leilani Simon, reported him missing on October 5; she said her current boyfriend saw the child at about 6 a.m. in his Savannah home.
Later, when Simon woke up, Quinton was gone, according to what she told a 911 dispatcher. She made the 911 call shortly after 9:30 a.m., telling the dispatcher she found a door open, although Quinton isn’t able to open the door by himself.
Since then, Chatham County police have said Quinton is likely dead, calling Simon the primary and sole suspect in the case.
Quinton’s babysitter, Diana McCarta, 47, who has been vocal about the tot’s disappearance, told Fox News Digital that she fears Quinton may have gone into the pool area and drowned.
“I felt the whole time that this has happened that Quinton got out and maybe got into the pool,” McCarta said. “That’s my feelings all along because Zayne can open the door, and they’ve gone out before.”
Zayne, identified as Quinton’s 3-year-old brother, was at the pool with the tot, the babysitter said.
“I go down there, and they was in the pool and we got them out — Leilani was sleeping. It was scary.”
McCarta added that this was not the first time she noticed the boys outside unattended. She said once saw both boys outside and playing in a ditch near a busy road, unattended.
Meanwhile, the search for Quinto continues.
Police launched an extensive search of the area, calling in help from other nearby jurisdictions as well as the FBI. Earlier this month, police said they believed Quinton’s body was in a landfill, prompting the search of a local landfill that has not yet turned up any answers.
“We believe he was placed in a specific dumpster at a specific location,” Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley previously said. “I have every belief that we will find his remains here at the landfill.”
“We want justice for Quinton just like everybody else. And we want to find his remains, so we can give him a proper resting place.”
When local media asked Hadley why Simon has not yet been arrested, he said they are still investigating and don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize the case.
“We still have work to do,” Hadley said, adding that Simon is not considered a flight risk. “We still have an investigation to do.”
To Report Information on Quinton Simon
- Call 911 or submit a tip to the Chatham County Police Department’s Crime Tip at https://police.chathamcountyga.gov/Tips.
- Submit a tip through the CrimeStoppers online tip portal at https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=757.
- A dedicated tipline has been established for the case at 912-667-3134.
Check back for updates.
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[Featured image: Leilani and Quinton/Handout]
