Neighbors of Leilani Simon, the Georgia mother accused with her son’s disappearance and death, are “thrilled” that she has been caught.
Monday, Gerri McCusker told WTOC, “From the first day, nothing seemed quite right.”
On October 5, Leilani, age 22, reported her 20-month-old son, Quinton Simon, missing from their house in Savannah.
After authorities verified the finding of remains suspected to be Quinton’s on Friday, she was detained on Monday afternoon.
“I was content. I am pleased that she has been arrested. The situation has been tragic, and this is the finest news that has emerged from it,” McCusker continued.
Leilani was declared the lead suspect in her son’s abduction just days after Chatham County Police revealed they thought the youngster to be deceased and he went missing.
Leilani and her family’s contradictory claims and odd partying during the inquiry into her abduction in the weeks after her disappearance increased suspicion.
Quinton Simon was reported missing on October 5 morning.
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Leilani’s mother, Billie Jo Howell, revealed to authorities in an interview that her daughter, who has two other small children, “hasn’t always done the right thing.”
Leilani defended her innocence strongly in an interview with WTOC that aired earlier this month.
“I’ve come here daily since [Quinton disappeared]. She cried, “I’m not fleeing and I’m not hiding.”
“If something occurs for which I am responsible, I shall go to that police station.”
Leilani Simon was arrested on Monday, nearly two months after her son disappeared.
Chatham County Correctional Facility
Even after the arrest, another neighbor said that they were still having to cope with the emotional weight of the situation.
I still weep. “They’ll put a photo of [Quinton] on television, and I’ll start crying,” a neighbor told WTOC.
“It occurred around the time of my birthday. That was the worst birthday I’ve ever had.
In Savannah, Georgia, Gerri McCusker is a neighbor of the Simon family.
wtoc
Leilani is also charged with concealing the death of another, filing a false police report, and making false statements, according to the Chatham County Police Department.
Monday, Police Chief Jeff Hadley told the media that all of the evidence led to his mother being responsible for his death, disappearance, and the discovery of his remains in a dump.
Leilani is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, where it will be determined if she will be granted bail in time for the holidays.
“She does not deserve a Thanksgiving,” argued Chief Hadley. “Quinton justifies it.”
Authorities are searching a landfill in Georgia for the remains of the missing Georgia toddler Quinton Simon.
ChathamCountyPD/Twitter
Chief Hadley stated that he and other officers engaged in the inquiry are still coping with the emotional toll of the case.
He bemoaned, “As a human being and a parent, you also experience a wide range of general emotions.”
Will Clarke, Senior Supervisor of the FBI’s Savannah and Brunswick Offices, remarked, “What happened to this 20-month-old infant is incomprehensible.”
No one should hurt a kid, especially not the one who is supposed to be their guardian.