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Police are still searching for the toddler.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Oct 27, 2022
The grandmother of missing Georgia toddler Quinton Simon recently alleged that her grandson might have drowned due to his mother's negligence.
Billie Jo Howell made the claim during a recorded phone call with Simon's father, Henry "Bubba" Moss, which was obtained by the Daily Mail.
Quinton Simon's grandmother says his mom might've let the toddler drown while she was 'high.'
"I feel, honestly and frankly, Bubba, I'm not going to lie to you, I feel like there was an accident," Howell told Moss.
"I feel like something happened while Quinton was in the bathtub, and he drowned, and they were both high. That’s my theory."
When Moss replied that Quinton's mom, Leilani Simon, and stepfather, Danny Youngkin "should have just called the police if something like that happened,” Howell added: "If you're high as hell man, you do stupid sh-t."
Leilani, who reported her 20-month-old son missing on October 5 after he vanished from his playpen in their Georgia home, admitted to using drugs while she was pregnant.
Moss, the father to two of her children, also said that Leilani was a heavy cocaine user.
Currently, Leilani Simon is the "prime suspect" in the disappearance of her son.
In a recent interview with WTOC-TV, Leilani revealed, after being spotted at a bar partying amid the search for her son, that she wants Quinton to come back to her "happy and alive."
"We want him back in our arms, holding us. That's what we want."
According to police, shortly after Leilani reported Quinton missing, she told authorities that his father, Moss, had taken the toddler from their Georgia home.
"They asked did I have him and when was the last time I was in Savannah," Moss said of being questioned by cops after his son's disappearance, per The Sun. "They told me Leilani said I came and got him overnight."
Authorities have continued to search a landfill for the boy's body, believing him to be dead. While they still haven't found any trace of the little boy, Leilani told WTOC-TV that she just hopes he will not be found dead.
"We're just hoping that he's in somebody's house and they're feeding him and maybe they wanted a baby or couldn't have a baby," she said. "Maybe they thought they were his savior. That's our best hope at this point."
According to the Savannah Morning News, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley told reporters that police believe that Quinton's body was put into a trash bin and later dumped at the landfill.
In her interview, Leilani denied any involvement in her son's disappearance.
"I'm here," she tells the station. "I've been here every day since this. I'm not running and I'm not hiding. And if something does come up that I am at fault, I will take myself to that police station."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.