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The mother of a missing one-year-old boy had previously admitted to using drugs while pregnant, court documents show – as authorities remove her two other children from their grandmother’s custody.
Court documents obtained by the US Sun describe how Leilani Simon, 22, is a ‘chronic, unrehabilitated substance abuser of cocaine and cannabis,’ who allegedly admitted to using cocaine and tested positive for the drug at the birth of one of her children.
She is now the prime suspect in the disappearance and presumed death of her 1-year-old son, Quinton, with Child Protective Services removing her two other children from her mother’s custody on October 12.
Simon’s mother, Billie Jo Howell, had guardianship of her grandchildren, but was found by Child Protective Services in Chatham County, Georgia to have ‘failed to provide adequate supervision.’
She is said to have left the children in their mother’s care, but ‘knew or should have known [her daughter] was unfit to provide proper care while the maternal grandmother traveled out of state, WTOC reports.
The children have now been placed in foster care while custody proceedings play out in the courts.
Court documents obtained by the US Sun describe how Leilani Simon, 22, is a ‘chronic, unrehabilitated substance abuser of cocaine and cannabis,’ who allegedly admitted to using cocaine and tested positive for the drug at the birth of one of her children
She is now the prime suspect in the disappearance and presumed death of her 1-year-old son, Quinton (pictured)
The first custody hearing for Quinton’s two siblings was on Monday at the Chatham County Juvenile Court.
It remains unclear what happened in the court proceeding, where Leilani was seen wearing a dress and a mask as he sat just feet away rom her mother, though her lawyers were sitting beside them, WTOC reports.
The fathers of the children also appeared at the hearing over video chat, as they fought for custody.
‘Zayne needs to be with me. I want to make sure he’s safe,’ Cody Wharton told the Sun, noting he thought Billie Jo would be able to care for him.
He said he is now ‘questioning everything’ he had thought of Leilani.
‘Is he hurt? What is he doing?’ he worried. ‘I don’t want to get a call saying your son is hurt and going to the hospital.’
Wharton noted that Simon has struggled with her mental health in the past, and even claimed she tried to overdose last spring when she was watching their son.
‘She’s always been unpredictable,’ he said. ‘But I wasn’t worried about Zayne’s safety until all this started going on.
‘She was a good mother,’ he claimed. ‘I don’t know what happened.’
But if he had custody of his young son, Wharton said, ‘it would give me a calm mind.
‘He deserves a good life and a life full of opportunity,’ he said. ‘I feel like he’s not getting that right now.’
Simon’s mother, Billie Jo Howell, had guardianship of her grandchildren. She is pictured here with Quinton
She was found by Child Protective Services in Chatham County, Georgia to have ‘failed to provide adequate supervision’
Search efforts are continuing for the missing 20-month-old, whom authorities now believe is dead
Meanwhile, search efforts are continuing for the missing 20-month-old, whom authorities now believe is dead.
Local police and FBI have been seen scouring dumpsters, drains and ponds since Quinton was first reported missing by his mother on October 5. She claimed she woke up at 9.30am and he was nowhere to be found.
Just one week later, though, police named Leilani as the prime suspect in his death after they analyzed cellphone data and returned to her home with sniffer dogs,
She had been ordered by the state to start paying child support just one week before his disappearance, and was due to be charged $150 a month starting November 1. The amount would be lowered to $100 if one of her two sons died.
Authorities have not yet revealed what kind of evidence they have against her, and say they want to ensure they have watertight evidence before they arrest or charge her, in order to secure a conviction.
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