Quinton Simon murder: Georgia woman Leilani Simon found guilty of killing toddler and dumping his body

SAVANNAH, GA. — A Georgia woman accused of killing her 20-month-old son and dumping his body in a dumpster two years ago has been found guilty of murder.

A jury on Friday found Leilani Simon guilty of all 19 charges against her in the death of her son Quinton Simon, local news outlets reported. This includes premeditated murder, felony murder, concealing the death of another person, and making false statements.

The jury heard eight days of witness testimony and began deliberating on Thursday, news outlets reported. That afternoon, they argued for about two hours and took a break. Jurors resumed deliberations around 9:30 a.m. Friday morning, and the unanimous verdict was announced at 2:30 p.m.

Simon called 911 on the morning of October 5, 2022, to report that his son was missing from the indoor playground of their home outside of Savannah. After police searched the home and surrounding neighborhoods for days, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said investigators believed the child was dead. He also named Simon as the sole suspect.

Police and FBI agents focused their investigation on a landfill two weeks after the boy was reported missing. They rummaged through trash for more than a month until they found human bones, which DNA tests confirmed were Quinton’s.