Leilani Simon and Quinton Simon (Chatham County Detention Center and Police Department)
A legal battle is reportedly taking place over dental records sought in the case of a Georgia woman accused of killing her 20-month-old boy and discarding his body in the trash.
Leilani Simon’s public defender filed a motion in court to try to prevent the release of information on treatments or visits to a dentist’s office in Chatham County on grounds that it would violate her Fourth Amendment rights to unreasonable search and seizure, according to a report from ABC affiliate WJCL in Savannah.
The Chatham County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment, citing the pending case.
The case first came to light when Simon, 22, reported her son Quinton missing from their home on Oct. 5, officials said. On Oct. 12, police announced that Quinton was believed dead and his mother was the prime suspect, a news release said.
Six days later, the Chatham County Police Department and FBI announced that evidence led them to believe that Quinton’s remains were at a landfill in Chatham County, and a massive search was launched to try to locate them.
Police and the FBI combed through 1.2 million pounds of trash for five weeks knowing the chances of finding any remains were low. Remarkably, authorities uncovered his remains at the landfill on Nov. 18.
Three days after the remains were found, Simon was indicted on charges of malice, murder, concealing the death of another person, false reporting, and making false statements in connection with her son’s disappearance and death.
In a commentary about the case in the Savannah Morning News on Monday, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said he appreciated the way the community stepped up.
“The amount of resources that this community brought to bear in an effort to support the Chatham County Police Department’s quest for justice demonstrated a level of humanity that is so often overlooked in today’s world,” he wrote.
In a news conference announcing the indictment, Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones said the case captured the hearts and minds of many wanting to know what happened to “Baby Q.”
“When any person, particularly a child of tender years is murdered, harmed, victimized, or goes missing in our community, it’s a matter that calls our very humanity into question,” she said. “These are the cases that keep us up at night. These are the cases that deserve justice.”