Police have announced the discovery of new evidence in the case of missing toddler Quinton Simon while a dispatch call by emergency services has been obtained by local media.
The 20-month-old boy has been missing for almost a week.
Police have said that Quinton was last seen at home in Savannah, Georgia, around 6am on Wednesday 5 October. About three hours later, he was missing.
“We’ve seized evidence that we believe will help move this case forward and we’re now working to analyze the evidence to see where it leads us,” the Chatham County Police Department posted on Facebook on Tuesday. “We continue to pursue all avenues to bring Quinton home, following all leads and evidence. There will be no further public statements today.”
Several law enforcement agencies have worked alongside neighbours to find the child.
Jeff Hadley, the Chatham County police chief, said on Monday that the 911 call from Quinton’s mother wouldn’t be released to not harm the investigation.
A dispatch call made by the emergency services reveals some details concerning what the authorities were told when Quinton’s mother called 911.
“Complainant advised her one-year-old son is missing,” the dispatcher said, WJCL reported. “She woke up, her door was open. Advised he’s unable to open a door. Thinks someone came in and took him.”
Chatham Fire came to the home on Monday to remove the water from the pool in the backyard, but it remains unclear if any clues were discovered.
Police have said that in addition to the backyard pool, the home and a pond in the area have also been searched.
More than 40 FBI agents and other staff are working on the investigation.
Chatham County Police have said that they don’t think this is a case of foul play and they retain the hope that the boy is alive.
According to WJCL, court documents show that there were rifts in the family before the disappearance.
Grandmother Billie Jo Howell tried to get Quinton’s mother Leilani and her boyfriend Daniel Youngkin to leave the residence.
Ms Howell is Leilani’s mother.
“They have damaged my property and at this point, no one is living in peace,” the grandmother said, according to the legal filing.
She said she wanted her daughter and Mr Youngkin to leave the home “as soon as possible”.
Ms Howell and her husband, Quinton’s grandparents, have custody of him and his older brother, aged three, documents reveal, WJCL reported.
“She hasn’t always done the right thing,” Ms Howell said about her daughter on Thursday. “Sometimes she does really great, sometimes she doesn’t.”
“I don’t know what to think right now. I don’t know what to believe, because I don’t think anybody ever believes this is going to happen to them,” she added, according to WJCL. “I don’t know if I can trust her or I don’t. I just know I’m hurting and I want this baby home. He’s my baby.”
“There’s a very sequential process that takes place here,” Chief Hadley said on Friday. “It may be frustrating to the general public, it may be frustrating to y’all that things aren’t developing as quickly as you may like.”
“But we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing the right thing, that we’re being lawful, making sure we dot our I’s and cross our T’s,” he added, the local outlet reported. “So that if we discover evidence, it can be admissible in court and we can use it in court if we have to.”
