Mom Sentenced In GA Toddler's Landfill Death: Report

SAVANNAH, GA — Nearly two years after her toddler son's remains were found in a Chatham County landfill, Leilani Simon was sentenced to life in prison Thursday, NBC News reported.

Simon was convicted in October of murder in connection with the death of 20-month-old Quinton Simon, NBC News reported. Chatham County Judge Tammy Stokes sentenced Simon to life in prison with the possibility of parole plus 10 years.

"The one thing that I will say before pronouncing sentence is clearly little Quinton Simon’s life and death impacted many, many individuals, but also the community at large,” Chatham County Judge Tammy Stokes said, per NBC News.

On Oct. 5, 2022, Simon reported Quinton's disappearance to authorities. She told them he was missing from their Buckhalter Road home in Savannah.

Billie Jo Betterton, Leilani Simon's mother, had custody of Quinton at the time of his disappearance, the Savannah Morning News previously reported. Betterton was arrested in December 2022 for contempt of court.

Local law enforcement led a search for the toddler, joined by dozens of FBI agents, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and volunteers from across the state.

Authorities scoured 1.2 million pounds of trash in 30 days, Chatham County Police said at the time.

Ultimately, Quinton's remains were found in a landfill on Nov. 18, 2022, during the five-week search, authorities said at the time. Simon was charged in the case as the sole suspect shortly after, police said at the time.

According to the eight-page indictment, Simon was accused of assaulting Quinton with an object that resulted in serious bodily injury; and during that assault, Quinton's death was caused.

Simon was accused of "maliciously" causing Quinton "cruel and excessive physical pain" and "discarding him in a dumpster at Azalea Mobile Home Plaza, which hindered the discovery of whether Quinton was unlawfully killed," read the indictment.

She told authorities her son had been abducted by an unknown intruder when filing a police report, according to the indictment.

A jury in October convicted Simon of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, concealing the death of another and other counts related to false reports and false statements, NBC News reported.

Quinton had two siblings and "gave everyone love," his obituary read.

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