A Georgia mother, Leilani Simon, is facing charges for the murder of her 20-month-old son, Quinton Simon, whom she reported missing in October 2022. Simon, 24, is accused of killing her son and disposing of his body in a dumpster, later telling police she had thrown away “stinky shrimp pasta.”
The case, which has shocked the community, has drawn national attention as the trial began this week. Simon faces multiple charges, including concealing the death of her son and making false statements to authorities. Despite the mounting evidence, Simon has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A mother’s chilling claims
Prosecutors allege that Simon killed her son using an unknown object before discarding his body in a trash bin. Quinton was initially reported missing on October 5, 2022, with Simon claiming he had vanished from his playpen at their home near Savannah, Georgia. Authorities quickly named Simon as the primary suspect in the case.
A massive search operation ensued, with police sifting through a landfill for over a month before discovering the remains of the child. The tragic discovery marked a grim turn in a case already clouded with disturbing details.
Simon’s changing stories
Special Assistant District Attorney Tim Dean, in his opening statement, told the court that Simon had spent the day of the murder high on cocaine and Percocet. Dean described how Simon, after killing her son, placed his body in a dumpster and went to sleep. “The defendant violated that most basic, sacred trust of a parent in the most horrible way,” Dean told the court. “In the middle of the night, she killed him, her own son, got in her car with his body, drove to a dumpster, then threw him away like a piece of trash.”
Prosecutors also revealed that Simon’s account of the events had shifted multiple times. Initially, she claimed to have left home around 1 a.m. to pick up medication from a friend, citing dental pain as the reason. However, surveillance footage contradicted this story, showing Simon discarding something at a nearby mobile home park—where prosecutors believe she dumped Quinton’s body.
The defense’s response
Simon’s defense team has maintained her innocence throughout the trial, arguing that Simon’s inconsistent statements were a result of stress and trauma. However, prosecutors allege that Simon deliberately misled investigators, including her claim about disposing of “stinky shrimp pasta” rather than her son’s body.
“The evidence will show that she did not want to admit that [what she threw away] was Quinton’s body, so she describes this trash that she threw away as stinky shrimp pasta,” Dean stated.
Authorities have not been able to determine the exact cause of Quinton’s death due to the severe decomposition of his remains. As the trial continues, the courtroom is expected to hear further details of Simon’s alleged involvement in the crime.
A community in shock
The murder trial of Leilani Simon has left the local community and the nation grappling with the disturbing facts of the case. For now, Simon stands accused of a crime that has sent shockwaves through her community—betraying the trust of motherhood in a way few could imagine.
The trial remains ongoing, with more testimonies and evidence expected to unfold in the coming days.