Quinton Simon's mom is stripped of her other two kids after being named a suspect in presumed death of missing Georgia toddler: Court documents say she's hooked on cocaine and cannabis 

  • Court documents describe how Leilani Simon, 22, is a 'chronic, unrehabilitated substance abuser of cocaine and cannabis'
  • She allegedly admitted to using cocaine and tested positive for the drug at the birth of one of her three children
  • She is now the prime suspect in the disappearance and presumed death of her 1-year-old son, Quinton
  • Child Protective Services removed her two other children from her mother's custody on October 12 

The mother of a missing one-year-old boy had previously admitted to using drugs while pregnant, court documents show - as authorities remove her two other children from their grandmother's custody.

Court documents obtained by the US Sun describe how Leilani Simon, 22, is a 'chronic, unrehabilitated substance abuser of cocaine and cannabis,' who allegedly admitted to using cocaine and tested positive for the drug at the birth of one of her children.

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She is now the prime suspect in the disappearance and presumed death of her 1-year-old son, Quinton, with Child Protective Services removing her two other children from her mother's custody on October 12.

Simon's mother, Billie Jo Howell, had guardianship of her grandchildren. She had a tempered relationship with his mother, and had evicted her.

But, she was found by Child Protective Services in Chatham County, Georgia to have 'failed to provide adequate supervision.'

She is said to have left the children in their mother's care, but 'knew or should have known [her daughter] was unfit to provide proper care while the maternal grandmother traveled out of state, WTOC reports.

The children have now been placed in foster care while custody proceedings play out in the courts.

Court documents describe how Leilani Simon, 22, is a 'chronic, unrehabilitated substance abuser of cocaine and cannabis,' who allegedly admitted to using cocaine and tested positive for the drug at the birth of one of her children
She was seen for the first time in public on Monday at a custody hearing for her two other kids
She is now the prime suspect in the disappearance and presumed death of her 1-year-old son, Quinton (pictured)

The first custody hearing for Quinton's two siblings was held on Monday at the Chatham County Juvenile Court.

It remains unclear what happened in the court proceeding, where Leilani was seen wearing a dress and a mask as he sat just feet away rom her mother, though her lawyers were sitting beside them, WTOC reports.

The fathers of the children also appeared at the hearing over video chat, as they fought for custody.

'Zayne needs to be with me. I want to make sure he's safe,' Cody Wharton told the Sun, noting he thought Billie Jo would be able to care for him.

 He said he is  now 'questioning everything' he had thought of Leilani.

'Is he hurt? What is he doing?' he worried. 'I don't want to get a call saying your son is hurt and going to the hospital.'

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Wharton noted that Simon has struggled with her mental health in the past, and even claimed she tried to overdose last spring when she was watching their son.

'She's always been unpredictable,' he said. 'But I wasn't worried about Zayne's safety until all this started going on.

'She was a good mother,' he claimed. 'I don't know what happened.' 

But if he had custody of his young son, Wharton said, 'it would give me a calm mind.

'He deserves a good life and a life full of opportunity,' he said. 'I feel like he's not getting that right now.'

She was found by Child Protective Services in Chatham County, Georgia to have 'failed to provide adequate supervision'
Search efforts are continuing for the missing 20-month-old, whom authorities now believe is dead

Billie Jo had previously been filmed screaming at Quinton's babysitter that he is alive, and berating her for raising questions over his disappearance.

The babysitter, Diana McCarta, has been vocal about the child's disappearance, speaking to the media repeatedly and alleging that child services had previously been involved with the family. 

She also revealed that she received a text message telling her she didn't need to look after him on the day that he vanished, 30 minutes before he was 'last seen' by his stepfather. 

Last night, the boy's grandmother stormed into her home to confront her, telling her she had 'overstepped' and insisting that he is unharmed. 

'My baby is alive! My baby is alive!' she screamed at McCarta while being filmed on a cellphone. 

The grandmother has a lengthy rap sheet, with 18 prior arrests.

They include charges of grand larceny for using stolen credit cards, prostitution, burglary, driving with a suspended license, cocaine possession, cannabis possession, assault, battery and fraud. 

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Quinton's grandmother, 45-year-old Billie Jo Howell, was filmed screaming at his babysitter that he is 'still alive' after the babysitter raised concerns online

Meanwhile, search efforts are continuing for the missing 20-month-old, whom authorities now believe is dead.

Local police and FBI have been seen scouring dumpsters, drains and ponds since Quinton was first reported missing by his mother on October 5. She claimed she woke up at 9.30am and he was nowhere to be found.

Her fiancé, Danny Youngkin, told police he'd last seen the toddler at 6am. 

Just one week later, though, police named Leilani as the prime suspect in his death after they analyzed cellphone data and returned to her home with sniffer dogs,

She had been ordered by the state to start paying child support just one week before his disappearance, and was due to be charged $150 a month starting November 1. The amount would be lowered to $100 if one of her two sons died. 

Authorities have not yet revealed what kind of evidence they have against her, and say they want to ensure they have watertight evidence before they arrest or charge her, in order to secure a conviction.

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