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LAW enforcement will "dot their I's and cross their T's" before making an arrest in a missing toddler's death - despite naming his mother as the only suspect, a former FBI agent has said.
Quinton Simon's body hadn't been found as of Thursday but police said that evidence suggests the one-year-old is dead and they've named his mother Leilani Simon as the primary suspect.
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Chatham County, Georgia police and the FBI didn't answer specific questions and ended a press conference about the development after about five minutes.
That led to a flurry of questions from the public on social media about why Leilani wasn't in handcuffs as they shared fears that she will flee.
Police said that they don't believe she is a flight risk but they'll likely have her under surveillance, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told The U.S. Sun.
"They don't want to have a death investigation and a fugitive investigation at the same time," Coffindaffer said.
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The one-year-old boy hasn't been seen since October 5, which is a short amount of time to collect and process evidence collected from the house and inside the family pool, according to Coffindaffer.
She said that checking phone records and any evidence collected from the pool could prove crucial.
"They're not done with the investigation yet," the experienced field agent said.
"They have one opportunity to charge someone and make those charges stick to get a conviction.
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"Right now, it's all circumstantial. They're likely going through phone records, searching for the body, and waiting for forensic test results before making an arrest.
"They want to have all the evidence first."
Law enforcement will likely also check doorbell cameras and any surveillance cameras, particularly around garbage disposals, Coffindaffer said, after the boy's grandmother Billie Jo Howell told local reporters that officers believe the boy's remains are in a landfill.
She has since deleted her social media accounts and couldn't be reached by The U.S. Sun.
"If I'm on the case, I'm checking every trashcan in that area. There's a lot of work still to do in this case," said Coffindaffer, who added that prosecutors can get a conviction without a body.
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The little boy hasn't been seen since his mother's boyfriend reported seeing him when he woke up at 6am on October 5, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said.
His babysitter Diana McCarta, who has provided care to the toddler for 10 months, told WSAV-TV that she received a text that morning saying she didn't need to babysit.
“I got a text this morning saying he wouldn’t be here, not babysitting him at 5.29(am),” McCarta said.
“Which was kind of weird because I have them when she’s not working."
McCarta didn't return The U.S. Sun's request for an interview.
The search for little Quinton began shortly after.
He was was last seen wearing a light blue Sesame Street T-shirt and black pants.
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Tips in the case can be submitted online at police.chahamcountyga.gov/tips or alternatively on Crime Stoppers.
Members of the public have been urged to call 911 if they see the boy.
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