https://news.amomama.com/295852-20-month-old-georgia-boy-disappears-play.html

It was a usual day for a Georgia family when their 20-month-old boy suddenly disappeared from his playpen inside the house. Soon, they informed the authorities, and a search operation was launched to locate the baby.

Children are the center of their family's attention, and their parents go above and beyond to protect their little ones. Most parents don't even let their babies go out unsupervised because they fear losing them.

The family in today's story was shocked when they discovered their baby boy was missing from his room. An extensive search soon began to find the baby while the family prayed for his safe return.

20-month-old Quinton Simon lived with his two siblings, mother, and grandparents in the family's home in Chatham County, Georgia. His mother's boyfriend also lived with them in the grandparents' home, which bothered Simon's grandmother, Billie Howell.

According to Howell, her 22-year-old daughter often argued with her boyfriend. The grandmother wanted to live peacefully in her house, but the frequent fights and arguments disturbed her.

Howell revealed that her daughter moved in a few months ago and recently gave birth to a baby girl. However, Howell sent an eviction notice to her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend through the court, hoping they would leave soon.

While the grandmother wanted her daughter to leave, she didn't want Simon and his older sibling to go away. Howell said she had custody of her two grandchildren and hoped they would stay with her, but fate had other plans.

On October 5, 2022, the family's world turned upside down after discovering Simon was missing from his playpen. Per the authorities, the mother last saw her son at 6 a.m., and a missing report was filed at 9 a.m.

According to Chatham County Police Department, little Simon was last seen wearing a Sesame Street shirt and black pants. The police closed some roads for traffic while searching for the boy and kept updating people about the progress on Facebook.

Soon, the search operation included FBI officials, drones, and helicopters. People from other communities also came to help the authorities find Simon. Tyler Edenfield from Savannah said:

"Everybody here is concerned. Everybody is coming here. We wanted to jump in the search as soon as they [the police] got here, but they still had the dogs out."

As the authorities looked for Simon, WSAV interviewed the boy's babysitter, Diana McCarta. She revealed the family dropped Simon and his sibling at her place almost every day, even on days when the family didn't leave for work.

The babysitter recalled receiving a text from the family in the early hours of the day Simon went missing. The message said the boys wouldn't come that day. About three hours later, she received another text asking if she had seen Simon. She said:

"I immediately went to their house. I tried to help them look, but they didn't want that. So, I've been just waiting around like everyone else."

"My heart is broken. I'm not his mother. I'm not his family. But I love him very much. And I just don't know what could happen," McCarta added. She appreciated the authorities' efforts to look for Simon.

When Simon went missing, Howell was in Illinois for a short-term job. She revealed that she learned about him through McCarta, and immediately left her workplace to head back home. Meanwhile, her husband talked to the media and said:

"It's crazy! Just never imagined something like this would ever happen."

When Howell reached Chatham County, she found her house was taped up and had to spend the night in a nearby motel. As the search continued, the police got in touch with Simon's biological father but believed he was innocent.

," the Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley

. He hoped he could find the little boy and bring him back to his parents safely. The police department

an update on Facebook at 6:52 p.m. the same night:

"The ground search continues for Quinton Simon until dark. Chatham County helicopter prepping for night-flight with heat-seeking technology."

As friends and family prayed for Simon's safe return, netizens shared messages of support for his family. Here are a few comments from WTOC-TV's Facebook post:

"Prayers for this sweet child. Something is not right in this story."

"This is so sad. Something is fishy about this. Not sitting right with me. I pray and hope that this baby is found safe and unharmed."

"Prayers that this precious baby is found safe and for his family during this horrific time."

A similar incident happened in Jacksonville, Florida, on the same day Simon went missing. A seven-year-old boy disappeared from his house at around 8 a.m., and the police started looking for him after the family informed them.

Fortunately, the little boy was found at a friend's house in the neighborhood. The police updated the citizens about his safe return at about 11 a.m.

Our prayers are with Simon's family as they wait for their little boy to return home safely. We hope the authorities soon find the little angel and bring him back to his family.

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