Quinton Simon’s mother, Leilani, used drugs during her pregnancy

The mother of missing toddler, Quinton Simon, appeared in court on Monday for a preliminary custody hearing over the 20-month-old’s two siblings – as new documents in the case reveal that she had admitted to using drugs during her pregnancy.

Leilani Simon, 24 – the prime suspect in the disappearance of her son, who is presumed dead – arrived at Chatham County Juvenile Court, where she sat next to his mother, Billie Howell, the WTOC reported .

The grandmother had custody of Quinton and Leilani’s two other children, aged around 6 months and 3 years.

Monday’s hearing was sealed, but according to court documents obtained by The US Sun, the children were removed from the home on October 12 because they were deemed to be in « imminent danger of abuse or neglect ».

Leilani ‘is a chronic, unrehabilitated cocaine and cannabis addict’, according to the documents, which say she admitted to using cocaine and tested positive when one of her children was born. , reported The Sun.

After being granted guardianship, Howell « failed to provide adequate supervision » and left them in Leilani’s care, the document states.

Howell « knew or should have known that (his daughter) was unfit to provide proper care, while the maternal grandmother was traveling out of state, » according to the document, which says Leilani’s other two children were placed in foster care.

The three children have three different fathers. One told the US Sun he was « questioning everything » after his son, Zayne, was taken from the home.

« Zayne needs to be with me. I want to make sure he’s safe, » Cody Wharton told the outlet.

“Even now, I question everything. Is he injured? What is he doing? I don’t want to get a call saying your son is injured and going to hospital,” he added.

He said Leilani had mental health issues while they were dating – which was corroborated in court documents – and claimed she was depressed and tried to overdose last spring when she looked at Zane.

« She’s always been unpredictable, » Wharton told The US Sun. “But I wasn’t worried about Zayne’s safety until this all started. She was a good mother. I do not know what happened.

Meanwhile, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told the US Sun authorities were likely gathering more evidence before arresting and charging the mother.

“They haven’t completed the investigation yet. They have an opportunity to charge someone and get those charges upheld to get a conviction,” the former field operative told the outlet.

“Right now, everything is circumstantial. They are likely reviewing phone records, searching for the body and awaiting forensic test results before making an arrest. They want to have all the evidence first,” Coffinaffer added.