The woman who babysits Quinton Simon, the missing Georgia toddler, has said she received an unusual text message the morning he went missing from his home in Savannah.
Speaking in an interview with WSAV on Monday, the babysitter said she was surprised to receive a message on Wednesday morning last week that she would not be needed to look after Quinton and his sibling.
“I got a text this morning saying they would not be here, would not be babysitting them at 5.29 [a.m.],” said Diana McCarta, who expressed surprise at the seemnigly last minute decision.
She continued: “Which was kind of odd because I have them even when she (their mother) doesn’t work”.
Police say Quiton was last seen at 6am, about half an hour after the babysitter says she was told she was no longer needed for the day.
“And then I get a text at 9am saying have I seen Quinton,” said Ms McCarta of her exchange with Quinton’s mother. “I immediately go to their house. I try to help them look, they didn’t want that. So, I’ve been just waiting around like everyone else.”
The toddler was reported missing from his family home in the 500 block of Buckhalter Road 9.39am by his mother, Lelani Simon, police said.
Speaking on Monday, Chatham County Chief Jeffrey Hadley said “everybody” was being interviewed and that all parties had cooperated with the investigation, which has seen as many as 40 FBI agents are on the ground.
“Everybody is being looked at, everybody is being interviewed, everybody that had contact with Quinton in the most recent time of his disappearance is being looked at, is being interview, and that’s an enormous amount of work,” Mr Hadley said.
The police chief, who said last week that no foul play was suspected, told reporters that the case could become a criminal one, with the police chief confident of a resolution with the FBI’s assistance. There are no suspects at present and the case remains a missing persons one at present however.
"We don’t have anything confirmed so we can’t say anything absolute, but it is fair to say that in our efforts — and the cooperation with the FBI and them providing an abundance of resource to us — that we are looking at the criminal investigation aspect of it as well," he said.
The search for Quinton enters its seventh day on Tuesday.
