'It's going to be incredibly difficult:' Criminal justice professor discusses Quinton Simon search

The toddler has been missing for more than two weeks. He is presumed to be dead.

The toddler has been missing for more than two weeks. He is presumed to be dead.

WE'RE NOW THREE DAYS INTO THE FBI'S SEARCH OF A CHATHAM COUNTY LANDFILL. THEY'RE LOOKING FOR ANY SIGN OF LITTLE QUINTON SIMON. OUR ANDY COLE JOINS US LIVE NOW FROM THE COMMAND CENTER - L SCOTT STELL PARK. ANDY YOU TALKED TO A LEGAL ANALYST ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN THE CASE... THIS IS A BIG STORY... CAN YOU CATCH US UP RIGHT NOW? MARVIS/BROOKE... AS THE SUN SET ON THE FIRST DAY OF SEARCHING A LANDFILL PIECE-BY- PIECE... SOMEONE SPOTTED LEILANI SIMON AND BILLIE JO HOWELL -- QUINTON'S MOM AND GRANDMOTHER -- AT A BAR ON TYBEE ISLAND TAKING SHOTS AND BEING QUOTE "VERY LOUD" 22-YEAR-OLD LEILANI IS THE PRIME SUSPECT IN THIS CASE. WHILE POLICE DELIGENTLY SCOWER THE LANDFILL... SHE REMAINS FREE. NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED AND NO ARRESTS HAVE BEEN MADE. POLICE SAY THEY'RE NOT READY TO MOVE FORWARD JUST YET. PHILIP HOLLOWAY IS A FORMER POLICE OFFICER AND PROSECTOR TURNED ATTORNEY. HE SAID THE REPORTS OF LEILANI AT THE BAR ISN'T THE IMAGE ANY DEFENSE ATTORNEY WANTS TO SEE. <> SOT -- PHILIP HOLLOWAY/LEGAL ANALYST THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF LOOK THAT A LAWYER WILL WANT TO EXPLAIN, IN THE EVENT THERE ARE CRIMINAL CHARGES, AND THE JURY HAS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. AND AT THE VERY LEAST, A JURY IS GONNA WANT TO SEE A PARENT BEHAVING IN THE WAY A GRIEVING PARENT WOULD BE EXPECTED TO BEHAVE. ANDY -- WHAT'S THE LATEST ON THE PHYSICAL SEARCH? IN JUST THE LAST FEW MINUTES... THE EXPERTS LEADING THE SEARCH FROM THE FBI ARE HEADING HOME FOR THE DAY. THEY'LL BE BACK AGAIN BRIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW SEARCHING FOR ANY SIGN OF LITTLE QUINTON. AS THE FBI WRAPS UP ITS SEARCH FOR THE DAY - WE'RE GETTING NEW INSIGHT INTO THE *PROCESS* BEING USED TO LOCATE SIMON'S REMAINS. FOR STARTERS - THE FBI IS CALLING THE BROWN DIRT YOU'RE SEEING HERE - THE SEARCH DECK. THEY SAY INVESTIGATORS ARE SIFTING THROUGH THE DEBRIS PLACED ON THIS DECK FOR ANY EVIDENCE. ONCE THAT DEBRIS IS CLEARED - ITS REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH ANOTHER SECTION OF MATERIAL. WHILE THE FBI SAYS...THEY - *HAVE* IDENTIFIED A SPECIFIC AREA OF THE LANDFILL TO SEARCH - AND NO NEW TRASH IS COMING INTO THAT AREA... A CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSOR WE SPOKE WITH SAYS... THAT LIKELY WON'T MAKE THE SEARCH ANY EASIER. <> 12:37:39 I THINK ITS GOING TO BE AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT SEARCH UNFORTUNATELY :41 THE AREA ITSELF IS MASSIVE SO THERES A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER :46 AND THAT'S ALL COMPLICATED BY THE FACT THERE IS GARBAGE AND TRASH THERE THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO AROUND AND UNDERNEATH AND OF COURSE THAT SPEEDS UP THE DECAYING PROCESS :57 THE FBI SAYS THIS SEAR

'It's going to be incredibly difficult:' Criminal justice professor discusses Quinton Simon search

The toddler has been missing for more than two weeks. He is presumed to be dead.

Investigators are still searching a Chatham County landfill for the remains of 20-month-old Quinton Simon.The toddler has been missing for more than two weeks. His mother, Leilani Simon, has been named the prime suspect in his disappearance and presumed death.The FBI told reporters on Tuesday the search for Simon's remains will not be quick, not be easy and the outcome is uncertain.Investigators have created an area at the landfill called a "search deck." We're told officers are moving through debris placed on the deck for any evidence. Once that debris is cleared, it is removed and replaced with another section of material.While the FBI said they have identified a specific area of the landfill to search and no new trash is coming into that area, a criminal justice professor at Georgia Southern University told WJCL the search will still be difficult. "I think it's going to be an incredibly difficult search, unfortunately," said Chad Posick, the interim department chair of Georgia Southern's Criminal Justice & Criminology Department. "The area itself is massive, so there's a lot of ground to cover and that's all complicated by the fact there is garbage and trash they are going to have to go around and underneath and, of course, that speeds up the decaying process."He said on top of the sheer amount of waste investigators have to go through, they're also likely having to be careful with the items they're handling."Everyone in this case wants justice for Quinton. Making sure everything is done by the book, every procedure is being followed and all the techniques spot on make sure nothing is destroyed in this investigation," Posick said.The FBI and the Chatham County Police Department kicked off the search of the landfill on Tuesday.For a recap of everything that has happened in this case, click here.

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. —

Investigators are still searching a Chatham County landfill for the remains of 20-month-old Quinton Simon.

The toddler has been missing for more than two weeks. His mother, Leilani Simon, has been named the prime suspect in his disappearance and presumed death.

The FBI told reporters on Tuesday the search for Simon's remains will not be quick, not be easy and the outcome is uncertain.

Investigators have created an area at the landfill called a "search deck." We're told officers are moving through debris placed on the deck for any evidence. Once that debris is cleared, it is removed and replaced with another section of material.

While the FBI said they have identified a specific area of the landfill to search and no new trash is coming into that area, a criminal justice professor at Georgia Southern University told WJCL the search will still be difficult.

"I think it's going to be an incredibly difficult search, unfortunately," said Chad Posick, the interim department chair of Georgia Southern's Criminal Justice & Criminology Department. "The area itself is massive, so there's a lot of ground to cover and that's all complicated by the fact there is garbage and trash they are going to have to go around and underneath and, of course, that speeds up the decaying process."

He said on top of the sheer amount of waste investigators have to go through, they're also likely having to be careful with the items they're handling.

"Everyone in this case wants justice for Quinton. Making sure everything is done by the book, every procedure is being followed and all the techniques [are] spot on [will] make sure nothing is destroyed in this investigation," Posick said.

The FBI and the Chatham County Police Department kicked off the search of the landfill on Tuesday.

For a recap of everything that has happened in this case, click here.

'It's going to be incredibly difficult:' Criminal justice professor discusses Quinton Simon search

The toddler has been missing for more than two weeks. He is presumed to be dead.

Top Picks