Police aresearching a landfillin Georgia for the remains of missing toddler Quinton Simon.

Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley gave an update on the case during a news conference on Tuesday, in which he said authorities “have entered a new phase” in their search for the 20-month-old boy,who first went missing on Oct. 5.

On Oct. 12, the police department said in a Twitter statement that Quinton’s mother is the “prime suspect” in his disappearance and presumed death.

“A short time ago, we began what will be an extensive search of the waste-management landfill located here in Chatham County,” Hadley continued duringTuesday’s news conference.

“After every step we have taken [in] this case, the need for this search was based on where the evidence led us,” he added.

Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley speaks at a press conference about the search for missing toddler Quinton Simon.Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock

Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley speaks to reporters as he stands in front of a large photo of missing toddler Quinton Simon at a police operations center being used in the search for the boy’s remains just outside Savannah, Ga., . Quinton was reported missing from his home Oct. 5, 2022, by his mother Missing Toddler-Georgia, Savannah, United States - 18 Oct 2022

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“I have every belief that we will find his remains here at the landfill,” he said, adding in another answer that authorities were “not ready"to file any chargesyet because they still had “work to do” regarding the investigation.

“We want justice for Quinton just like everybody else, and we want to find his remains so we can give him a proper resting place,” Hadley continued.

FBI supervisory agency Will Clarke, who joined Hadley for the press conference, shared that “dozens of FBI personnel” are assisting with the search, including “specialists from Quantico, Atlanta, as well as all of our personnel here in the greater Savannah area.”

In his remarks during the press conference, Clarke also insisted that authorities were “not just randomly searching this landfill,” explaining that they “have specific evidence that leads us to this large property.”

Quintonwas reported missingfrom his Buckhalter Road home in Savannah at approximately 9 a.m. on Oct. 5. His parents said they realized the boy was missing at 6 a.m. that day. He was last seen wearing a light-blueSesame Streetshirt and black pants.

source: people.com