Police believe 20-month-old Quinton Simon who went missing in Georgia last week is dead.
His mother is the main suspect in his death.
The Chatham County Police Department noted on Twitter late Wednesday that they notified the family of the minor's possible death.
"We have named his mother, Leilani Simon, as the prime suspect in his disappearance and death," she wrote.
Police have made no arrests or filed charges.
It was not immediately known Thursday if Leilani Simon had an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
The police chief was scheduled to discuss the case during a news conference later Thursday.
Quinton Simon. Chatham County Police Department.
Simon called police on Oct. 5 to report that his 20-month-old son had been in his playpen before discovering he was missing.
Police searched the family's suburban Savannah neighborhood for the boy, who was last seen wearing a Sesame Street T-shirt and black pants.
The following week, police obtained a warrant and searched the family's home with the help of the FBI.
Investigators drained a backyard swimming pool and used dogs to search nearby woods.
Police reports and court documents show that in recent weeks the boy's mother and his grandmother, Billie Jo Howell, who had legal custody of him and an older brother, fought.
Quinton, his mother and his mother's boyfriend lived with Howell.
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Simon called police on Sept. 7 after an argument with her mother over laundry, in which she said Howell had pushed her against the wall, according to a police report.
No charges were filed, and an agent found no injuries other than Simon's reddened elbow.
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The next day, Quinton's grandmother filed papers in Chatham County Magistrates Court to have Simon and her boyfriend evicted from their home, WTOC-TV reported.
“I just want them to move as quickly as possible.
... They have damaged my property and right now no one lives in peace,” the September 8 court document said.
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A few weeks later, on September 28, a Superior Court judge ordered Leilani Simon to pay $150 a month in child support.
Quinton's mother reported her missing a week later.
The police chief previously said officers had contacted the boy's biological father and did not believe he was involved.
Police never issued an Amber Alert for Quinton because they had no proof the boy had been abducted, he said.