Evelyn Mae Boswell death: Teen mom charged with murdering 15-month-old girl who was falsely reported missing
SULLIVAN COUNTY, TENNESSEE: Megan "Maggie" Boswell has been indicted and charged with murder in connection with the death of her 15-month-old daughter, Evelyn Mae Boswell. The child's remains had been found earlier this year after she was reported missing. The Sullivan County District Attorney General, Barry Staubus, as well as other officials announced in a press conference that a Tennessee grand jury had indicted Megan on 19 charges which include two counts of felony murder.
In addition to the two counts of false reporting, Boswell will also be facing charges of one count of aggravated child abuse, one count of aggravated child neglect, one count of tampering with evidence, one count of abuse of a corpse and one count of failure to report a death under suspicious, unusual, or unnatural circumstances, PEOPLE reports. The toddler's remains were found in March on a property that belonged to a Boswell family member. Evelyn had last been seen in December and was officially reported missing in February, many weeks after she had vanished.
When questioned, her 18-year-old mother, Megan, reportedly gave many conflicting statements, including falsely claiming that her mother, Angela, had taken the toddler and that she was pregnant with her second child. She first told police that her daughter was with her father, Ethan Perry, and even detailed a plan to pick her up from him at the parking lot of a grocery store. When asked about the same, Ethan, who was on active duty and stationed in Louisana at the time, said he did not have the young girl. Megan then pointed the finger at her mother and urged the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to search a campground in Mendota, Virginia, where she alleged Angela was keeping the 15-month-old tot in a silver camper.
Megan was arrested on February 25 and had been charged with false reporting after the police said she had misleading statements. Jeff Cassidy from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said, "After an extensive and thorough investigation, other individuals were eliminated as suspects and Megan Boswell became the sole suspect in this case." Cassidy did not give away many details of the case in order to preserve the integrity of the case. "We're determined to make sure that justice is served for baby Evelyn," he said.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said, "As we struggle to understand why or even how someone would even harm an innocent child, we will never know because thank God most of us are not wired that way, but we can certainly try our best to make sure those responsible for these incomprehensible acts are held accountable. Today's indictment is the first step in ensuring that happens." "Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends who loved baby Evelyn. She didn't deserve this. No child does," Rausch continued. An Amber Alert had been issued on February 19, two months after the toddler was last seen. Megan is currently being held at the Sullivan County Jail on a $1 million bond, authorities have revealed. Her next hearing is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 28.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.