Crime & Justice

Tennessee Authorities Have Identified a ‘Person of Interest’ in Case of Baby Evelyn Boswell

‘NEVER FORGET’

The 15-month-old’s mom was arrested after her baby disappeared for allegedly making “inaccurate statements” during the investigation—but no one has been charged in Evelyn’s death.

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Tennessee Bureau of Investigation via AP

Three months after 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell was first reported missing, Tennessee investigators say they’ve identified a “person of interest” in her widely-watched case.

The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday they have identified a person of interest in Evelyn’s case but refused to name the suspected individual due to the ongoing investigation. To date, no one has been charged with Evelyn’s death.

The infant was reported missing on Feb. 18 but “was last seen by certain family members near the end of November 2019 and the first of December 2019,” authorities said.

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After an extensive, multi-agency search, the toddler’s remains were found in March on a property belonging to a “family member of Evelyn’s mother,” according to Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy. An autopsy report is still pending. 

“We will never ever forget Evelyn Boswell,” Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office Captain Joey Strickler told News Channel 11 on Wednesday, stating that several officers are still working diligently on the case. 

Amid the investigation, Boswell’s mother, 18-year-old Megan Boswell, was charged on Feb. 25 with making false reports for allegedly giving authorities “conflicting, inaccurate statements” that “impeded” the investigation. 

“Every time we’ve talked to her, her story changed. Every single time,” Cassidy said after the arrest, calling Boswell’s actions “frustrating.”

Authorities say Evelyn was first reported missing by her grandfather on Feb. 18 after he hadn’t seen the baby in several months. According to court documents obtained by WCYB, Boswell initially told authorities that Evelyn’s father, Ethan Perry, had the baby and she was supposed to meet him at a store in Colonial Heights. But Perry, an active-duty military officer stationed in Louisiana, did not have the child.

Boswell then allegedly claimed the girl’s grandmother had taken Evelyn camping “in a silver camper,” and promised, “I’m going to go find her myself.” The 18-year-old also told authorities that she was newly pregnant and could not take a polygraph test—which investigators later determined was false. 

Megan Boswell’s mother, Angela Boswell, and her boyfriend, 33-year-old William McCloud, were separately arrested in February in North Carolina after investigators found them riding in a stolen gray BMW. They have since been released on bond. 

Despite the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has presented amid the investigation, Strickler said the sheriff’s office is glad to be working through the evidence slowly to ensure they do not make a mistake. 

Boswell, who has not spoken to authorities about her daughter’s case since her arrest, is currently in the Sullivan County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning.

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