UPDATE: Mom Of Toddler Who Vanished Months Ago Defends Decision To Not Report Her Missing
A babysitter last saw Evelyn Boswell in mid-December, policy say.
UPDATE 3/9/20:
Via WBALTV comes the very sad news that authories have found what they believe to be the remains of Evelyn Boswell. On Friday it was announced that the remains were found on a property belonging to a "family member of Evelyn's mother."
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, a TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) agent revealed during a bond hearing today for Evelyn's mother that the body of the one-year-old girl had the "exact clothing" as Evelyn was described as wearing when she was first reported missing.
Megan Boswell [WCYB-TV]
Read more: WBALTV, Knoxville News Sentinel
ORIGINAL POST 2/24/20:
The Tennessee mom of a 15-month-old baby who was last seen in December but only recently reported missing claimed she was too afraid to tell authorities who had the little girl.
Megan Boswell told WCYB-TV she left her daughter, Evelyn Boswell, in someone’s care while she went to work. The mom declined to state the person’s name.
"Well, the reason I didn't report it or anything was I knew the person who had her, and I didn't want them to run away with her," she told the news station on Feb. 21. "And as soon as they thought anything was going on, they just kinda vanished. So, I'm just kinda worried, you know, about where they are at. What they're doing with her at this point in time."
She added: "In a way, I knew that as soon as anything went down, this person was going to disappear, and they have. And they have tried to find them... They won't answer phone calls. They just kinda disappeared.”
A babysitter last saw the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl around Dec. 10 or 11, Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy said at a news conference, according to WJHL-TV.
Evelyn’s grandfather, who reported the toddler missing on Feb. 18, just wants answers concerning her whereabouts.
“I don’t know what happened, but I’m the one who called DCS and got this started,” Tommy Boswell Sr. told WJHL-TV. “I ain’t slept nights, I’ve cried like a baby. I just want my grandbaby to come home.”
The child’s father, Ethan Perry, an active-duty soldier with the United States Army who is currently stationed in Louisiana, is also involved in the investigation.
“I’m currently working with authorities trying to find Evelyn,” he recently posted on Facebook.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation claimed officials looking into the girl’s disappearance have received “a number of conflicting statements.”
“That, combined with the fact that Evelyn was not immediately reported missing, makes this a complicated case," the agency added, according to WCYB-TV.
The case took another turn when Evelyn’s grandmother, Angela Boswell, 42, and 33-year-old William McCloud were arrested driving a 2007 BMW in North Carolina last week.
“Agents and detectives questioned the couple as part of the ongoing investigation. They are currently being held on charges unrelated to the disappearance of Evelyn Boswell,” the TBI said in a news release.
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office said Megan Boswell was in the process of buying the car for her mom, but a purchase agreement for the vehicle was never completed and the vehicle was reported stolen.
According to the sheriff’s department, Angela Boswell was being held on a violation of probation warrant for theft. In addition, she and McCloud were each charged with possession of stolen property.
At a hearing in North Carolina on Monday, the grandmother waived extradition, Knox News reported.
"I'd like to get back there and get this situation with my granddaughter resolved," she told Wilkes County District Court Judge David Byrd.
Evelyn Boswell was last seen wearing a pink tracksuit, shoes and bow. If you have any information concerning the baby’s disappearance, contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
Read more: CrimeFeed