BABY EVELYN
Tot’s body discovered
Though just 18, Megan Boswell seemed to embrace being a mum. She would carefully pack bottles and nappies for her 15-month-old daughter, Evelyn, and take the toddler to play in the park near their home in rural Tennessee. Friend Anne Freeman described her as a “doting mum” and said that Evelyn’s eyes would “light up when Megan entered the room. “It was so adorable,” she told WHO.
It’s because of that seemingly tight bond that the community was so shocked in February to discover baby Evelyn hadn’t been seen by anyone since December. A reward of $90,000 for information on the blue-eyed girl’s whereabouts was launched, and Megan was charged with making a false statement about her daughter’s disappearance. County sheriff Jeff Cassidy said she changed her story every time she was questioned.
“There’s not really much that we can answer due to the irrelevant information from Megan,” he said at a press conference. “Every time we talk to her, her story changes. And I’m serious about that. Every single time.” He also expressed disbelief that the family had waited two months before reporting her missing.
Then, after a 17-day search, police made a grim discovery. Evelyn’s remains were found surrounded by toys in an outhouse on a property owned by her grandfather, Tommy Boswell Sr – Megan’s dad. Megan and Evelyn had been living there with Megan’s mother Angela (Tommy’s ex-wife) before the disappearance. Both Tommy and Angela have a long list of criminal charges going back two decades. Angela, who has been arrested 20 times and is currently dating William McCloud (see top right), once allegedly stabbed her husband in
the neck with a pen. Tommy had been charged with attempted murder for running over one of his estranged wife’s lovers with his truck.
The day Evelyn was found, Tommy issued a statement that included a notable reference to his ex-wife. “The immediate family (excluding Angela Jones Boswell) of Evelyn are in anguish and grief over their loss. It has been a very rough and trying time for everyone.”
More than two weeks later, no charges have been laid.
By all accounts, Megan had a hard upbringing. Her parents had a rocky relationship that resulted in several domestic violence investigations over the years. They divorced in 2014, when Megan was 13. At 16, she began dating Ethan Perry, but they broke up when Megan fell pregnant with Evelyn and Perry joined the military. “She went through hell,” a relative says. “But it seemed like the baby was helping her to grow up and find herself.”
That seemed to change by late autumn. Angela’s father, David Jones, says his granddaughter Megan is the key to finding out what happened. “When they get to the bottom of it, Megan Boswell is the source,” he said. “Megan keeps changing her story. Megan knows the truth.”
In the days before Evelyn’s body was found, Megan gave puzzling and contradictory interviews to local media. She told WJHL-TV that Angela took Evelyn to a campground in Virginia, saying, “My mum did threaten me if I told anybody.” The following day, while talking to WCYB-TV she claimed she was about to take a polygraph exam, but was turned away when investigators found out that she was pregnant again. The sheriff later disputed this and said there was no mention of her being pregnant. In another interview, she claimed that authorities “have a pretty good idea of who has Evelyn,” but Sheriff Cassidy had again disputed her assertions, telling reporters that authorities still didn’t know what happened to the tot.
Meanwhile, Evelyn’s father Perry issued a statement thanking the public for their support, but warning them not to donate money to false organisations in the toddler’s name. “It has come to our attention there are various unauthorised fundraising efforts on Evelyn’s and our family’s behalf,” he said. “Also, there are those on social media claiming to speak for our family. These claims are false. When and if the appropriate time comes for statements, fundraisers etc., it will come from our family and confirmed by trusted media and/or the authorities. Thank you again.”
Megan, meanwhile, remains in custody. •
“It seemed like the baby was helping her to grow up” – A RELATIVE