The Mysterious Case of Toddler Evelyn Mae Boswell & Her Accused Mom: Everything to Know
According to her friends, teen mom Megan “Maggie” Boswell loved spending time with her young daughter, Evelyn Mae Boswell.
“Maggie is a doting mom,” her friend, Anne Freeman, tells PEOPLE recently. “Evelyn adores her.”
But in a shocking turn of events, the 18-year-old mom from Blountville, Tennessee, is behind bars in Sullivan County, where she faces charges in connection with the disappearance of her happy-go-lucky 15-month-old.
Though the child was last seen in December, she wasn’t reported missing until more than seven weeks later.
“This case is unlike anything I’ve been involved in,” Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy told reporters on Feb. 21.
While Boswell awaits her next court date in May, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced on Friday that they believe they’ve located the remains of the blonde, blue-eyed girl on the Blountville property of Boswell’s family member.
Calling the discovery a “heartbreaking update” in their ongoing investigation, authorities said an autopsy is still pending.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Evelyn Mae Boswell
Here are four things to know about the troubling case:
1. Evelyn’s Great-Grandfather Reported the Child Missing
On Feb. 18, Boswell’s maternal grandfather and Evelyn’s great-grandfather, David Jones, 68, contacted authorities to report that the toddler was missing and hadn’t been seen since the holidays, say police.
An Amber Alert was issued for her.
A reward for information leading to Evelyn’s return has now reached more than $60,000.
RELATED: Mom of Missing Toddler Evelyn Mae Boswell Is Arrested for Allegedly Filing False Police Report
2. Boswell Was Arrested on Feb. 25 and Charged with Lying to Police
During the course of the investigation, Boswell “provided detectives and agents with a number of conflicting statements,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
In addition, some of the information she provided was false, the sheriff’s office says.
She remains held on a $25,000 bond, which her lawyer unsuccessfully tried to have a judge reduce to $10,000 Monday.
“Megan keeps changing her story,” Jones has said. “Megan knows the truth.”
RELATED: Mom of Tenn. Girl Missing Since December Gave ‘Conflicting and Inaccurate’ Information: Sheriff
3. Boswell Accused her Mother of Kidnapping Evelyn
In an interview with local TV station WJHL in February, Boswell said she believes her own mother, Angela Boswell, 42, kidnapped Evelyn and took her to Virginia.
“I told [the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation] where to find her,” she told the station. “My mom took her to a campground in a silver camper.”
“My mom did threaten me … if I told anybody,” she claimed.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Evelyn Mae Boswell
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On Feb. 21, police arrested Boswell’s mother and her boyfriend, William McCloud, 33, after they were found driving a stolen gray 2007 BMW authorities say is connected to the case.
Evelyn was not with them. They weren’t charged in connection with the child’s disappearance.
4. Boswell Was Raising Her Daughter by Herself
The product of divorced parents with a tumultuous relationship, Boswell began dating Evelyn’s father, Ethan Perry, when she was 16. When she became pregnant with Evelyn, the couple broke up.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Evelyn Mae Boswell
Perry, who has declined interview requests, joined the military, leaving Boswell to raise Evelyn.
