Teen mother charged with felony murder in death of toddler

Posted at 7:25 PM, August 19, 2020 and last updated 10:32 PM, August 7, 2023

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee teenager was indicted Wednesday on felony murder and other charges in the death of her 15-month-old daughter, whose disappearance prompted a search across three states, officials said.

Megan Boswell, 19, of Blountville, was already being held in the Sullivan County jail on charges she had lied about her daughter’s whereabouts.

This February 2020 booking photo from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows Megan Boswell. The teen mother of a 15-month-old Tennessee girl, who is the subject of an Amber Alert, is being held on a false report charge, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office. (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation via AP)

The remains of Boswell’s daughter, 15-month-old Evelyn Mae Boswell, were found five months ago inside a shed owned by her grandfather.

A family member reported the child missing on Feb. 18 though the child had not been seen since December, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Boswell initially told state investigators that her daughter was with the child’s father, who is stationed with the Army in Louisiana, but he did not have Evelyn, media reported. Boswell later said her mother took her daughter to a campground in Virginia, but authorities found no sign of the girl there.

A Sullivan County grand jury charged Boswell with two counts of felony murder; one count each of aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and failure to report a death under suspicious, unusual or unnatural circumstances; and 12 counts of false reports.

Her attorney, Brad Sproles, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.