After 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell went missing in Tennessee, an Amber Alert was issued to aid in her location. The public emergency notification system aimed to assist in finding missing children, sparking a widespread search effort.
Evelyn, a blonde, blue-eyed toddler, was reported missing on February 18, 2020. Descriptions on flyers distributed indicated she was last seen wearing a pink tracksuit, pink shoes, and a pink bow. Born to Megan Boswell when she was 17, Evelyn was fathered by Ethan Perry in 2018 before their separation. Boswell, now dating Hunter Wood, had recently applied to share an apartment with him.
Initially, it was not Boswell who reported Evelyn missing to the police but her father, Tommy Boswell Sr, who first raised the alarm by contacting the Department of Children’s Services. Boswell claimed she had last seen her daughter on December 26, 2019, two months before the report.
In various accounts, Boswell initially mentioned Evelyn being with her father in a custody dispute, but authorities quickly debunked this as Ethan was serving in the military in another state. Boswell’s narrative continuously evolved, with her later revealing to a news outlet that she knew Evelyn’s whereabouts but refrained from contacting the police to avoid tipping off the person holding her.
As investigations unfolded, suspicions grew over Boswell’s inconsistent statements and delayed reporting of her daughter’s disappearance, emphasizing the critical time sensitivity in missing child cases. The unfolding events spurred a petition for “Evelyn’s Law,” proposing legislation to mandate prompt reporting of missing children within 72 hours.
Subsequent inquiries into an apartment application Boswell submitted with her new partner revealed that Evelyn was not included in the plans. Speculations arose whether Boswell’s silence about her mother allegedly giving Evelyn to another family was to pave the way for a fresh start with her boyfriend.
On February 25, Boswell was arrested and charged with false reporting, which impeded the search for Evelyn. Despite being directed to undergo a polygraph test, she claimed pregnancy as an excuse, which was later proven false.
On March 6, a police raid at the Boswell family residence in Blountville, Tennessee unearthed a grim discovery three weeks post-Evelyn’s disappearance. Inside a playhouse behind the home, authorities found Evelyn’s lifeless body wrapped in a blanket inside a trash can, with aluminum foil tightly secured around her face, suggesting suffocation as the cause of death.
Traces of Boswell’s fingerprints on the trash can and foil led to her subsequent arrest and murder charges. As the case proceeded, Evelyn’s Law was enacted in July 2021, underscoring the tragic ordeal where a mother’s alleged actions led to her child’s demise.
Further revelations during the trial exposed Boswell’s fabrications about Evelyn’s whereabouts and painted a picture of neglect leading up to the tragic incident. The prosecution argued that Boswell’s actions stemmed from a desire to pursue a new life with her boyfriend, disregarding Evelyn in the process.
Ultimately, the jury found Boswell guilty of first-degree murder, along with multiple charges including child abuse, neglect, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and making false police reports. In September 2025, Boswell received a life sentence with an additional 33 years, becoming eligible for parole after 51 years.
The judge deemed Boswell a dangerous offender necessitating societal protection even in old age, citing her lack of remorse and the tragic fate that befell Evelyn due to her actions.
