In February 2020, a grandfather in Sullivan County, Tennessee, made a call that set a chain of events in motion. He had not seen his 15-month-old granddaughter, Evelyn Boswell, in more than 2 months. The child had once been a constant presence—healthy, happy, always near her mother’s side. Now, no adult could clearly account for where she was.
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services initiated a report. It quickly became apparent that Evelyn’s whereabouts were unknown and that those responsible for her care could not provide a consistent explanation. The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office began investigating and called in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on February 18, 2020. By February 19, it was described as “all hands on deck.” An Amber Alert was issued, and the search expanded across eastern Tennessee, into western North Carolina, and beyond.
The small community responded immediately. Churches, civic groups, and residents offered food and assistance. Law enforcement pursued every lead. Aerial searches were conducted. Officers canvassed neighborhoods and interviewed family members. The urgency was clear: a toddler had not been seen for nearly 2 months.
Evelyn’s mother, Megan Boswell, made public pleas for her daughter’s return. She described Evelyn as a happy, bubbly toddler, learning to walk and explore. Megan, a young single mother who had spent time in foster care as a teenager, had experienced instability in her own upbringing, including exposure to substance abuse and domestic violence. She had given birth to Evelyn while in foster custody.
Investigators soon focused on Megan for answers.
In her initial account, Megan told law enforcement she had dropped Evelyn off with Ethan Perry around Christmas 2019. Perry was originally believed to be Evelyn’s father. Megan claimed she had taken the child to Perry’s grandparents’ driveway, sat for about 30 minutes, then left the baby in his care. She said Perry had since disappeared and was not staying in contact.
Detectives challenged her. They found it unusual that a mother of a 13-month-old child would leave her baby with someone who had not been actively involved in her life and then fail to report the child missing when contact ceased. Megan appeared detached during questioning. When asked where her baby was, she responded that she had “no clue.”
Investigators contacted the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division because Perry was an active-duty soldier stationed in Louisiana. Military authorities searched his barracks thoroughly. There was no sign that a child had ever been there. Fellow soldiers were questioned. No one had seen a baby.
When confronted with this information, Megan changed her story.
She next claimed Evelyn was with her own mother, Angela Boswell. Angela had a criminal history and documented substance abuse issues. Megan said Angela had come to her trailer while she was working and left with Evelyn without her permission.
Law enforcement tracked down Angela and her boyfriend, William “Will” McCloud, in North Carolina. They were interviewed for hours. Evelyn was not with them. No evidence suggested the child had been in their vehicle. Investigators concluded Angela did not know Evelyn’s whereabouts.
As days passed and interviews continued, inconsistencies multiplied. Detectives examined Megan’s personal life in the weeks before Evelyn disappeared. In early December 2019, Megan began dating Hunter Wood, who was connected to a new restaurant in Blountville called the Chicken Shack. Within weeks, Megan moved into Wood’s father’s residence.
Friends and family noted that after early December, no one saw Evelyn. Some questioned whether Hunter knew Megan had a child. Megan admitted he did not want babies around, though she said he had never directly discussed the subject.
Detectives confronted Megan again. They told her they believed she either knew where Evelyn was or knew she was dead.
Eventually, during questioning in late February, Megan made a new claim. She stated that around December 10, 2019, she and Hunter Wood had been sleeping in bed with Evelyn between them. She said they awoke to find the toddler not breathing. Megan suggested that either she or Hunter had rolled over on the child accidentally during the night. She said she held Evelyn’s body for hours before Hunter took the child away, telling her not to worry about it and that he would “put her somewhere close.”
Investigators asked where the body was. Megan said she did not want to know.
Searches intensified. Properties belonging to Megan and family members were examined. Cadaver dogs were deployed. Megan was arrested on February 25, 2020, for filing a false report, as authorities still had no body and no confirmed cause of death.
On March 6, 2020, Evelyn’s grandfather, Tommy Boswell—the same man who had first reported her missing—called law enforcement again. He suggested officers examine a storage shed and playhouse on his property, structures that had belonged to Megan when she was a child. He had noticed Megan’s car parked near the shed and thought investigators might want to look there.
Deputies arrived that afternoon.
Inside the shed were baby clothes, bottles, mail, and personal items connecting Megan and Evelyn. A trash can containing black trash bags stood inside. When officers moved the can, they noted it was unusually heavy. The smell of decomposition was immediate.
Inside the bags were the remains of a small child.
Evelyn Boswell’s body had been concealed inside a playhouse next to the shed, a structure built for Megan in her own childhood. The belongings of the toddler were stored nearby.
The remains were positively identified as those of 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell. The investigation shifted definitively from a missing child case to a homicide.
A grand jury returned a 19-count presentment against Megan Boswell. Charges included felony murder in connection with aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect.
At trial, which began nearly 5 years later, prosecutors described Evelyn as a healthy, growing child whose life had been violently taken in December 2019. They presented evidence that Megan’s fingerprint was found on aluminum foil tightly wrapped around the child’s face. The medical examiner testified the cause of death was homicidal violence.
Witnesses described the condition of Megan’s trailer in December 2019 as unsanitary, with dirty diapers molded to the floor and spoiled food throughout. A friend testified that in early December she observed Evelyn appearing unusually dirty and unkempt.
Tommy Boswell testified that after Christmas he repeatedly asked Megan about Evelyn and was given different stories each time. He eventually told Megan and Angela that he would contact authorities if he did not see his granddaughter.
Defense counsel argued that the state had not proven the exact cause of death beyond a reasonable doubt and suggested the possibility of accidental death.
After approximately 4 hours of deliberation, the jury found Megan Boswell guilty on all 19 counts, including 3 counts of felony murder.
Under Tennessee law, the jury determined the sentence for the felony murder convictions. They imposed life imprisonment, making Megan eligible for parole after 51 years on those counts. The court then imposed additional consecutive sentences totaling 33 years on the remaining counts, resulting in life plus 33 years without the possibility of parole.
At sentencing, family members testified about Megan’s difficult upbringing and asked the court to consider life with the possibility of parole. The judge concluded society needed protection and denied probation on the additional counts.
Megan Boswell, 24 at the time of sentencing, addressed the court, stating she had been treated unfairly and denying that she killed her child.
The case left lasting impact on the community. Law enforcement officers described the emotional toll of investigating a child’s death. Family members spoke of Evelyn as a joyful toddler surrounded by people who would have helped had they known she was in danger.
Evelyn Boswell’s life ended in December 2019. Her remains were discovered in March 2020 inside a trash can concealed in a shed beside her childhood playhouse.
The trial concluded, but for those involved—the family, investigators, and community—the memory of the case remained.
