Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch speaks, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, in Blountville, Tenn., during the announcement of a 19-count indictment of Megan Boswell in the death of her daughter, 15-month old Evelyn. Boswell is charged with felony murder, child abuse, child neglect, abuse of a corpse, and failure to report a death among other charges. (David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP)
August 19, 2020 - 4:28 PM
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. - 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.
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, said he had not had a chance to see evidence used in the case and had no comment on the charges.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020