Mom of missing baby last seen in December arrested for filing false police report

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. — The mother of a 15-month-old Tennessee girl who is the subject of an Amber Alert has been arrested for filing a false police report.

Megan Boswell, who has said the toddler’s grandmother took the little girl to Mendota, Virginia, was charged with one count of filing a false police report, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office. She is being held on $1,000 bail.

She is accused of providing detectives and TBI agents with a number of conflicting statements during the investigation.

Last week, she said she knew who had her daughter, Evelyn Boswell, and she was afraid to report her disappearance. Evelyn was last seen in December but authorities issued an Amber Alert for her Wednesday.

The TBI said they’ve received more than 500 tips in the search for the little girl, but even with that high call volume, there are still no credible sightings of the toddler.

Megan Boswell said she left her daughter with someone she trusted to keep an eye on her while she was at work.

The TBI said 15-month-old Evelyn Mae Boswell from Sullivan County was last seen Dec. 26, 2019 but was not reported missing until Feb. 18.

“Well the reason I didn’t report it or anything was I knew the person who had her, and I didn’t want them to run away with her,” Boswell told WCYB on Friday. “And as soon as they thought anything was going on they just kinda vanished. So I’m just kinda worried, you know, about where they are at. What they’re doing with her at this point in time.”

She declined to provide any names.

“In a way I knew that as soon as anything went down this person was going to disappear and they have,” she told the affiliate. “They won’t answer phone calls. They just kinda disappeared.”

Investigators arrested a man and a woman Friday and held them on charges unrelated to her disappearance, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Angela Boswell, 42, -- the baby’s grandmother -- and William McCloud, 33, were found traveling in a gray 2007 BMW and arrested in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Tennessee authorities had said they were looking for the vehicle and believed its occupants would have information about the toddler’s whereabouts.

Since the search for Evelyn began, the TBI has received conflicting stories about her whereabouts, leading the agency to describe the case as “complicated” especially since the child was not immediately reported missing.

The connection to the car

Megan Boswell was in the process of buying the BMW in question for her mother, Angela Boswell, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

A purchase agreement was never completed, and no money was exchanged for the vehicle.

The owner of the BMW was unable to contact Megan or Angela Boswell, and the car was reported stolen, the sheriff's office said.

Angela Boswell and McCloud are both Tennessee residents. They are being held in the Wilkes County Jail, each charged with theft over $2,500, according to the sheriff's office. Angela Boswell is also being held on a violation of probation warrant for theft.

It's unclear whether they have attorneys.

Both are awaiting extradition hearings before being transported to Sullivan County in Tennessee. They’re scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Conflicting statements complicating the investigation

Investigators said Evelyn’s mother is cooperating but has given conflicting statements.

"During the investigation, authorities have received a number of conflicting statements. That, combined with the fact that Evelyn was not immediately reported missing, makes this a complicated case," the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

The investigation began after a referral from the Tennessee Department of Children Services, Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy said. The referral came after the baby's grandfather reported her missing.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation initially said the child hadn't been seen since December 26. But Cassidy said he believed Evelyn hadn't been seen since December 10 or 11, when a babysitter last reported seeing the child.

Evelyn's mother lives in Sullivan County and has sole custody, while her father is an active-duty military serviceman stationed in Louisiana, officials said.

The reward for her safe return is at $56,000.

Evelyn has blonde hair and blue eyes. She’s 2 feet tall and weighs about 28 pounds.

“Right now we’re not sure of her exact location. It could be anywhere from what we know," Sullivan County Captain Andy Seabolt told local media. "We’re conducting the investigation, and obviously we’ve been talking to as many people as we’ve come in contact with that knew about the child. We have several others we will be speaking with as well, and we’ve also been receiving some leads we’ve been following up on.”

Sullivan County law enforcement believes that Evelyn is in imminent danger.

Call the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office at 423-279-7330 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND (824-3463) if you have any information about the case or know Evelyn’s whereabouts.

*CNN contributed to this article

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