Grand jury indicts Megan Boswell on felony murder, other charges in Evelyn Boswell’s death

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — A grand jury has indicted the mother of deceased Sullivan County toddler Evelyn Boswell on multiple charges, including murder.

Sullivan County District Attorney General Barry Staubus and other officials announced Wednesday evening that a grand jury has indicted Megan Boswell, Evelyn’s mother, on two counts of felony murder and 17 other counts.

The indictment includes:

— Two counts of felony murder
— One count of aggravated child abuse
— One count of aggravated child neglect
— One count of tampering with evidence
— One count of abuse of corpse
— One count of failure to report a death under suspicious, unusual, or unnatural circumstances
— 12 counts of false reports

Evelyn’s remains were found on a family member’s property near Blountville on March 6. Until now, no one had been charged with her death.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said it was determined that Boswell killed Evelyn and disposed of her daughter’s body.

Staubus said Boswell’s next court hearing is set for Aug. 28 in Sullivan County criminal court.

Her bond is currently set at $1 million.

Boswell’s attorney, Brad Sproles, said he has not recently spoken to his client, who has remained in the Sullivan County Jail on previous charges of giving false reports.

“I have not been able to speak with her recently, there have been some COVID issues at the jail,” Sproles said. “So, we’re somewhat limited in our ability to talk to folks up there. But I’ve spoken with some of the sheriff’s officers and in the next few days they’re going to try to make arrangements maybe where I can talk with her by video.”

Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy reassured people that his office has not forgotten about Evelyn.

“Baby Evelyn’s body was found on March 6,” Cassidy said. “Since that time, my detectives, TBI agents, and the DA’s office have worked tirelessly conducting interviews, combing through evidence, and establishing a timeline in order to determine the circumstances leading to baby Evelyn’s death.”

Cassidy continued: “As a result of false information given by the defendant along with misinformation circulated in the community, there has been a lot of confusion in the case. I want to be clear when I say that after an extensive and thorough investigation, other individuals were eliminated as suspects and Megan Boswell became the sole suspect in this case.”

The sheriff said investigators cannot reveal the details of the evidence they have gathered because the case still has to be prosecuted.

“We are determined to make sure that justice is served for baby Evelyn,” Cassidy said.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch thanked the Sullivan County Sheriff’s, district attorney’s office, and Federal Bureau of Investigation for their roles in the investigation.

“This case is yet another example of the excellent collaborative efforts of law enforcement in upper East Tennessee, and quite frankly throughout the state,” Rausch said.

Rausch encouraged anyone who suspects child abuse to immediately report it to local authorities or the Tennessee Child Abuse Hotline at 877-237-0004.

“Child abuse must stop,” Rausch said. “And we must do all we can in our power to make it stop.”