Tiny Tot in penguin onesie found dumped head-first in bin as mum’s lies exposed

WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Megan Boswell, 24, was sentenced to life in prison plus 33 years in September 2025 after being found guilty of first-degree murder of her 15-month-old daughter

When 15-month-old tot Evelyn Boswell disappeared in Tennessee, an Amber Alert was issued – a public emergency alert system designed to aid in locating missing children. The search for her was widespread.

Blonde-haired, blue-eyed Evelyn was reported missing on February 18, 2020. Flyers distributed described her as wearing a pink tracksuit, pink shoes and a pink bow.

Evelyn was the child of Megan Boswell, who had given birth to her at the age of 17 with Ethan Perry in 2018, before they parted ways. Boswell was then dating Hunter Wood and they had recently applied to move into a flat together.

Evelyn’s disappearance was not reported by her mother but by her grandad – Tommy Boswell Sr. The search was initiated when the concerned family member contacted the Department of Children’s Services. Initially, Boswell claimed she had last seen her daughter on December 26, 2019, two months earlier.

The mum told people that Evelyn was with her father, and they were embroiled in a “custody” dispute, but the police quickly established this was not the case. Ethan was serving in the military and stationed in a different state, reports the Mirror.

This marked the beginning of Boswell’s ever-changing narratives. In an interview with a local news outlet, Boswell stunned everyone by claiming she knew who had her daughter but hadn’t alerted the police because she didn’t want to “tipping” that person off. “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 explained.

“I’m just kinda worried, you know, about where they are at. What they’re doing with her at this point in time.”

Boswell informed the police that her mother, Angela Boswell, who has a criminal record, was in possession of Evelyn and was refusing to return her until Boswell settled a debt. Boswell directed the police to a campsite in Virginia where she claimed her mother was hiding out, but when officers arrived, there was no trace of them.

Boswell then altered her account, stating that her mother had actually handed Evelyn over to an unidentified individual, assuring that Evelyn was safe and would lead a better life with them.

By this point, a reward for information leading to Evelyn’s return had escalated to over $60,000. Investigators were sceptical of Boswell’s fluctuating narrative and questioned why she hadn’t reported her daughter missing sooner, as every hour is crucial when a child has been abducted.

The search sparked a petition for “Evelyn’s Law”, proposing it be made illegal for parents to wait longer than 72 hours to report a child missing.

Upon investigating the flat application Boswell had made with her new beau, Evelyn was not listed. She claimed that her boyfriend didn’t want Evelyn to live with them.

On February 25, Boswell was arrested and charged with false reporting, which had hindered the search for the toddler. While in custody, Boswell was asked to undergo a polygraph test, but she claimed pregnancy, which would prevent her from taking the test.

This too, turned out to be a falsehood.

On 6 March, police stormed the Boswell family residence in Blountville, Tennessee, three weeks after Evelyn was declared missing. This was where Boswell had been residing in a caravan with her daughter in December 2019.

Behind a shed in the garden was a brown playhouse. Inside was a white rubbish bin and upon inspection, officers discovered the body of Evelyn.

The toddler was found wrapped in a blanket, inside a rubbish bag with aluminium foil tightly wrapped around her face, and had been “shoved” head first into the bin. Evelyn was dressed in a purple onesie adorned with penguins.

Medical examiners concluded that she had likely died from suffocation. Boswell’s fingerprints were discovered on the bin and on the foil. She faced murder charges.

While awaiting trial, Evelyn’s Law took effect in July 2021. The toddler’s death had devastated communities, and the knowledge that her own mother was allegedly responsible made the case all the more heartbreaking.

DNA testing confirmed that Ethan Perry was not Evelyn’s biological father. During the 2025 trial, prosecutors told the court that Boswell had fabricated numerous accounts about her daughter’s whereabouts, despite knowing she was deceased.

Witnesses gave evidence that Boswell had neglected Evelyn prior to her disappearance. One testified that the little girl had been spotted with severe nappy rash, whilst another described the home where Boswell kept her daughter as filthy.

A further witness claimed they had overheard Boswell describing her daughter as “mean as f***”. Prosecutors argued that Boswell wished to progress her relationship with her new partner and that Evelyn didn’t feature in those plans.

They alleged that she had initially cared for Evelyn properly following her birth before becoming neglectful. The defence contended that Evelyn had succumbed to natural causes, such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or that Boswell had accidentally rolled onto her while bed-sharing.

The defence argued that Boswell had acted out of panic. “She’s not sophisticated. She’s had a hard life. She’s scared she’s going to get in trouble,” they stated.

They painted her as a caring mother who always ensured her daughter attended medical check-ups. However, testimonies revealed that she ceased taking Evelyn for these appointments from the age of nine months.

The prosecution argued that Evelyn was an obstacle to the new life Boswell desired and her subsequent lies demonstrated a lack of remorse. The jury convicted Boswell of first-degree murder, child abuse, neglect, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse, and multiple counts of filing false police reports.

In September 2025, 24 year old Boswell received her sentence. She made a statement, asserting, “I did not kill my baby Evelyn. The state of Tennessee treated me very unfairly. If I had had a fair trial, I would have been acquitted.”

The judge declared, “There is no doubt that this defendant had absolutely no hesitation when she killed her daughter,” adding that she posed a significant threat to society, even in her later years.

Boswell was handed a life sentence, plus an additional 33 years. She will be eligible for parole after serving 51 years.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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