Megan Boswell appeared in court Monday for the first time since investigators found what they believe is the body of her missing baby, Evelyn, on property belonging to the toddler's grandfather in Tennessee.
Recommended Videos
The unexpected appearance was at the request of prosecutors, who asked Sullivan County Judge James Goodwin to increase the mother's bail, saying she was a flight risk. The judge agreed, upping her bond to $150,000. It initially was set at $25,000 when she was arrested Feb. 26 and charged with making false statements to law enforcement.
As of Monday, she faced no additional charges.
New details emerged Monday about the grim discovery late Friday of a child's remains in the residence of Megan's father, brother and grandmother.
The body of a toddler believed to be between 12 months and 16 months old was clothed in an outfit fitting the description of what Megan said Evelyn was wearing when she was last seen — a pink track suit and pink shoes, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Brian Fraley testified.
Found with the small body were other items of children's clothing, he said, as well as diapers and toys. Authorities searched the home Friday night after receiving new information in the case, they said. The remains are currently being autopsied for formal identification and to determine a cause of death.
"This is certainly not the update we had hoped to provide this evening," TBI spokeswoman Leslie Earhart said Friday.
The disappearance of 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell is a case rife with uncertainty. The toddler vanished at least two months ago, authorities said, but no one reported her missing until Feb. 18, when her grandfather, Tommy Boswell Sr., called child welfare authorities. An Amber Alert was issued the next day.
The property where the remains were found belongs to Boswell Sr., authorities said.
Megan was arrested after investigators said she changed her story several times about who had custody of her child. She initially told law enforcement agents the baby was with her biological father, Ethan Perry, an active duty Army soldier stationed in Louisiana, court documents said. That proved to be untrue, according to Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy.
Megan's mother, 42-year-old Angela Boswell, was arrested Feb. 21 with her boyfriend, William McCloud, 33, in North Carolina on fugitive warrants, according to the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office. The couple was in possession of a car that had been reported stolen. McCloud told a judge that Megan had given them the car and that he did not know there was any problem with the vehicle.
Angela Boswell and McCloud were returned to Tennessee. They have posted bail and have been released, with orders to return to court March 24 on theft charges. Neither they, nor Megan, have entered pleas.
Residents have streamed to the property since news broke about a body being found. Bearing balloons, candles and stuffed animals, mourners arrived in droves to pay their respects to a baby they'd never met.
Memorial for baby Evelyn Boswell. Amber Smith
The memorial site grew so large and drew so many cars, sheriff's deputies came to move the site across the street to a nearby church.
RELATED STORIES
Remains Believed to Be Missing Baby Evelyn Boswell Found on Family Property: Authorities
Everything to Know About the Evelyn Boswell Case
A Town Unites to Speak For Vanished Toddler Evelyn Boswell