Megan Boswell, the mother of missing baby Evelyn, has given conflicting and inaccurate reports to investigators, police said.
The mother of missing baby Evelyn Boswell has been arrested on charges of providing false information to Tennessee law enforcement authorities, the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office announced.
"Every time we talk to her, her story changes. Every single time," said Sheriff Jeff Cassidy Wednesday at a press conference. Those false statements have "delayed and impeded" law enforcement's investigation, he said.
Megan "Maggie" Boswell was taken into custody Tuesday night after several hours of questioning at the sheriff's station. She is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, officials said.
Maggie's 15-month-old toddler, Evelyn was not reported missing for at least two months, officials said. An Amber Alert was issued last week for the blond-haired, blue-eyed child.
Her grandfather contacted child welfare authorities Feb. 18. They reported the child missing to Sullivan County Sheriff's deputies. An Amber Alert was issued Feb. 19.
The confusing case has taken several turns in the past week, with the mother giving conflicting and wrong information to investigators, authorities said. The sheriff's office initially said Evelyn was last seen Dec. 26. But the baby's grandfather said he hadn't seen the toddler since Thanksgiving.
The last verified sight of Evelyn was Dec. 1, Cassidy said Wednesday.
Cassidy revealed Wednesday that Megan originally told investigators that Evelyn was with her father, but that was not true, he said.
Ethan Perry, her biological father is on active duty with the U.S. Army in Louisiana and has never had custody of Evelyn, Cassidy said. The parents are not married and are not in a romantic relationship, authorities said.
Maggie faces one count of making false reports, sheriff's office spokesman Capt. Andy Seabolt said.
The 18-year-old mom told a local station Tuesday that she was pregnant and had tried to get a polygraph test to clear her name, but was told by authorities that expectant mothers cannot undergo such tests.
Late Tuesday, the sheriff's office said they do not use polygraphs in their investigations.
Maggie's mother, Angela Boswell, 42, was arrested Feb. 21 with her boyfriend, William McCloud, 33, in North Carolina on fugitive warrants, according the Wilkes County Sheriff's Office. The couple were in possession of a car that had been reported as 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.
Both were extradited to Tennessee for questioning. Angela has been questioned, but Cassidy declined to discuss her statements/
On Monday, Maggie told WJHL-TV that her daughter was at a campground in Mendota, Virginia.
A search of the area provided no clues, authorities said.
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