/Fake fundraisers trying to make money off Tennessee toddler believed dead, father warns

Fake fundraisers trying to make money off Tennessee toddler believed dead, father warns

The family of a 15-month-old Tennessee girl, believed to be dead after investigators found remains on a property in Blountville, is warning of unauthorized fundraisers.

Ethan Perry, the father of Evelyn Mae Boswell, and his family released a statement via a spokesperson saying they are aware of “various unauthorized fundraising efforts on Evelyn’s and our family’s behalf,” but they are fake.

“Our focus has always been Evelyn and now on the investigation and bringing all of those responsible to justice,” spokesperson Stephen Pappas said in a statement to NBC News.

“We have complete faith and confidence in law enforcement to do just that. We ask you all again to please respect our privacy,” it read.

Perry, who authorities have said is in the military and stationed in Louisiana, thanked the public “for their outpouring of love for Evelyn.”

Evelyn Mae Boswell.TBI

The toddler was reported missing in February, but hasn’t been seen since December. Remains believed to belong to the girl were found last week after authorities searched a property belonging to a family member of Evelyn’s mother, Megan Boswell, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

An autopsy is pending, but TBI Special Agent Brian Fraley said at a court hearing on Monday that the body found had on the “exact clothing” the girl’s mother said Evelyn was wearing when she went missing.

He also said other clothing, toys and diapers that would have belonged to the toddler was also found on the property.

Boswell, 18, and her mother, Angela Boswell, were both arrested.

Megan Boswell was taken into custody by the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office in February and charged with making false reports after investigators determined that she provided information that was not true.

Megan Boswell.Tennessee Bureau of Investigation / via AP

“Every time we talk to her, her story changes,” Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy said last month. “I’m serious when I say that. Every single time.”

Court documents obtained by NBC affiliate WCYB of Bristol, Virginia, show that Megan Boswell initially told authorities that Perry had the baby and she was supposed to meet him at a store in Colonial Heights. Perry did not have the chid, according to the outlet.

Angela Boswell and her boyfriend were taken into custody in February in Wilkes County, North Carolina, after investigators searching for Evelyn put out an alert for information on a gray BMW that had been reported stolen, WCYB reported. The couple was found riding in that BMW.

Neither has been charged in connection with Evelyn’s case, but they were charged because of the stolen vehicle, according to the outlet. Angela Boswell and her boyfriend have since been released on bond.

Original Source