Disclaimer: Some evidence that may be shown during the trial could be graphic in nature.
The Megan Boswell Trial
2020 police interviews with Megan Boswell played for jury
by:
Murry Lee
Posted: Feb 8, 2025 / 10:29 AM EST
Updated: Feb 8, 2025 / 04:21 PM EST
LIVE-- TRIAL DAY FOUR (2 of 2 recap) PM-- post lunch recess
Witness: Joey Strickler Pt. 2
Tim Horne, one of Boswell’s attorneys, asked Strickler to clarify his involvement in the case and also to confirm that both interviews he had with her were on Feb. 20. Strickler said Boswell did not leave the sheriff’s office between the interviews but could not recall the exact times of the interviews.
Horne asked Strickler if Boswell’s request for Wood not to come get her struck him as odd, and he said no, not at that point.
Strickler was released, and the state called its next witness.
Witness: Jeff Blanton
Jeff Blanton took the stand next. Blanton is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent who served the bureau for decades and formed a task force in 2012 that was later utilized in the search for Evelyn Boswell in February 2020.
Blanton interviewed Boswell with another FBI investigator on Feb. 19, 2020 at the SCSO. However, Blanton’s interview was not recorded due to FBI policy. The FBI does not allow agents to record interviews outside of the agency’s own property.
Blanton testified that Boswell told him she had last seen Evelyn on Dec. 25, 2019 at Perry’s grandparent’s home. Blanton claimed she told him she had dropped Evelyn off with Perry on Dec. 24, 2019 alone.
According to Blanton, Boswell told him she went on a trip with Wood and her family to Pigeon Forge after dropping Evelyn off. She told Blanton that she took presents to Evelyn to Perry’s grandparent’s home but did not go in to the house. She also said Wood remained in the car at the bottom of the driveway that day out of concern that he and Wood should not interact.
Boswell told Blanton that she saw Evelyn on Dec. 25, 2019 but did not go inside. Blanton said Boswell did not indicate that she had left Evelyn with Perry before. She told Blanton that she left Evelyn with Perry so he could spend time with his supposed daughter over the holidays while he was on break from the Army.
Blanton testified that Boswell then told him Perry was attempting to get custody of Evelyn but could provide no proof of a custody battle. She also allegedly told him that Perry’s name was not on Evelyn’s birth certificate.
According to Blanton, Boswell said in that interview that she had not contacted anyone about Evelyn being gone because of Perry’s custody threats. She also told him that she felt alright leaving Evelyn with Perry for the first time because she needed a break as a mother and that Evelyn was “becoming too much to handle,” Blanton testified.
When Blanton read the notes of the interview back to Boswell on that day, he said Boswell had no corrections.
He described her demeanor during the interview as matter-of-fact but noted she did tear up when he explained that she could be charged with a felony for lying to a federal officer.
Scott cross-examined Blanton and asked for the time of day that the interview occurred. Blanton said it took place in the afternoon. Blanton told Scott that he had not seen any previous law enforcement interviews with Boswell before his own.
Blanton was relieved of his subpoena and released as a witness.
Witness: David Gratz
David Gratz, an attorney and former Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) special agent, was called as the next witness. Gratz was a TBI agent at the time Evelyn was reported missing.
Massengill had Gratz give his education history, which included graduating from law school and working in a district attorney’s office, to the jury.
Gratz recalled the SCSO and Second Judicial District Attorney General’s Office requesting the TBI’s assistance in investigating Evelyn’s disappearance. Massengill produced the official document from the district attorney’s office requesting the TBI’s help.
The TBI was tasked with collecting information and determining the circumstances of Evelyn’s disappearance. Gratz told Massengill that at the time the request was received, he and other agents did not have much background knowledge of the case.
Massengill then provided Gratz with the AMBER Alert poster for Evelyn, and it was entered into evidence. The poster, which included two pictures of Evelyn and a photo of a gray BMW, was shown to the jury. The AMBER Alert was issued and the poster was published on Feb. 19, 2020.
Gratz said the information on the poster about Evelyn’s clothes and the BMW came from Boswell.
Gratz was assigned to be the TBI case agent in the investigation into Evelyn’s disappearance. His role required him to work with the SCSO and the FBI and familiarize himself with the details of the case.
He visited Boswell’s former trailer on Sugar Hollow Rd. on Feb. 19 with SCSO investigator Tracy Haraz. They went to meet with Austin Feller, who testified earlier in the trial about the state of Boswell’s trailer after she moved out. Feller previously described the trailer as filthy and reviewed photos he had taken, which showed trash throughout the trailer. New tenants were living in the the trailer when Gratz and Haraz visited it.
Gratz told Massengill that Boswell had left property behind at the trailer, and he and Haraz were given consent to search the property. They did not locate Evelyn, but Gratz said a stroller that had been left behind in a shed near the trailer was found and located.
Pictures of the stroller were provided to Gratz. He told the jury that the stroller belonged to Boswell, but they did not find any other items related to the case. The photos were shown to the jury depicting a pink and black stroller.
Prosecutors presented the actual stroller in the courtroom, and Gratz positively identified it as the same that was found on Feb. 19 near the trailer.
Gratz said law enforcement was working long hours early in the investigation. He interviewed Boswell shortly before midnight on Feb. 19, and it lasted until about 3 a.m. on Feb. 20. Boswell was mirandized and spoke with Gratz at the sheriff’s office.
She told Gratz she last saw Evelyn on Dec. 26 when she was with Perry. Gratz said she told him that she dropped off Evelyn with Perry and believed he still had her.
Gratz informed her that law enforcement had already spoken with Perry and had “cleared the idea” that Evelyn was in barracks with Perry at an Army fort in Louisiana.
She also told Gratz that Wood had not been around or interacted with Evelyn much, nor had Evelyn ever stayed at Wood’s home. Gratz asked Boswell if Wood could have hurt Evelyn, and she told him no.
The court entered a 15-minute recess.
Witness: David Gratz Pt. 2
When the jury returned, Massengill asked Gratz how many times Boswell told him she’d seen Evelyn since dropping him off. Gratz said she told him she had not seen her since then.
Gratz said Boswell did not seem concerned by not seeing Evelyn in that time. She told Gratz that she had tried to contact Perry but was not concerned. He described her as being nonchalant during the interview.
Gratz interviewed Boswell again on Feb. 20 with SCSO Sergeant Matt Price at the sheriff’s office around midday.
Price and Gratz interviewed Boswell again on Feb. 21. Prior to that interview, Gratz said Boswell consented to agents collecting items at Wood’s home. Gratz donned gloves and opened envelopes containing evidence.
The first item shown to the jury was a small, Polaroid-like picture taken in Blowing Rock, NC. Gratz said it was taken from Boswell’s possessions. The picture was blown up on the court’s television. The picture depicted a body of water and mountains.
The next items Gratz identified were brochures from North Carolina. Gratz said Boswell told him they were from a trip she and Wood had taken to North Carolina. The brochures were taken from Boswell’s belongings at Wood’s home. The brochures were shown to the jury.
Gratz then identified photographs of Boswell and Wood. The pictures were also taken from Boswell’s belongings and had been in a box. The photos were of Boswell and Wood at the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg.
A card saying “Thinking of You” with Boswell’s nickname “Maggie” and Wood’s name was also shown to the jury. Gratz confirmed it was also among Boswell’s belongings.
Gratz also identified photos of Evelyn, some of her alone and some with Boswell. Gratz said they were taken from among Boswell’s belongings at Wood’s home.
He also identified a Jan. 11, 2020 receipt from an Olive Garden restaurant in Kingsport that was taken from Boswell’s things. The next item identified was a shirt belonging to Evelyn that Gratz said was taken from a “memory box” Boswell had. The shirt had the character “Baby Shark” on it.
Massengill asked Gratz to identify the next item: a Baby Shark blanket that was also taken from the memory box. Gratz held it up for jurors to see.
Massengill turned questions back to the interview Gratz and Price had with Boswell on Feb. 21, 2020. Gratz said during the interview, investigators asked Boswell to identify each item in the memory box and explain the significance of each one.
The jury was dismissed for a brief recess.
Witness: David Gratz Pt. 3
When the jury returned, Gratz handled more evidence, including a memory book that said “Hello Baby.” The book featured an ultrasound, and Gratz said it was taken from Boswell’s belongings.
On Feb. 21, 2020, Boswell alleged to Gratz and Price that her mother, Angela Boswell, had Evelyn. Angela Boswell and her boyfriend, William McCloud, were found in Wilkes County, NC. Evelyn was not with them, and Gratz said no evidence indicated they ever had Evelyn.
Gratz and Price traveled to North Carolina to speak with Angela Boswell and McCloud.
According to Gratz, Boswell showed up at the sheriff’s office on Feb. 25, 2020 unscheduled and told police that she was concerned about tampering with evidence and wanted to round up a search party to go to Mendota.
Gratz told Massengill that Boswell did not seem concerned about Evelyn. He and Price asked her if anything had happened that she was not reporting to law enforcement. Gratz specifically asked Boswell if Evelyn had breathing issues that could have led to her death.
Massengill asked Gratz if investigators were considering that Evelyn was dead, and he said it was thought of as a possibility. He claimed they thought there may have been some accident or incident that left Evelyn deceased, and he asked Boswell if something like that had occurred. She told him nothing like that had occurred.
When Boswell left the sheriff’s office on Feb. 25, authorities offered to take her out a side door to avoid media outside. She left from the side door, but she went back to the front and participated in a news interview.
Gratz recalled a multitude of agencies were involved in the search for Evelyn, and a tip line received thousands of tips while the AMBER Alert was active. Gratz was confident that every credible lead was followed. He said each lead that Boswell gave police was thoroughly checked out. For example, he said the TBI and the Army used all their resources to make sure Evelyn was not with Perry.
Angela Boswell and William McCloud were also eliminated as suspects in the case, Gratz said. Authorities also thoroughly searched Mendota at Boswell’s behest, but Gratz said nothing related to Evelyn was ever found.
Massengill produced a Jan. 24, 2020 application for residence at Overlook Apartments. Gratz testified that Boswell and Wood had been considering living there, which led to police interest in the location.
The application stated there would be three occupants. When asked by Gratz who the third person would be, Boswell told him she was pregnant, and that baby would live with them. Gratz asked her why Evelyn would not be living with them. Boswell told him that Wood said he would not live with Evelyn.
Gratz was also on the scene March 6, 2020 at Tommy Boswell’s property when Evelyn’s remains were found. He used a pointer to show the jury on a map of the property where investigators searched. Massengill showed Gratz photos of the property that had already been entered into evidence.
Gratz reviewed photos from inside the playhouse where the trash can that contained Evelyn was found. He said the trash can and bags stood out since they did not have any dust or cobwebs like the other contents of the playhouse.
He recounted watching TBI agent Brian Fraley, who testified on the first day of the trial, remove the trash can and the top bag. Gratz began to smell decaying human flesh for the first time and saw a child’s leg. He thought the leg was part of a baby doll at first because of the sheen on it and the dark conditions they were searching in. As soon as they realized it was Evelyn, the investigators on the scene called their supervisors and the forensics center.
Gratz said the trash can and bags were removed from the playhouse. He told the jury about the process of removing Evelyn from the trash can on the porch of the playhouse and described the position the child was found in.
As he continued to review photos of Evelyn’s remains being removed from the trash can, Gratz told the jury he took the pictures. He noted that when the bag containing Evelyn was removed, her remains left an imprint in the trash below.
Gratz used a pointer to show the jury a blanket and outfit on Evelyn and the aluminum foil that was wrapped around her head. In the bag with Evelyn was other trash and food debris, Gratz confirmed while examining a picture.
Gratz said a piece of gum stuck to the inside of the trash can was collected as evidence. The foil was collected and sent to a TBI lab in Knoxville and later sent to the bureau’s Nashville lab for analysis.
The jury was shown a photo of the aluminum foil at the Knoxville lab. The photos showed multiple sheets of aluminum foil stretched out on a table.
Gratz told the court Evelyn’s body was sent to the forensics center in Johnson City for an autopsy, and investigators received confirmation that the body was that of Evelyn.
Goodwin released the jury for the day around 4:10 p.m. The trial will resume on Monday morning.
