SULLIVAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The grandfather of missing 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell spoke to WJHL-TV on Friday evening, hours after officials with the Sheriff’s Department held their first news conference about the case.

Tommy Boswell Sr., the grandfather of Evelyn Boswell, said he has not seen her since Thanksgiving.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m the one who called DCS and got this started…I ain’t slept nights, I’ve cried like a baby. I just want my grandbaby to come home,” Boswell Sr. said.

In a news conference Friday afternoon, officials with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office said Evelyn was last seen on December 10 or 11 by a babysitter.

Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy added that they believe Evelyn is still alive and that, “we are not disregarding anybody as a suspect at this time.”

SEE ALSO: WATCH: Mother of 15-month-old at center of AMBER Alert caught on camera leaving court

It was Friday morning when a WJHL camera crew captured the missing girl’s mother, Megan Boswell, at court in Bristol, Tennessee. They followed Megan to her car, but Megan did not speak to their reporters.

Evelyn Boswell

Sheriff Cassidy said in Friday’s news conference that he himself would be putting up a $1,000 reward in this case and it wasn’t long after when other local businesses followed.

Ballad Health put up a total of $30,000, $5,000 of that money coming from CEO Alan Levine.

Fuller Paving Group has also added $2,000 to the reward.

In Friday’s interview with Tommy Boswell Sr., said he and his son, Tommy Boswell Jr. would each be putting up $10,000 for Evelyn’s safe return.

“Yes ma’am. when I come down here earlier, when I heard it, I told Tom we get $10,000 a piece reward and ain’t nobody say nothing about it,” Boswell Sr. said.

Stay with News 2 for continuing coverage of the death of Evelyn Boswell.





MORE COVERAGE