NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee signed Evelyn Boswell's Law on Friday, requiring parents to report their children as missing within 24 hours if they are 12 years old or under.
The Tennessee House of Representatives passed the bill unanimously, 91-0. The Senate also passed it unanimously, signifying strong support across Tennessee for the law.
If parents do not report children as missing within the timeframe, it would be a Class A misdemeanor. Parents will not need to report them as missing within 24 hours if they make efforts to find their children and it delays them from reaching out to law enforcement, according to the bill.
It is named after Evelyn Boswell, a Sullivan County toddler who was not reported missing for several months. She was reported missing in February 2020, but authorities said she had not been seen since the previous December.
Her body was later discovered on a family-owned property, and her mother was charged with murder.