Tennessee now requires parents to notify police about missing children within 24 hours or face criminal charges. Evelyn’s Law went into effect on July 1, 2021, and it stipulates charging parents with a Class A misdemeanor for failing to timely report a missing child. The law is named after Evelyn Boswell, a 15-old-month who was found dead months after she initially went missing.
Tennessee will require parents to report missing children after two days, or face increased penalties. “Evelyn’s Law” goes into effect on July 1, 2021, and also requires parents to notify law enforcement within 24 hours if a missing child is 12-years-old or younger. The law was passed after the mother of 15-month-old Evelyn Boswell did not notify law enforcement that their daughter was missing until months later. The mother was charged after the child was found two and a half weeks later.
Tennessee’s Holly Bobo Act is now in effect which raises the age limit for missing person alerts. The law increases the age limit from 18 to 21 to notify the public for an endangered missing person.
State legislators are also considering a Silver Alert to notify the public for missing and vulnerable adults. Alzheimer’s Tennessee is lobbying legislators for issuance of an alert for missing adults with dementia, disabilities, or impairments.
Tennessee lawmakers are considering a bill that will require parents to immediately notify law enforcement within 48 hours if a child goes missing. “Evelyn’s Law” would also make everyone a “mandatory reporter” if they believe a child is in danger. The bill is named after Evelyn Boswell, a toddler who was missing for nearly two months before she was reported missing. Violators could face jail time for not making timely reports.