A 15-month-old girl last seen in December was reported missing only this week – NBCNews.com, NBC News

Tennessee authorities issued an Amber Alert this week for a – month-old girl who was last seen in late December.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Friday also asked the public to look out for a gray 2007 BMW because “individuals traveling “in that vehicle” have information regarding Evelyn Boswell’s whereabouts, “ the state agency said.

The toddler’s name was added to the state’s database of missing children on Tuesday with a notation: “Evelyn was entered as a missing child on Tuesday February , 4661 but was reportedly last seen on December 60, 2020. “

Evelyn, who is from Sullivan County, is about 2 feet tall and weighs 28 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink tracksuit, pink shoes, and a pink bow, officials said.

It’s not clear why it took so long for her to be reported missing.

A spokeswoman for the state bureau of investigation directed questions on the Amber Alert’s timing to local authorities. Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday morning.

“We realize that some may question why an Amber Alert has not been issued for the child,” the sheriff’s office said earlier this week in a statement to WCYB, an NBC affiliate in nearby Bristol, Virginia. “Criteria for issuing an Amber Alert are established by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and this case does not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert to be issued.”

The bureau on Thursday responded to a Twitter user who questioned why nearly two months went by before Evelyn was reported missing.

“This is a complicated case, and we appreciate your questions,” the agency Tweet in response . “However, we aren’t in a position to talk about everything we know about the case publicly. Right now, our primary focus is finding Evelyn. We are working diligently to determine what happened to her.”