LOGANSPORT, Ind. (WXIN) — The 14-year-old son of a former Indianapolis Colts player has been found more than two weeks after his reported disappearance, and his parents are among several people now in custody.
Bryson Muir appeared "safe and well," according to Indiana State Police. He was released into the custody of the Cass County Department of Child Services.
His father, Daniel Muir, faces preliminary charges of domestic battery (Class A misdemeanor) and obstruction of justice (Level 6 felony) while his mother, Kristen Muir, faces a preliminary charge of obstruction of justice (Level 6 felony), ISP said. Details regarding the other people who were detained Wednesday have not yet been released.
Arrest warrants had been issued for both parents. Police took them to the Cass County Jail.
This happened as Indiana State Police descended on a compound in Logansport, roughly 80 miles north of Indianapolis.
Three SWAT teams, detectives, K9 units, and a bomb squad were prepared to search multiple buildings at the property owned by the Servant Leader’s Foundation, a nonprofit religious group. The operation began around 6 a.m. Wednesday, ISP said.
"With anything of this nature, we have to be well prepared to go into the unknown," said Sgt. Steven Glass with ISP. "Ultimately, everything went well and everybody is safe, including Bryson."
Glass described the operation as "peaceful," saying police immediately came into contact with the Muirs when they executed the warrants.
Officers from the Logansport Police Department and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were also at the scene. The Cass County Sheriff's Office provided additional resources.
Video showed multiple police cars at the location, along with an armored vehicle from IMPD.
Daniel Muir and his wife, Kristen, were due in court Tuesday but didn’t show, leading ISP to prepare Wednesday's operation.
Before Wednesday's developments, Bryson had last been seen on June 16. His grandmother, Cheryl Wright, said the teen may have been abused by his father, Daniel Muir, a former Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman.
Wright tipped off police about the possible abuse after finding her grandson with a black eye. He was last seen in Cleveland, Ohio, leaving with his mother, Kristen Muir, in a white 2015 Chevrolet Suburban.
Wright previously told Nexstar's WXIN that she contacted police and took a picture of her grandson's injuries.
“His face was battered. When I got him, he had a black eye and busted lip,” Wright said. “His whole face was swollen. I can only imagine how many times he had been hit in the face for it to be like that.”
Bryson told her that his father was responsible for the injuries. He didn’t reveal what led up to it.
Wright believes her grandson had been "brainwashed" by his parents and the religious group to which they belong.
Police quickly found Bryson’s mother and the Suburban, but the 14-year-old wasn’t inside the vehicle. Investigators believe he may have been switched into another vehicle.
For several days, investigators say they couldn’t contact Bryson’s parents despite going to the family’s home in Logansport multiple times. On June 27, there seemed to be a shift in the case, with Indiana State Police saying the Muirs were “beginning to cooperate.”
But that optimism quickly dissipated. Daniel and Kristen Muir, through their lawyer, had agreed to meet with police at the Peru Post on Friday, but an hour before the scheduled meeting, they backed out, ISP said. The development led police to issue a statewide Silver Alert.
The alert said Bryson was last seen shortly before 8 a.m. on June 16 and indicated he could be in "extreme danger and may require medical assistance."
Signs at the secluded Logansport property make no mention of the Servant Leader's Foundation, which records show is the registered owner of the property. Multiple signs say, "Welcome to Straitway Indiana Goshen" along with a crest.
Other signs warn against trespassing and state that the location is private property.
An internet search leads to Straitway Ministries, a Tennessee-based religious group that describes itself as “nation of Hebrew Israelites who are commandment keepers; obedient to Yah (God) and our savior, Jesus the Christ.”
The group's official YouTube page features a video from four years ago that shows a man appearing to be Daniel Muir preaching to a crowd.
Some have described the group as a cult; Bryson's grandmother feared her grandson was being "brainwashed" and couldn't bring himself to leave his parents.
“Bryson is so conditioned or brainwashed to their way of living that he wanted to go back,” Wright said earlier this week. “As I tried to get my daughter to leave, he ran out of the house and left with them.”
Muir played football at Kent State before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2007. He went on to spend four seasons with the Colts before playing in three games for the New York Jets and 10 for the then-Oakland Raiders. During his career, Muir signed contracts with the then-St. Louis Rams, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans. Muir last played in the NFL in 2013.
No additional details have been released as of Wednesday morning.
