Bryson Muir Found; Former NFL Player Daniel Muir in Custody: Indiana Police

LOGANSPORT, Ind. (WXIN) — The 14-year-old son of a former Indianapolis Colts player has been found more than two weeks after he was reported missing, and his parents are among the many people now in custody.

According to Indiana State Police, Bryson Muir appeared to be “safe and sound.” He was turned over to Cass County Child Protective Services.

His father, Daniel Muir, faces preliminary charges of domestic violence (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), Indiana State Police said. Details of the others arrested Wednesday have not yet been released.

Arrest warrants were issued for both parents. Police took them to the Cass County Jail. A judge said no bond would be set for the Muirs Wednesday afternoon, citing them as a flight risk.

It happened as Indiana State Police raided a complex in Logansport, about 80 miles north of Indianapolis.

Three SWAT teams, detectives, K9 units and a bomb squad were ready to search several buildings on the property owned by the Servant Leader's Foundation, a nonprofit religious group. The operation began around 6 a.m. Wednesday, ISP said.

“In a situation like this, we have to be well prepared for the unknown,” said ISP Sergeant Steven Glass. “In the end, everything went well and everyone is safe, including Bryson.”

Glass described the operation as “peaceful,” saying police immediately made contact with the Muirs when they executed the warrants.

Officers from the Logansport Police Department and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were also on scene. The Cass County Sheriff's Office provided additional resources.

Video showed several police cars at the scene, as well as an IMPD armored vehicle.

Daniel Muir and his wife, Kristen, were due in court Tuesday but failed to show up, prompting ISP to prepare for Wednesday's operation.

What led to the Logansport raid

Before Wednesday's events, Bryson had last been seen on June 16. His grandmother, Cheryl Wright, said the teenager may have been abused by his father, Daniel Muir, a former Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman.

Wright alerted police to the potential 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 photo of her grandson's injuries.

“His face was bruised. When I got him, he had a black eye and a busted lip,” Wright said. “His face was all swollen. I can only imagine how many times he had been hit in the face for that to happen.”

Bryson told him his father was responsible for the injuries. He did not reveal what led to this.

According to court documents, Daniel Muir admitted to beating his son during a secretly recorded phone call.

“I kicked his ass like a grown man,” Daniel Muir is quoted as saying in the recording.

Wright believes his grandson was “brainwashed” by his parents and the religious group they belong to.

Police quickly located Bryson's mother and the Suburban, but the 14-year-old was not inside the vehicle. Investigators believe he may have been transferred to another vehicle.

Ongoing litigation, Silver Alert

For several days, investigators say they were unable to contact Bryson's parents despite numerous visits to the family home in Logansport. On June 27, there appeared to be a change in the case, with Indiana State Police saying the Muirs were “beginning to cooperate.”

Court documents reveal that the Muirs met with investigators at the Cass County DCS office on June 27, but their son was not with them.

The Muirs showed police a video of Bryson that showed him standing in an “undisclosed location, possibly a wooded area.” In the video, Bryson allegedly said, “My dad didn't hit me in the eye.”

Investigators spoke to Daniel and Kristen, but said their stories were inconsistent.

Soon after, any hope of cooperation quickly faded. On July 28, Daniel and Kristen Muir, through their attorney, agreed to meet with police and bring their son with them. An hour before the scheduled date, however, ISP said they backed down and refused to hand over Bryson.

That triggered a statewide Silver Alert, which said Bryson was last seen on June 16 and may be in “extreme danger and require medical assistance.” That Silver Alert has since been canceled.

More information about the Logansport property

Signs on the isolated Logansport property make no mention of the Servant Leader's Foundation, which records show is the registered owner of the property. Several signs read “Welcome to Straitway Indiana Goshen” with a crest.

Other signs warn against trespassing and specify that the place is private property.

An Internet search leads to Straitway Ministries, a Tennessee-based religious group that describes itself as “a 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.

Muir played football at Kent State before being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2007. He then spent four seasons with the Colts before playing three games for the New York Jets and 10 for the Oakland Raiders. During his career, Muir signed contracts with the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. Muir last played in the NFL in 2013.

Some have described the group as a cult; Bryson's grandmother feared her grandson was being “brainwashed” and could not bring herself to leave his parents.

“Bryson was so conditioned or indoctrinated by their lifestyle that he wanted to go back,” Wright said earlier this week. “As I tried to convince my daughter to leave, he ran away from home and left with them.”

Muir Family Response, Straitway Truth

“The Muir family has been unfairly targeted and they are not guilty of any abuse or illegal activity. They are entitled to a hearing in court and due process,” Victor Vining, a defense attorney representing Daniel and Kristen Muir, told reporters after the couple appeared before a judge Wednesday.

During the hearing, a judge denied bail to Daniel and Kristen Muir, citing them as flight risks. The parents were also ordered to have no contact with their son. They are scheduled to appear in court again on July 16.

Pastor Charles Dowell, who runs Straitway Truth, posted several videos on YouTube following the operation. In one of them, Dowell said that news reports or police reports about the allegations involving the Muir family should not be trusted.

“You better believe Straitway is not going to take this lying down,” Dowell said. “We’re coming. You better believe we’re coming.”

Sports Illustrated previously detailed Straitway Truth and Pastor Dowell in an in-depth report in which numerous people accused the religious group of being a cult, among other disturbing allegations.