Former NFL player arrested for domestic violence after missing son found safe

Former NFL player Daniel Muir and his wife Kristen were arrested Wednesday morning after police discovered their 14-year-old son, missing since mid-June, safe in their home.

Bryson Muir was last seen on June 16, just as Indiana State Police were called to investigate “allegations of domestic violence” against him. Then on Friday, police issued a Silver Alert for the teen after his parents backed out of an arrangement to take him to a meeting with detectives, citing an “unwillingness to cooperate.”

Indiana State Police SWAT then obtained search and arrest warrants for the Muirs' Logansport, Indiana, residence and executed them at 6 a.m. Wednesday, leading to the discovery of Daniel, Kristen, and Bryson in the home.

Bryson, who had a black eye in the photo police included in his Silver Alert, appeared “safe and sound.” He was released to the care of the Cass County Department of Children's Services.

Daniel and Kristen were taken into custody “without incident” and both charged with obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony in Indiana that carries a prison sentence of up to 2 1/2 years. Daniel was also charged with domestic violence, a Class A felony in Indiana that carries a prison sentence of up to one year.

Related: Former NFL player's 14-year-old son still missing two weeks after police were alerted to abuse allegations

Before Wednesday, Bryson was last seen leaving his grandmother Cheryl Wright's Ohio home with his mother in a white 2015 Chevrolet Suburban. Officers with the Garfield Heights Police Department in Ohio stopped the vehicle shortly after they left, and Bryson was not inside.

Wright told Scripps News Indianapolis that Bryson had come to her house a few days earlier with a black eye and a swollen face and said his father was responsible for the injuries. She said she contacted police to express her concerns, which led to authorities pulling over the vehicle.

Court documents obtained by the station reportedly indicate that Daniel admitted to inflicting injuries on Bryson during a recorded call with the teen's uncle in which the former football player said he “screamed” [Bryson’s] *ss like a grown man.

But the documents say Daniel told investigators that Bryson had been hit by an “unknown individual,” leading them to bring the boy to Wright's home for a few days until the grandmother began “making decisions that Kristen Muir did not agree with.”

As authorities attempted to investigate Bryson's disappearance, Daniel and Kristen were initially unresponsive. The couple later allowed police to visit their Logansport home before becoming uncooperative Friday.

A probable cause affidavit obtained by Scripps News Indianapolis says Daniel admitted to taking Bryson to an undisclosed location because he knew authorities were looking for the boy and wanted to protect his family. It also says the father provided Indiana State Police with video of Bryson in an undisclosed wooded area, saying, “My dad didn’t hit me in the eye.”

Daniel and Kristen were denied bail Wednesday due to flight risks, Cass County Judge Steven Kitts told Scripps News Indianapolis. They are scheduled to return to court for another hearing on July 16.

In a statement to Scripps News Indianapolis, the Muirs' attorney said:

Indiana State Police searched the Muirs' Indiana home, which is owned by the religious nonprofit Servant Leader's Foundation, as well as the Chevrolet. Daniel is also listed as a pastor and “Goshen Community Leader” on the Straitway Truth Ministry website.

Daniel played college football at Kent State before going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft. He signed with the Green Bay Packers that year and went on to play or participate on the practice squad for several teams before leaving the game in 2014. Those teams included the Indianapolis Colts, St. Louis Rams, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, and Oakland Raiders.