State Police Search Logansport Complex

LOGANSPORT, Ind. — The 14-year-old son of a former Indianapolis Colts player has been found more than two weeks after he was reported missing.

Bryson Muir's parents are in custody and several others were arrested Wednesday in Cass County as Indiana State Police executed arrest and search warrants.

The teen appeared “safe and sound,” according to Indiana State Police. 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), ISP said.

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.

This happened after Indiana State Police responded to a complex in Logansport located at 1740 W. US Highway 24.

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., ISP said.

“In these types of situations, 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 and Kristen Muir were due in court on Tuesday but failed to show up, prompting ISP to prepare for Wednesday's operation.

Background to the case

Before Wednesday's events, Bryson Muir was last seen on June 16. His grandmother, Cheryl Wright, said the teenager may have been abused by his father, 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 told FOX59/CBS4 this week 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 Muir 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 Muir'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 were unable to make contact with Bryson Muir's parents, despite numerous visits to the family's home in Logansport. On June 27, the case began to change, with Indiana State Police saying the Muirs were “beginning to cooperate.”

Court documents show 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.

But that optimism soon faded. On June 28, Daniel and Kristen Muir, through their attorney, agreed to meet with police at the Peru station and bring their son with them. An hour before the scheduled date, however, ISP said they backed down and refused to hand Bryson over.

The development prompted police to issue a statewide Silver Alert.

The alert said Bryson was last seen around 7:53 a.m. on June 16 and said he may be in “extreme danger and require medical assistance.”

The 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.

Some have described the group as a cult; Bryson Muir'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.”

The Muir Family and the Straitway Truth Response

Victor Vining, a defense attorney representing Daniel and Kristen Muir, spoke to reporters after the parents appeared before a judge Wednesday afternoon.

“The Muir family has been unfairly targeted and is not guilty of any abuse or illegal activity. They are entitled to a court hearing and due process,” Vining said.

During the hearing, the 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.

Muir's next hearing is scheduled for 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 many accused the religious group of being a cult among other disturbing allegations.