Former Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Daniel Muir was arrested Wednesday along with his wife, Kristen Muir, after their 14-year-old son, who had been reported missing two weeks earlier, was found at their Logansport, Indiana, home.
The arrests came after Indiana State Police executed a search warrant at the home. Daniel Muir is charged with domestic battery, a class A misdemeanor, and obstruction of justice, a felony. Kristen Muir is charged with obstruction of justice.
Bryson Muir is “safe and sound” and is now in the custody of the Cass County Department of Children’s Services, Indiana State Police Sergeant Steven Glass said.
According to the Garfield Heights, Ohio, police report, Bryson’s grandmother, Cheryl Wright, called police on June 16 to report that “her grandson was being abused.” Wright told FOX59/CBS4 Indianapolis this week that she took a photo of her grandson’s injuries.
“His face was bruised,” she said. “When I got him, he had a black eye and a busted lip. His face was all swollen. I can only imagine how many times he had been hit in the face for that to happen.”
Wright said Bryson told her his father was responsible for the injuries. According to the call summary, Wright said she had picked up Bryson earlier and brought him to her house because he was being abused. She called police when Bryson’s mother, Kristen, arrived home and left with Bryson. Immediately after Wright reported the problem at 7:53 a.m., police found Kristen and arrested her in her vehicle. But according to the call summary, Bryson was not inside the car.
Indiana investigators have had difficulty contacting Daniel, 40, and Kristen, 38. FOX59 reported that on Friday, Daniel and Kristen agreed to meet with Indiana State Police and bring Bryson, who had not been seen since leaving his grandmother’s house in Ohio. But an hour before the scheduled meeting, they backed out, leading police to issue a statewide Silver Alert, saying Bryson could be “in extreme danger and may need medical assistance.”
Glass told reporters that officers located Bryson and his parents immediately after executing the search warrant at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Glass said the operation was “peaceful.”
FOX59 reported that the operation included three SWAT teams, detectives, K-9 units and a bomb squad and were prepared to search multiple buildings on the property.
“When faced with an event of this nature, we have to be well prepared for the unknown,” Glass told reporters. “Ultimately, everything went well and everyone is safe, including Bryson.”
The property at 1740 WUS Highway 24 is called “Straitway Goshen” because it is one of a dozen satellites of the extremist religious movement Straitway Truth Ministry, a Hebrew Israelite group led by Charles Dowell of Lafayette, Tennessee. Straitway Truth Ministry encourages its members to live together in isolated communities.
In March 2020, Daniel Muir purchased the 59-acre Logansport property and a home on the property for $450,000. The property is now owned by the Servant Leaders Foundation, and he holds the title of “Pastor.” He is listed on the Straitway website as the contact and site manager for Straitway in Indiana. There are several buildings on the Logansport property, and Muir regularly posts updates on YouTube regarding the construction of new buildings on the property.
In a 2020 interview with Sports Illustrated, Muir said his wife and children live with him on the property, but would not say whether other families who attend services at Straitway Goshen also live there, including their most notable member, five-time Pro Bowler and Colts Ring of Honor inductee Robert Mathis. Mathis confirmed his involvement with Straitway in a 2020 interview with Sports Illustrated, and his personal Facebook account features several photos of him with Muir and families from the Indiana community.
Indiana State Police said other people at the scene were arrested and questioned Wednesday, but did not release their names. Daniel and Kristen Muir were the only two arrested.
Daniel Muir played defensive tackle for Indianapolis from 2008 to 2011.
