-
Karin Koehler, ESPN
Former Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman Daniel Muir was arrested Wednesday along with his wife, Kristen Muir, after their 14-year-old son, who had gone missing two weeks earlier, was found at their Logansport, Indiana, home.
The arrests were made after Indiana State Police executed a search warrant at the home. Daniel Muir has been charged with domestic violence (a class A misdemeanor) and obstruction of justice (a felony). Kristen Muir has been charged with obstruction of justice.
Indiana State Police Sergeant Steven Glass said Bryson Muir is “safe and well” and is currently in the custody of the Cass County Department of Children’s Services.
According to a summary of a police call from Garfield Heights, Ohio, Bryson’s grandmother, Cheryl Wright, called police on June 16 to report her grandson was being abused. Wright told Indianapolis station FOX59/CBS4 this week that she took photos of her grandson’s injuries.
“His face had been punched,” she said. “When I carried him out he had black, swollen eyes, a split lip. His whole face was swollen. I can only imagine how many times he must have been punched in the face to get to this point.”
Wright said Bryson told her that his father was responsible for his injuries. According to the call records, Wright said she picked up Bryson and brought him to her home because he was being abused. When Bryson’s mother, Kristen, arrived at the home and left with Bryson, she called police. Shortly after Wright called the police at 7:53 a.m., police found Kristen and stopped her car; however, Bryson was not in the car, according to the call records.
Indiana investigators had difficulty making contact with Daniel, 40, and Kristen, 38. FOX59 reported that Daniel and Kristen agreed to meet with Indiana State Police on Friday to bring in Bryson, who had been missing since leaving his grandmother’s home in Ohio. But an hour before the meeting was scheduled, the pair backed out, and police issued a statewide Silver Alert, warning that Bryson was “in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.”
Glass told reporters that officers found Bryson and his parents shortly after executing a search warrant Wednesday at 6 a.m. The investigation was “peaceful,” Glass said.
FOX59 reported that the operation involved three SWAT teams, detectives, a K-9 unit and an explosive ordnance disposal unit, all ready to search multiple buildings on the property.
“Anything like this, you have to be very prepared to go into the unknown,” Glass told reporters. “In the end, everything worked out and everyone was safe, including Bryson.”
The land at 1740 WUS Highway 24 was named “Straitway Goshen” because it is one of about a dozen chapters of the radical religious movement Straitway Truth Ministry, a Hebrew Israelite group led by Charles Dowell of Lafayette, Tenn. Straitway Truth Ministry encourages its members to live together in isolated communities.
In March 2020, Daniel Muir purchased 59 acres of land in Logansport and a home on the property for $450,000. The land is now owned by the Servant Leaders Foundation, and he holds the title of Pastor. He is listed on the Straight Way website as the liaison and leader of Straight Way’s Indiana chapter. The Logansport property includes multiple buildings, and Muir posts regular updates on YouTube about 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 declined to say whether other family members who attend Straight-Way Goshen services also live there, including some of its most notable names, such as five-time Pro Bowl selection and Colts ring of honor player Robert Mathis. Mathis confirmed his involvement with Straight-Way in a 2020 interview with Sports Illustrated, and his Facebook account features multiple photos of him with Muir and other family members from the Indiana community.
Indiana State Police said other people at the facility were also detained and questioned Wednesday but did not release their names. Daniel and Kristen Muir were the only two people arrested.
Daniel Muir played as a defensive tackle for Indianapolis from 2008-2011.
