LOGANSPORT, Ind. — Indiana State Police have declared a Silver Alert for the son of a former Colts player after his parents backed out of an arrangement to bring the teen to police. He has been considered missing for 12 days.
Indiana State Police are asking for the public’s help in locating Bryson Muir, a 14-year-old boy last seen two weeks ago in Ohio, who may be the victim of abuse by his parents. He is the son of former Colts defensive lineman Daniel Muir, who is now a person of interest in the investigation.
Bryson is described by ISP as a 6’2″, 185-pound Black male with black hair and brown eyes. The child was last seen with a black eye and wearing an orange Under Armor shirt and blue jeans.
An abuse investigation into Bryson’s parents recently began after a report from the child’s grandma, described below.
Meet-up arrangement and Silver Alert
On Friday afternoon ISP declared an official Silver Alert for Bryson, who they said is still considered to be missing and in danger.
Police said that Daniel and Kristen Muir had agreed to bring their son to meet with ISP investigators at the Peru Post. The arrangement was scheduled for 12 p.m. Friday, ISP said.
However, at around 11 a.m., the Muirs reportedly “backed out” of the arrangement. ISP said this “signaled an unwillingness to cooperate” with police.
Police are urging anyone with information on Bryson’s whereabouts or his parents to contact the Indiana State Police Peru post at (800) 382-0689 or call 911.
“He is our primary concern, his well-being and safety are of utmost importance,” ISP Capt. Ron Galaviz said.
Grandma’s report
Bryson was last seen by non-parental family members on June 16 after leaving his grandmother’s home outside Cleveland, Ohio with his mother, Kristen Muir, in a white 2015 Chevrolet Suburban.
The child’s grandmother reported to police that the child had a black eye and might be being abused by his parents.
Capt. Galaviz said it was just minutes between when the son and mother left the home and when local police pulled over her Suburban.
However, officers said Bryson was not found inside the car with his mother.
“It was minutes, it wasn’t a very long period of time whatsoever,” Galaviz said. “But in that period of time, Bryson wasn’t able to be found. We don’t know where he went.”
Investigation into parents
Two days later, the Cass County Department of Child Services asked ISP troopers to look into allegations of domestic battery inflicted upon Bryson at a home in Logansport. This was after the department wasn’t able to get ahold of the family.
Up until Thursday, ISP had been unable to get ahold of the Muir parents despite going out to the family’s home along the 1700 block of West US 24 in Logansport several times.
Then, on June 27, Capt. Galaviz said that detectives had made contact with Daniel and Kristen Muir and that they were “beginning to cooperate” with ISP’s investigation. However, Bryson was still nowhere to be found.
Logansport property, possible cult connections
State Police said the Muir’s Logansport property is owned by the Servant Leader’s Foundation, a nonprofit religious group. The Chevy Suburban driven by Kristen Muir is also owned by the Servant Leader’s Foundation.
FOX59/CBS4 crews recently went to the home, located off a secluded two-lane road in rural Logansport and surrounded mostly by trees. A long gravel driveway is cut off near the road by a fence marked with multiple no-trespassing and private property signs.
There are no signs outside the home with the name Servant Leader’s Foundation, but there is one right past the fence that says “Welcome To Straitway Indiana Goshen.” A crest on the sign has an “S” on a shield with two swords forming an X behind the shield.
A Google search of Straitway will lead you to Straitway Truth Ministries, a Tennessee-based religious group that some online have labeled a cult. On the Straitway Truth Ministries website, the group states it is a “nation of Hebrew Israelites who are commandment keepers; obedient to Yah (God) and our savior, Jesus the Christ.”
Straitway’s official YouTube page features a video published four months ago of a man who appears to be former Colts defensive tackle Daniel Muir preaching from a stage to a cheering crowd.
In the video, Muir holds up a picture of himself and fellow former Colts defensive end Robert Mathis while discussing a place called Goshen.
No other information has been provided by ISP as 2:45 p.m. Friday.
This article features additional reporting by Eric Graves.