Former NFL Player Daniel Muir Arrested For ‘Kidnaping And Abusing’ 14-Year-Old Son

Former NFL player Daniel Muir has been detained after his missing teenage son was discovered safe at the family's home. The police were informed about the possible abuse the child endured.

By Suyash Sinha

Published on Jul 04, 2024 | 03:29 PM IST | 28.2K

Daniel Muir

In a follow-up to the case of missing 14-year-old Bryson Muir, parents Daniel Muir, former NFL player, and Kristin Muir have been arrested after their teenage son was discovered safe at the family's house in Kokomo, Indiana.

Bryson Muir was found safe on Wednesday after a state police SWAT team raided his family's home at a religious enclave. He appeared to be "safe and well" and was sent into the custody of Cass County Child Services.

No cooperation from parents Daniel Muir and Kristin raised questions about the missing 14-year-old

Garfield Heights (Ohio) Police Department reported that Bryson was last seen leaving a grandmother's home in Ohio with his mother in her car. A silver alert was initially issued on June 16. According to the grandmother, Bryson had a black eye and a busted lip before his mother, Kristen, brought him up.

Two days later, the Cass County Department of Child Services sought a police investigation into Bryson's alleged domestic abuse, which raised serious concerns for his safety.

The Indiana State Police said, "When we tried to get in touch with Bryson's parents, at first, we didn't succeed. Subsequently, they consented to have Bryson meet with us, but later withdrew that agreement, indicating a lack of cooperation."

This lack of cooperation accelerated the search operations and created concerns about Bryson's safety, as per the police. The situation came to light on Wednesday morning when Indiana State Police stormed the Muir residence based on a search warrant.

Arrest warrants were filed, and when Daniel and Kristen failed to appear in court on Tuesday, the ISP SWAT team conducted a raid on their residence. They are facing preliminary allegations of obstruction of justice, which is a Level 6 felony.

According to court documents, Daniel Muir allegedly acknowledged abusing his child during a secretly recorded phone call. "I whooped his a-like a grown man," Daniel Muir allegedly says in the recording.

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Bryson was being ‘brainwashed’ by his parents

Cheryl Wright, Bryson's grandmother, implied that he was "brainwashed" into his parents' lifestyle on a religious compound in Logansport, Indiana.

Following Bryson's abduction, a WXIN television crew visited the Muir’s property and reported seeing a sign for Straitway Truth Ministries.

According to an internet search, Straitway Ministries is a religious group based in Tennessee that promotes itself as a "nation of Hebrew Israelites who are commandment keepers, obedient to Yah (God) and our savior, Jesus the Christ."

This Tennessee-based group is managed by Pastor Charles Dowell and has 12 branches throughout the United States and Canada. The group's official YouTube page has a video from four years ago showing Daniel Muir preaching to a crowd. He appears to be a pastor at the Indiana Branch.

According to Sports Illustrated, the organization has been labeled a cult, and its members include several former NFL players.

Muir played football at Kent State before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers in 2007. He spent four seasons with the Colts before playing three games for the New York Jets and ten for the Oakland Raiders. Throughout his career, Muir signed contracts with the St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Houston Texans.

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