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Former NFL player and wife arrested after finding missing, abused son

Former NFL defensive end Daniel Muir and his wife Kristen were arrested after their 14-year-old son was found after allegedly being abused.

The Indiana State Police SWAT team conducted a search and served warrants around 6 a.m. Wednesday and found three family members in their Logansport home.

Police said Bryson Muir, who was the subject of a Silver Alert issued June 28 after his grandmother said he was physically abused by his parents, appeared “safe and well.”

Daniel and Kristen Muir were taken into custody without incident. Bryson was released to the Cass County Department of Child Services.

Daniel Muir and his wife Kristen were arrested Wednesday morning in connection with Bryson’s disappearance.

Getty Images/Indiana State Police

Daniel Muir, 40, was charged with one count of obstructing justice and one count of domestic violence. Kristen Muir, 38, was also charged with obstructing justice.

On June 28, police said Muir’s parents had agreed to bring Bryson to the station at noon but had backed out by 11 a.m., signaling their unwillingness to cooperate. A Silver Alert was then issued for Bryson. Police released two photos of the teen, one of which showed him with a black eye. Bryson’s grandmother, Cheryl Wright, told police he may have been the victim of parental abuse.

Bryson was last seen June 26 outside Wright’s home near Cleveland, Ohio. He got into Kristen Muir’s white 2015 Chevrolet Suburban, which was quickly stopped by police without Bryson inside.

“Officers believe he was possibly moved to another car,” Wright told Fox 59 on Monday.

Who is Daniel Muir?

Daniel Muir is a pastor at Staitway Truth Ministries, a Tennessee-based religious group that some online have called a cult. The organization reportedly owns the Muirs’ home and a white Suburban. Wright told the outlet that Bryson had been “brainwashed” into living at the religious compound.

“Bryson is so conditioned or brainwashed into their way of life that he wanted to come back,” Wright told the outlet. “When I tried to get my daughter to leave, he ran out of the house and left with them.”

“His face was battered. When I brought him in, he had a black eye and a busted lip,” Wright continued. “His whole face was swollen. I can only imagine how many times he got punched in the face to get that.”

Newsweek contacted Wright and received no response.

Daniel Muir spent seven seasons in the NFL with four different teams, signing with the Green Bay Packers as a defensive quarterback in 2007.

He played for the Colts from 2008 to 2011, the New York Jets in 2012, and ended his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2013.

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