FORMER football star Daniel Muir allegedly admitted to abusing his son during a secretly recorded phone call, court documents revealed.
The former NFL defensive tackle made a shocking admission about his son, who previously had gone missing for over two weeks.
Police were previously looking for Bryson, 14, after he went missing once he left his grandmother’s house with his parents, according to local Fox affiliate WXIN.
Police had pulled over Daniel and his wife Kristen moments after leaving the home, but the teenager was no longer there.
His parents quickly became uncooperative after police asked them to bring the teenager to the station by June 28 and they didn’t.
On Wednesday, the police were able to call off their search after they found Bryson on a property owned by the religious group the Servant Leader’s Foundation in Indiana.
After police confirmed that the teenager “appeared safe and well,” both parents were arrested.
Three SWAT teams, cops, K-9 units, and even a bomb squad were used to find the young boy.
“With anything of this nature, we have to be well prepared, to go into the unknown,” said Sgt. Steven Glass with ISP. “Ultimately, everything went well and everybody is safe, including Bryson.”
Daniel was charged with domestic battery and obstruction of justice, while his wife was charged with obstruction of justice, according to ISP.
While in court, they were denied bond and were ordered no contact with their son.
Their attorney slammed the allegations to reporters after the parents appeared before a judge on Wednesday.
“The Muir family, they’ve been improperly targeted and they’re not guilty of any abuse or illegal activity. They’re entitled to their day in court and due process,” Victor Vining, the couple’s defense attorney said.
After the arrest, court documents revealed that Daniel allegedly admitted to previously abusing his son.
“I whooped his a** like a grown a** man,” Muir reportedly said in the recording about his son Bryson, according to WXIN.
Ultimately, everything went well and everybody is safe, including Bryson.
Sgt. Steven Glass
Bryson’s grandmother, Cheryl Wright, had her suspicions about the alleged abuse and was said to have tipped off police after her grandson appeared with a black eye.
“He just said that his dad did it, but he wasn’t angry – but he wasn’t angry at his father. He told me that he deserved it and it was OK,” Wright told NBC affiliate WTHR.
“So I told him that it wasn’t and that nobody should beat their children like that, not if they love them.”
Wright was so disturbed by what she saw, that she took a photo of the teenager’s bruising.
“His face was battered. When I got him he had a black eye and busted lip,” Wright said.
“His whole face was swollen. I can only imagine how many times he had been hit in the face for it to be like that.”
The religious group the family belongs to, Straitway Truth Ministry, has drawn a lot of attention over the years.
It has been alleged by former followers of the ministry that “an existence ruled by an unbending adherence to the Old Testament, under the watch of a controlling leader who limits members’ interactions with the outside world,” according to Sports Illustrated.
Women and children were allegedly mistreated and lacked proper health care.
Additionally, the ministry was said to have mistreated members of the LGBTQ+ community and aggressively forced teenagers to join them.
Wright told the station that she believes Bryson was “brainwashed” by his parents and the religious group they belong to.
“Bryson is so conditioned or brainwashed to their way of living that he wanted to go back,” Wright said.
“As I tried to get my daughter to leave he ran out of the house and left with them.”
Since Daniel and Kristen’s arrest, the group has openly shown support for the couple.
Pastor Charles Dowel, who leads the group told his followers not to believe the news or police reports about the Muir family.
“You better believe that Straitway is not going to be taking any of this lying down,” Dowell told his followers on YouTube.
“We comin’. You better believe we comin’.”
