Missing 14-year-old boy found “safe” The parents were detained The incident came after a family member came forward with accusations of child abuse, and this bizarre story involves interstate travel, a former NFL defensive lineman, and possibly a religious cult.
Last Friday, Indiana State Police issued a Silver Alert for a missing 14-year-old boy who had been staying with his maternal grandmother, Cheryl Wright, in Cleveland, Ohio, for several days in mid-June. Wright quickly became concerned when she saw her grandson.
Members consider themselves to be a “Hebrew Israelite people” obedient to “Yah (God)” and “Jesus Christ.”
“His face was covered in bruises. When I took him in he had a black eye and a split lip,” Wright later said. Fox 59“His whole face was swollen. You can only imagine how many times he must have been punched in the face to get to that state.”
When Wright asked her son about the injury, he was hesitant to talk about it, but claimed his father, Daniel Muir, 40, a former NFL defensive tackle, was responsible for it, Wright said. “It’s heartbreaking that someone could be hit like that. It’s heartbreaking that she would put her daughter through that to her own child,” Wright said.
The boy’s mother, 38-year-old Christine Muir, came to Wright’s home to pick up the boy on June 16. Wright immediately called police to report the suspected abuse.
Within minutes, officers pulled over Christine Muir’s car, but by that point the boy was no longer with her, and police suspect the boy may have been in a rush to get in after leaving his grandmother’s house.
Either way, the boy remained missing for several weeks, but despite his disappearance, police said his parents were not always cooperative with the investigation.
The family lives in a home on a large plot of land in Logansport, Indiana. The home, about 80 miles north of Indianapolis, is owned by the Servant Leaders Foundation (also known as Straightway Truth Ministries), a Tennessee-based religious group that some have called a cult. According to a statement from the group, its members consider themselves “a tribe of Hebrew Israelites obedient to Yahweh and Jesus Christ.” Website.
Wright certainly has concerns about the group. She told Fox 59 that her grandson “is so used to their way of life, or maybe he’s been brainwashed, that he wants to go back. When I asked my daughter to leave, she ran out the door and left with them.”
in press release Indiana State Police said the Muir family home and the vehicle Christine Muir was driving when she was stopped in Ohio in connection with the missing boy are both property of the Servant Leaders Foundation in Kokomo, Indiana.
Last Friday, ISP’s patience with the Muirs appeared to have run out. The couple had promised to meet with investigators at noon that day, bringing their son along, but “withdrew” just an hour before the scheduled meeting, which ISP interpreted as “unwillingness to cooperate,” the agency said in a press release.
At 6 a.m. Wednesday, members of the Indiana State Police SWAT Team executed a search and arrest warrant at the Muirs’ home, where they found Daniel and Christine Muir and their 14-year-old son, who was “safe and appeared to be in good health,” according to an ISP press release.
The Muirs were subsequently taken into custody. They were both charged with one count of obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony, and Daniel Muir was charged with one misdemeanor count of domestic violence. It is unclear when the couple are scheduled to appear in court. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
Daniel Muir played four years at Kent State before joining the Green Bay Packers after going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft. He then became a journeyman in the league, with stints with a variety of teams including the Jets, Chiefs and Rams.
He also played for the Colts twice, for a total of about four seasons. Muir last took the field in 2013 When he played for the Oakland Raiders.
Muir recorded 128 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one pass deflection during his career. TMZ report.
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