Former Colts player Daniel Muir facing additional charges in 2024 child abuse case

Additional charges have been filed against former Indianapolis Colts player Daniel Muir, who was accused of abuse and the disappearance of his teenage son in 2024. 

According to court documents, Cass County Circuit Court Special Judge Crystal Kocher approved prosecutors requests to add two Level 5 Felony counts of battery resulting in serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice. Level 5 felonies carry a prison sentence of one to six years and a fine of up to $10,000.

In 2024 Muir was charged with obstruction of justice, a Level 6 Felony; and domestic battery, a Class A Misdemeanor. Muir and his wife, Kristin, were arrested on July 3, 2024 after members of the Indiana State Police SWAT team raided the property the family resided on near Logansport.

The Muir family was noted to live on the property of an organization called the Servant Leader's Foundation and is known for being connected with Straitway Indiana-Goshen and Straitway Truth Ministry. In July of 2020, Sports Illustrated published a report on Straitway Ministries, citing multiple people who claimed the religious group was a cult. Straitway Ministries is a Tennessee-based religious group that describes itself as a “nation of Hebrew Israelites who are commandment keepers.”

The raid and arrests came more than two weeks after their 14-year-old son Bryson was reported missing. 

A probable cause affidavit from 2024 state that during the investigation police obtained a phone call recording from Muir's brother-in-law in where Muir, a former defensive tackle for the Colts, admitted to beating his son. Muir allegedly further stated to the brother-in-law that if they lived in their religious homeland that Bryson would have been put to death, but was not put to death due to them living in the United States.  

Previous reports indicate police were first made aware of the alleged abuse Bryson had been enduring in June 2024 after the teen's grandmother had noticed the boy with a black eye and notified police. 

The grandmother stated to police Bryson had told her Daniel had given him the black eye. After an investigation police were led to believe the alleged abuse took place at the Muirs’ family home on U.S. Highway 24 in Logansport but had a difficult time contacting the Muirs and made repeated attempts to visit the family’s home. Bryson was found to be “safe and well” after the raid at the Muir's property and the boy was released into the care and custody of Indiana Department of Child Service. 

Details in court documents further allege Bryson's 2024 beating was not the first time the teen or his siblings had been physically punished by Daniel and his wife.

Prosecutors requested Muir's newest charges in May and August of this year after investigators determined Bryson had suffered "serious bodily injury" that included a facial fracture. Prosecutors are also seeking to add a Level 5 Felony obstruction of justice charge against his wife, Kristin, who currently only faces a lesser charge of obstruction of justice, Level 6 Felony. 

In the order last week Judge Kocher pointed out the Muirs appeared to be using artificial intelligence to prepare their motions, resulting in innacurate citations, and cautioned the couple against the use of AI for court. The Muir's claim to be representing themselves in the case. Court records filed in the case last year indicate that Muir was being represented by an attorney, but are no longer doing so in the most recent filings. 

Court documents show the Muirs have argued that their prosecution is "irrideemably compromised" due to constitutional violations and cited misconduct that includes illegal recording, coercive state custody of their child, and a media campaign allegedly initiated or condoned by the state. Their motion to dismiss on those grounds was denied.

Jury trials for both Daniel and Kristin Muir are currently slated to begin on Jan. 16, 2026.