Indiana child missing since 2022 found: police
The boy was just 3 years old when he was reported missing in 2022.
MOORESVILLE, Ind. (WXIN) — A child from Mooresville, Indiana, who was reported missing in 2022, has been found safe.
According to the Mooresville Police Department, authorities found Steven Bryan at a home in Bloomington, roughly 35 miles away, on Tuesday.
Bryan, then 3 years old, and Caleb Blevins, then 30 years old, were reported missing in August 2022. According to court documents, Steven Bryan's father reported his son missing in July 2022.
Indiana State Police said at the time that they were believed to be with Bryan's mother, Deborah Bryan, who was reportedly in a relationship with Blevins.
Court documents claimed Deborah Bryan had left the area with Blevins and her son. Deborah Bryan's bank account had been closed and the cell phones for both Deborah Bryan and Blevins had reportedly been deactivated.
Eventually, officials with the Mooresville Police Department issued a warrant for Deborah Bryan's arrest, charging her with interference with custody.
On Tuesday, police said while using surveillance, the department was contacted about three individuals — later identified as Steven, Blevins, and Bryan — who were spotted at a Bloomington home.
After a search warrant was conducted, officials were able to find all three at the home. Deborah Bryan was taken into custody on her outstanding warrant of interference with custody. Mooresville Police said they believe Blevins was going to be taken into custody for assisting her.
This comes after Mooresville Police said in May that their investigation into the disappearance of Steven Bryan was "active" and that they were turning any new information into the Indiana State Police.
“A cold case is when you have nothing else to go on and you are done, and nobody is working on it. We’re working on it,” Mooresville Police Chief Kerry Buckner said in May. “We don’t have a bunch of cases sitting around, waiting to be working. [We are] actively working on this case. It is not cold. It is still being worked on.”
In an interview with Nexstar's WXIN on Tuesday, Buckner said that the department is glad to have this case off of their slate, stressing it has been a big load on their department and on law enforcement.
"It's awesome. You just never know how these are going to turn out," he said. "... It is really nice to have an ending to this that doesn't involve someone being dead or injured."
Buckner said detectives will continue their investigation to see who helped the family stay missing, stressing there will be "scorched earth" for anyone who was involved. Officials said they do not know if additional charges will be filed against Deborah Bryan.
"I will tell you this, this has been a big load on law enforcement," Buckner said. "These people used a lot of resources and a lot of time. We gave (them) every opportunity just to come forward, or do a zoom call, just to show us... We were worried about Caleb Blevins, along with the child, but they refused to cooperate and from here on out, anybody that had a hand on assisting them, we plan on filing charges on them."