MOORESVILLE, Ind. -- A child from Mooresville who was reported missing in 2022 has been found safe.
According to officials from the Mooresville Police Department, law enforcement officials found Steven Bryan, a child who was reported missing in August 2022, at a home in Bloomington Tuesday afternoon.
Using surveillance, the department was contacted at 1 p.m. on Tuesday that three individuals — including Bryan, Deborah Bryan, the child's mother, and Caleb Blevins, a man who the mother was reportedly in a relationship with — were spotted at a home on Fox Hollow Road in Bloomington.
After a search warrant was conducted, officials were able to find all three individuals at the home. Deborah Bryan was taken into custody on her outstanding warrant of interference with custody. Officials with the Mooresville Police Department said they believe Blevins was going to be taken into custody for assisting her.
According to previous reports, a Silver Alert was issued for Steven Bryan in August 2022 after he was last seen in June 2022. Steven Bryan, who was 3 years old at the time, was last seen with Blevins, who was 30 years old at the time, in a Silver 2020 Toyota Rav4 SUV. That Silver Alert was canceled on Tuesday.
Officials believed at the time that both Blevins and Steven Bryan were in the company of Deborah Bryan, the mother of the child. Eventually, officials with the Mooresville Police Department issued a warrant for Deborah Bryan's arrest, charging her with interference with custody.
According to court documents, Steven Bryan's father reported that his son was missing in July 2022. At the time, Deborah Bryan, who was 29 years old at the time, was in a reported relationship with Blevins.
The documents state that 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.
In May, Mooresville police said 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 FOX59/CBS4 on Tuesday, Buckner said that the department is glad to have this case off of their slate, stressing that it has been a big load on their department and a big load 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."
Steven’s father told FOX59/CBS4 over the phone he is relieved his son was found safely. FOX59/CBS4 crews also spoke to Deborah Bryan’s uncle in Bloomington where police found Steven.
"She’s truly afraid for her child’s safety and wellbeing and his life," Tom Cash said. "That’s what motivated her to try to save her son."
Buckner said that detectives will continue their investigation to see who helped the family stay missing, stressing that there will be "scorched earth" for anyone who helped them. 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."