An Indiana boy who was reported missing two years ago has been found alive and living with his mother, about 35 miles from where he vanished, police said.
Steven Bryan, now 5, was discovered Tuesday by Indiana State Police at a home in Bloomington, where he was staying with his mother, Deborah Bryan, and her boyfriend, Caleb Blevins, authorities said.
The mother was arrested on an outstanding warrant for violating a court-approved custody agreement, police said.
Steven was 3 when his father reported him missing on July 18, 2020, saying he went to Deborah Bryan's home to pick up his son after being awarded emergency custody, only to find no one there, police said.
Caleb Blevins was also reported missing the same day, Mooresville Police Chief Kerry Buckner said in a statement Wednesday.
State police then issued a Silver Alert for Steven and Blevins, saying they were believed to be traveling with the child's mother.A Silver Alert is issued in Indiana when a missing child or an adult is believed to be in imminent danger, according to state law.
Investigators eventually learned that Deborah Bryan had withdrawn all the money in her bank account and deactivated her cellphone, Buckner said. Her boyfriend had stopped going to work, Buckner said.
Five months later, Morgan County prosecutors charged Deborah Bryan with custody interference by concealing a child and violating a court order, according to online court records, but at the time they could not find Bryan or the boy.
Chief Buckner said Tuesday he was very relieved the child had been found.
“It’s awesome. You just never know how these are going to turn out,” Buckner told WXIN-TV. “It is really nice to have an ending to this that doesn’t involve someone being dead or injured.”
"I will tell you this, this has been a big load on law enforcement ,” the chief said.
"We were worried about Caleb Blevins, along with the child," he said. "From here on out, anybody that had a hand on assisting them, we plan on filing charges on them.”
The chief said additional charges may be filed and the investigation remains open.
The boy is in the custody of child social workers, the chief said Wednesday. Blevins has been questioned and released, he said. No charges have been filed against Blevins, authorities said.
The boy's mother is in custody, the chief said.
No information was released on where the mother was being held or when she is scheduled to appear in court.
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