Astonishing update in hunt for Indiana boy who vanished two years ago aged five

An Indiana boy who disappeared two years ago when he was three years old has been found, police say.

Steven Bryan, now 5, was reported missing from Mooresville in June 2022 according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

On Tuesday, he was found at a home in Bloomington with his mother Deborah Bryan, 31, and her boyfriend Caleb Blevins.

A Silver Alert had been issued for all three people on August 26, 2022, which has now been lifted and Deborah was arrested for an outstanding warrant of interference with custody.

'Steven is fine. Mom was just hiding him out because of some sort of custody battle with his real father,' Mooresville Police Chief Kerry Buckner told WIBC.

'We gave her ample opportunity to just let us know that Steven was okay. We agreed to do a Zoom meeting or whatever was convenient to make sure Steven was okay.'

Police used surveillance to track down the three people to a home on Fox Hollow Road in Bloomington.

They obtained a search warrant for the house and Steven was taken into protective custody and will be released to the Department of Child Services.

Court documents viewed by Fox 59 state that Steven's father had reported his son missing in July 2022 and Deborah was in a relationship with Blevins at the time.

Deborah allegedly left the area with Blevins and her son, according to the documents. Deborah's bank account had been closed and the cell phones for both Deborah and Blevins had reportedly been deactivated.

'We gave her ample opportunity to just let us know that Steven was okay. We agreed to do a Zoom meeting or whatever was convenient to make sure Steven was okay,' Buckner said.

Blevins has not been charged yet, but Mooresville Police told WANE they believe was going to be taken into custody for assisting her.

Police are continuing their investigation to hold those accountable for keeping Steven missing over the two years. 

'One of my detectives believes that the individual who owns this residence is in some way related to Deborah Bryan,' said Buckner.

'Now that we know the child is okay, we're going to investigate to see who helped them out.' 

Deborah's uncle Tom Cash in Bloomington told Fox 59 she was just trying to keep her son safe.

'She’s truly afraid for her child’s safety and wellbeing and his life. That’s what motivated her to try to save her son,' Cash said.