Police in the Chicago suburbs are searching for former NFL player Sergio Brown after discovering his mother’s dead body following a call from family who reported both missing this weekend.
Relatives contacted the Maywood Police Department Saturday after they said they couldn’t locate Brown, 35, or his mother, Myrtle Brown, 73, the department said.
Investigators conducted two searches and eventually found Myrtle Brown’s body near a creek adjacent to her residence in Maywood, Illinois later that day, police allege.
The matriarch’s death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office Sunday, police said. Police also said that as of Monday morning, they had not located Sergio Brown.
Brown, a safety, played for the University of Notre Dame and several NFL teams between 2010 and 2017, including the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills, according to ESPN.
“My brother Sergio is still missing,” Mr. Brown wrote on Instagram. “If anyone knows where he is I want him to know that I love you and please come home.”
Mr. Brown also said that his mother, Myrtle, always told him that “tough times don’t last.” He added, “Our last conversation about tough times being temporary is my beacon of hope.”