Former NFL player missing after his mother was found dead by homicide in an Illinois creek

A former NFL player has gone missing after his mother was found dead by homicide in an Illinois creek, according to authorities.

Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown was reported missing on Saturday. At the same time, family members notified the Maywood Police Department that Brown's mother, Myrtle Brown, had also gone missing.

Myrtle's sister, Sheila Simmons, told WGN-TV that she last talked to her on Sept. 14. Myrtle had just celebrated her 73rd birthday on Sept. 8.

"We’re going to find out what happened because it’s not normal for my sister to not answer her phone, not to respond to text messages. People have been reaching out to her since Friday. No one was able to reach her," Simmons said.

Sergio, 35, lived in the same Maywood home as his mother.

According to WXIN, "Sheila Simmons says she then went to her sister and nephew’s house in Maywood and noticed things around the house were out of the ordinary."

On Saturday, Myrtle Brown's unresponsive body was reportedly found in a creek near her home.

The Chicago Tribune reported, "The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Officer ruled her death a homicide Sunday afternoon, saying she suffered multiple injuries during an assault."

Police are now searching for Sergio Brown.

Brown is a former Notre Dame football standout who signed with the New England Patriots in 2010 as an undrafted free agent. He played seven seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, and Buffalo Bills. Brown last played in the NFL in 2016.

Nick Brown, the son of Myrtle Brown and brother of Sergio Brown, remembered his mother as a "strong, caring, diligent, fancy, funny."

"Mom always told me, ‘tough times don’t last’ and our last conversation about tough times being temporary is my beacon of hope," the distraught son wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Detectives are urging anyone with information about the murder of Myrtle Brown or Sergio Brown's whereabouts to contact Maywood Police Investigations at 708-368-4131 or the Maywood Police Department anonymous tip line at 708-450-1787.

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