Search continues for missing former NFL player as police investigate mother’s death

MAYWOOD, Ill. — The search continues Monday for a missing former NFL player whose mother was found dead in a west suburban creek over the weekend.

Authorities say they are looking for Sergio Brown, 35, a Proviso East graduate who played in the NFL from 2010 to 2016 with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

Sergio was reported missing alongside his mother, Myrtle Brown, hours before she was found dead.

A new post appeared on Monday on an Instagram account believed to be run by Sergio. In the post, which was shared as a story, Brown makes vague statements about the FBI and Maywood police and claims he thought his mother was on vacation.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office reports that Myrtle Brown died during an assault and that a homicide investigation into her death is underway.

“You just feel for the family, what they’re going through,” said Angel Rivera, a neighbor who lives across the street from the Brown family.

Rivera said he was shocked to learn of Myrtle Brown’s death, and the shock only grew as the day went on.

“Saturday morning, when my wife told me Myrtle was missing, I was stunned,” Rivera said. “We saw the commotion and realized they had found the body and there were police everywhere.”

Myrtle’s sister, Sheila Simmons, spoke with WGN TV News on Saturday, hours after receiving a call that Myrtle and Sergio were missing.

“It’s devastating,” Simmons said. “I walked around the house and saw things that were out of the ordinary.”

Simmons said she found nothing after searching the creek behind Myrtle’s house, but later that day she and other family members went back to search and discovered Myrtle’s body.

“Later we formed a group and that’s when we found my sister dead in the creek,” Simmons said.

The Brown family says police are reviewing video footage from around the home as part of their investigation.

“My sister is gone, that’s all I can say, I don’t know what happened,” Simmons said.

Police have not named Sergio Brown as a person of interest, but are asking anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward.