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Former NFL player Sergio Brown has been taken into custody, according to a source.
CNN –
Former NFL player Sergio Brown, missing since his mother’s death last month, was taken into custody Tuesday after an arrest warrant was issued for first-degree murder in her killing, police said in a statement.
Brown, 35, was arrested in San Diego as he returned to the United States from Mexico, police in Maywood, Illinois, said. He is awaiting extradition to Maywood, a Chicago suburb, to face murder charges, police said.
Maywood Police Department
Sergio Brown
Mexican law enforcement officials have known Brown’s whereabouts since at least Sept. 19, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN, which first reported Brown’s arrest. Mexican law enforcement deported him after authorities in Illinois obtained an arrest warrant in connection with his mother’s death, the source said.
San Diego Sheriff’s Department inmate records show Brown was in the department’s custody Wednesday morning and was being held on a fugitive warrant.
The body of his mother, Myrtle Brown, 73, was found Sept. 16 in a creek behind her Maywood home, Maywood police said. Relatives alerted police that they were unable to find or contact her or her son, police said.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office concluded she died from injuries consistent with an assault, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny.
Sergio Brown played defensive back for Notre Dame before signing with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played seven seasons in the NFL as a member of the Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.
By Nick Brown/Instagram
Myrtle Brown’s family remembered her as “a beautiful, loving and inspiring soul who made everyone around her feel important.”
A day after his mother was found dead, Brown’s brother took to social media to ask for help finding him.
“My brother Sergio is still missing,” Nick Brown wrote on Instagram. “If anyone knows where he is, I want them to know that I love you and to please come home.”
“It is a sad but hopeful time and we will all get through this together,” wrote Nick Brown. “Mom always told me, ‘Hard times don’t last,’ and our recent conversation about how hard times are temporary is a glimmer of hope for me.
“Mom, thank you for being strong, caring, hardworking, edgy, funny and for saving my art. I will not disappoint you.”
Maywood police said last month they were aware of at least one video circulating on social media that appears to show Sergio Brown in a tropical location talking about “fake news” and claiming he believes his mother is in the Vacation. It’s not clear where or when the video was taken, and police did not confirm to CNN that the person in the video is Sergio Brown.
Last week, Myrtle Brown’s family released a statement through attorney Christian Conway calling on authorities to move forward with the investigation into her death, saying there was enough evidence to make an arrest.
“We call on law enforcement, particularly the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, to work diligently and thoroughly in seeking the truth and accountability for Myrtle Jean Simmons-Brown. No family should bear the burden of uncertainty about the circumstances of their loved one’s death,” the family said.
The family also said they have had no contact with Sergio Brown since his disappearance.
“We continue to pray for his well-being and advocate for his immediate and safe return to the United States. Let us work together to turn this tragic loss into a force for positive change and justice,” the statement said.
“Myrtle was a beautiful, loving and inspiring soul who made everyone around her feel important. With her infectious smile and personality, our loss of Myrtle has left an indescribable void not only in our lives but in our communities,” the family said.
During the search for Sergio Brown, neighbors praised Myrtle Brown to CNN affiliate WBBM.
“Myrtle, she was an outstanding woman and I hope she is in the right place and with God,” Carlos Cortez, her neighbor, told WBBM. “I would never have expected that in a million years.”
Neighbors described Myrtle as a smartly dressed, outgoing person and someone who enjoyed dancing.
“Just a nice lady. Very quiet, sociable. Always on the go,” neighbor Kevin Grayer told CNN affiliate WLS. “Just a happy person. Her personality was just wonderful.”
“She doesn’t deserve this,” Grayer said. “She was too good a person to die like that. That’s just sad.”