Police in Illinois were searching for former NFL player Sergio Brown after his mother was found dead Saturday after suffering multiple injuries related to an assault near a creek behind their home, authorities said.
The Brown family alerted police after they were unable to reach any of them, the Maywood Police Department said in a news release.
“Maywood police officers initiated a missing persons report and began attempts to locate both individuals,” the release said.
Maywood, a village of about 23,000 residents, is located about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago.
The body of 73-year-old Myrtle Brown was discovered Saturday near a creek behind her home, police said.
Ms. Brown’s body was taken to the Cook County coroner’s office, according to Natalia Derevyanny, a spokeswoman for the office.
Ms Derevyanny said Ms Brown died from multiple injuries as a result of an attack and that her death had been ruled a homicide.
As of Monday morning, it was unclear whether authorities had gotten any closer to finding Mr. Brown or whether they had received new leads about his whereabouts.
Carmen Rivera, a public information officer for the Maywood Police Department, said Monday morning that she had no information about Mr. Brown beyond the initial news release on Saturday.
Nick Brown, Mr. Brown’s brother, asked the public on social media Sunday for help finding him.
“My brother Sergio is still missing,” Mr. Brown wrote on Instagram. “If anyone knows where he is, I want them to know that I love you and to please come home.”
Mr. Brown also said that his mother, Myrtle, always told him that “tough times don’t last.” He added: “Our recent conversation about how difficult times are temporary is a glimmer of hope for me.”
Police had been called to Brown’s home in the past, Carlos Cortez, a neighbor of the family, told WBBM, a local news station.
“Her family came and knocked on the door looking for her because they were filing a police report because she had been missing for 72 hours,” Mr. Cortez told WBBM. “So we tried to help them as much as we could.”
Mr. Cortez told authorities that he last saw the Browns on Thursday, according to WBBM, and also turned over video footage from his doorbell camera.
Mr. Brown, 35, played for the University of Notre Dame before joining the New England Patriots in 2010 as a defensive lineman.
He also played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars and finished his career with the Buffalo Bills during the 2016 season.