MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS—— The mother of missing former NFL player Sergio Brown was found dead Saturday near a creek in a Chicago suburb, police said.
The Maywood Police Department said in a news release that Brown and his mother, Myrtle, were notified after their families said they were unable to find or contact them.
“Police Officer Maywood initiated a missing persons report and began an attempt to locate the two individuals,” the release reads.
Authorities searched a large area and found Myrtle’s unconscious body near a creek behind her home, according to the department.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Myrtle, 73, died of multiple injuries related to the attack and the manner of death was homicide, according to records obtained by CNN affiliate WBBM.
Sergio Brown, 35, played at Notre Dame before signing with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played seven seasons in the NFL with the Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.
The investigation is ongoing and Maywood police said anyone with information can call the anonymous tip line at 708-450-1787.
The lead investigator on the case, Dennis Diaz, did not respond to CNN’s request for more information.
CNN reached out to the families of Sergio and Myrtle Brown but did not immediately receive a response.
Video from WBBM showed police cordoning off a residential street in suburban Chicago as they responded.
“Myrtle, she was an outstanding woman and I hope she’s in the right place and she’s with God,” Myrtle Brown’s next-door neighbor Carlos Cortez told WBBM. “Like I said, I never in a million years expected anything like this to happen.”
CNN contributed to this report.
