Former NFL player Sergio Brown missing, mother found dead near Chicago, police say

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Former NFL player Sergio Brown is missing and his mother was found dead Saturday near a creek in a Chicago suburb, according to police.

Brown’s family and his mother, Myrtle, alerted police after saying they had been unable to find or contact any of them, the Maywood Police Department said in a news release.

“Maywood Police Officers initiated a missing person report and began attempting to locate both individuals,” the news release said.

Authorities searched a wide area and discovered 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 from multiple assault-related injuries, and that the manner of death was homicide, according to records obtained by CNN affiliate WBBM.

Sergio Brown, 35, played 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 the Buffalo Bills.

The investigation is ongoing and Maywood police say anyone with information can contact an anonymous tip line at 708-450-1787.

Dennis Díaz, the lead investigator on the case, did not respond to CNN’s request for additional information.

CNN reached out to family members of Sergio and Myrtle Brown, but did not immediately receive a response.

Video from WBBM showed police tape cordoning off a residential street in the Chicago suburb as police responded.

“Myrtle, she was an exceptional woman and I hope she is in the right place and with God,” Carlos Cortez, Myrtle Brown’s neighbor, told WBBM. “Like I said, I never would have expected this in a million years.”