Former NFL player Sergio Brown is facing a murder charge after being arrested in connection with his mother’s death, Access Hollywood has learned.
Police in Maywood, Ill., confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that Brown was taken into custody in San Diego upon his return to the U.S. from Mexico and is awaiting extradition to Illinois. The athlete had been missing for nearly a month and was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant, the outlet reported.
The latest development comes after Brown’s mother, Myrtle Jean Simmons-Brown, was found dead near her Chicago-area home on Sept. 16, where Brown reportedly lived. She and her son had been reported missing earlier that day, per NBC News.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office told the outlet at the time that Simmons-Brown suffered “multiple injuries due to assault” and her death was investigated as a homicide.
Prior to Brown’s arrest, his brother, Nick, mourned their mother’s loss on Instagram and asked for anyone with information on Brown’s whereabouts to contact the Maywood authorities.
“It’s a sad but hopeful time, and we will all get through this together. Mom always told me, ‘tough times don’t last’ and our last conversation about tough times being temporary is my beacon of hope. Mom, thank you for being strong, caring, diligent, fancy, funny, and for saving my art. I won’t let you down,” he wrote in part, captioning a series of photos of his late mother.
In a new statement to NBC News from family representative Christian A. Conway, Esq., Simmons-Brown’s loved ones said they are “heartened” that Brown “has been apprehended and returned to the United States unharmed.” The family previously noted that they have not been in contact with the ex-footballer.
Brown played for teams including the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons after a college career at Notre Dame.
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