Police are still looking for former NFL player Sergio Brown after both he and his 73-year-old mother Myrtle Brown were reported missing on Saturday.
A day later, Myrtle was discovered dead with no sign of Sergio, 35. As of Monday, the search for the former Buffalo Bills player continues.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office told NBC News that Myrtle died from “multiple injuries due to assault” and her death has been characterized as a homicide.
She was found near a creek behind her home in Maywood, Ill., just outside Chicago.
Family members of the Browns called police on Saturday to report that they couldn’t find or get a hold of the mother and son.
Myrtle’s sister Sheila Simmons told WGN9 that she last spoke to her sister on Thursday, but when people tried contacting Myrtle on Friday, no one could get through.
“It’s not normal for my sister to not answer her phone, not to respond to text messages. People have been reaching out to her since Friday. No one was able to reach her.”
Simmons says she helped police search Myrtle’s residence on Saturday and noticed things in the house were out of the ordinary. She also helped search the creek behind the house with police, though initially, nothing was found.
Simmons and other family members went back later in the day to the home and that’s when they discovered Myrtle’s body in the creek, she said.
Officers with the Maywood Police Department say they’re still trying to locate Sergio.
Nick Brown, Sergio’s brother and Myrtle’s son, is asking anyone who may know of his brother’s whereabouts to contact police.
“I want him to know that I love you and please come home,” Nick wrote in a Facebook post.
Nick remembered his mom as a “strong, caring, diligent, fancy, (and) funny” woman.
“Mom always told me, ‘tough times don’t last’ and our last conversation about tough times being temporary is my beacon of hope,” he wrote.
Sergio played seven seasons in the NFL from 2010 to 2017 as a safety. He was first signed by the New England Patriots and his last season was spent with the Buffalo Bills. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts.
Sergio played high school football in Maywood before attending the University of Notre Dame.
The search is ongoing.