The former NFL player Sergio Brown has been taken into custody after the death of his mother in September.
Police in San Diego said he was held after entering the United States from Mexico on Tuesday. He is awaiting extradition to Maywood, Illinois, where the body of his mother, Myrtle, was found near her home last month. Police had issued a warrant for first-degree murder after her death was ruled a homicide.
Sergio and Myrtle Brown were reported missing in mid September. Myrtle’s body was later found in a creek near her home.
Days later someone who appeared to be Brown posted an incoherent video message to Instagram. The post tagged the message to Mexico. Neighbors told police the 35-year-old had been acting erratically before his disappearance.
Sources told CNN that police in Mexico had been aware of Brown’s whereabouts for a number of weeks and had taken him into custody before deporting him to the US.
In the days after Myrtle’s death, Brown’s brother Nick posted a tribute to his mother on social media and also mentioned his sibling. “My brother Sergio is still missing. If anyone knows where he is, I want him to know that I love you and please come home.”
Brown joined the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent from Notre Dame in 2010. He played seven seasons as a safety in the NFL, including stints at the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars. His final season came in 2016, when he played eight games for the Buffalo Bills.
