Three weeks after his mom’s body was found in a creek bed, and a week after he was recorded partying in Mexico and posting bizarre rants on social media, former NFL star Sergio Brown has been arrested south of the border and deported, a San Diego County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast on Wednesday.
Online records show Brown, 35, was being held Wednesday without bail in San Diego on a felony charge. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday morning.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, the Maywood Police Department in Illinois said Brown was arrested for the first-degree murder of his 73-year-old mother, Myrtle Brown. He was in the process of being extradited to Illinois, where the alleged murder occurred last month.
Maywood Police said Brown was nabbed as he tried to re-enter the United States near San Diego.
Citing a source, CNN reported Wednesday that Brown’s whereabouts were being tracked by Mexican law enforcement since Sept. 19. He was initially listed as a missing person in Maywood, but suspicions were raised after he posted a bizarre video to Instagram calling his mom’s death “fake news” masterminded by the FBI, whose agents he claimed had “kidnapped” him multiple times.
“It had to be the FBI or the Maywood police,” Brown said. “I thought my mama was on vacation in Sinaloa… That’s fucking fake news, get the fuck out my goddamn of my face.”
The video was posted and quickly deleted, possibly because it had a Mexico City location tag, Deadspin reported. It was then uploaded again to the same account’s story.
Myrtle Brown was found in a creek bed not far from her home after concerned family members, having not heard from her or Sergio Brown, called 911 on Sept. 16 to request a welfare check.
A medical examiner in Cook County determined she died from injuries sustained in an assault. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Shortly after, Nick Brown, who identified himself as Sergio’s brother, posted a plea to Instagram asking for answers about his mom’s killing and brother’s supposed disappearance.
“My brother Sergio is still missing,” he wrote. “If anyone knows where he is I want him to know that I love you and please come home.”
Nick Brown has regularly posted about his mom and brother ever since. On Sunday afternoon, he criticized Illinois authorities on Facebook and noted that his brother was still missing, despite reports emerging that he was seen dancing in Mexico.
“It’s really sad, at this stage, that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is not upholding public safety or justice for my mom, Myrtle Jean Simmons-Brown,” he wrote. “My mom is gone, my dad is gone, and my brother is missing. It’s not about saving face it’s about saving justice.”
Nick Brown and a Brown family attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast. Myrtle’s sister, Sheila Simmons, shared a statement from the family on her Facebook.
“Our family is thankful that the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office answered our call for urgent and immediate action in the case of our beloved Myrtle Jean Simmons-Brown,” the statement said. “We are also heartened by the news that Sergio Brown has been apprehended and returned to the United States unharmed. Our family is prayerful that, as the investigation progresses, more answers will become available, shedding light on the circumstances surrounding this heartbreaking incident.”
Sergio Brown retired from football in 2017 after a seven-season career where he played for the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Notre Dame.
Concerns about Brown’s mental health had been swirling in the months prior to his mom’s slaying. One of his neighbors told CBS News Chicago that family members had talked about him acting erratically.
“They said he wasn’t himself the last few months,” Carlos Cortez said. “He was out of his mind.”
Cortez said he witnessed some weirdness himself, adding that he turned over surveillance footage to investigators that showed Brown acting strange outside his home. Despite that behavior, Coretz said he was still shocked when cops found Myrtle Brown’s body.
“She was an outstanding woman, and I’m hoping she’s in the right place and she’s with God,” he said. “Like I said, I never would’ve expected this in a million years. You only watch this on TV. And to know this happened next door, it’s a tragedy.”
