Sergio Brown, a former NFL player, made his first court appearance in Illinois on Wednesday, as he faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of his 73-year-old mother, Myrtle Brown. Her body was found last month near her suburban Chicago home.
Brown, 35, was formally charged Tuesday by Maywood police with first-degree murder and concealment of a dead body in the death of his mother. Earlier this month, Brown was extradited to Illinois after being arrested in Southern California as he tried to reenter the United States from Mexico.
The case began on September 16, when Sergio and Myrtle were reported missing by family members and law enforcement authorities. A search of their Maywood, Illinois, home ultimately led to the discovery of Myrtle’s body in a creek not far from the residence they shared. An autopsy revealed Myrtle had suffered several injuries from an assault, and her death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
On September 19, a Maywood police spokesperson told the Associated Press that police were aware of Instagram videos that appeared to show Brown discussing the recent death of his mother. One such video posted to an Instagram page that appeared to belong to Brown shows a man resembling Brown calling reports about the death of his 73-year-old mother “fake news.”
“Fake news, fake news, fake news. It has to be the FBI,” the man says in the rambling, expletive-filled video, in which he says he thought his mother “was on vacation” in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
In another video posted to the same account’s Instagram story, the man references the film “Finding Nemo,” repeating the movie’s famous line, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
Brown was initially apprehended on October 10 in San Diego, following a stay of over two weeks in Tijuana, Mexico. Brown later consented to extradition on October 12 and was transported back to Illinois. Myrtle Brown’s family issued a statement through an attorney following the news of Sergio Brown’s arrest:
“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.”
Brown was formally charged on October 24 in Maywood with first-degree murder and concealment of a dead body in the death of his mother.
During Brown’s initial court appearance Wednesday, a Cook County judge deemed Brown a threat to others, as well as a community and flight risk. As a result, Brown will remained detained. According to reports, Brown will be represented by a public defender. His next court date is November 22.
Sergio Brown, who graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood, played college football for Notre Dame before his time with the NFL. He played defensive back from 2010 through 2016 with the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.
This story is a tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Myrtle Brown. We hope that justice is served and that the truth is revealed in the coming weeks and months.
