Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown now in custody on murder charge in mother's death

CHICAGO -- Former NFL player Sergio Brown, whose mother was found dead last month near her suburban Chicago home, has been taken in custody by authorities in connection with the death, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Brown, who had traveled to Mexico, was deported Tuesday and taken into custody by US law enforcement officers near San Diego, the source said, based on an arrest warrant issued in Illinois. Police in San Diego are working to transfer Brown from Southern California to the Chicago area, the source said.

Brown is currently awaiting extradition to Maywood, Illinois, to face first-degree murder charges, the Maywood Police Department said in a news release.

Mexican law enforcement officers have known Brown's whereabouts since at least September 19, the source said, and deported him after authorities in Illinois finally obtained an arrest warrant pertaining to the death of Brown's mother.

Authorities discovered the body of 73-year-old Myrtle Brown last month after relatives alerted police they'd been unable to find or contact her or her son, Maywood police said.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office determined Myrtle Brown died from injuries related to an assault, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to spokesperson Natalia Derevyanny.

Sergio Brown, 35, played for Notre Dame before signing with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played seven seasons in the NFL as a member of the Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.

The-CNN-Wire & 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.