The increasingly odd tale of ex-Colts Sergio Brown and his murdered mother
An odd tale involving former Indianapolis Colts safety and Notre Dame football player Sergio Brown has captured the nation, as the 35-year-old Brown continues to elude police after the murder of his mother in Illinois over the weekend.
Myrtle Brown, 73, was found dead near a creek behind her suburban Chicago home Sunday. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said she was killed by "multiple injuries due to assault."
Since his mother's body was discovered, Brown has been considered a missing person, according to Maywood, Ill., police.
And in another strange twist, videos believed to be Brown have surfaced on social media, with one post to Instagram showing a person believed to be Brown saying, "fake news," though it's not clear whether he is referring to his mother's death.
In another video, allegedly of Brown, posted to his Instagram account, he claimed he was kidnapped by the FBI and that his mother was on vacation. In the videos he also rapped lyrics from a Drake song about dying. "Oh my god, oh my god, if I die, I’m a legend,” Sergio sang in the video to the song “Legend.”
Police told The Associated Press they were aware of the videos and were investigating the "authenticity" of the posts. They have declined to say whether Brown is a person of interest or suspect in connection with his mother's death.
Authorities became involved when a "concerned" family member filed a missing person report for both Brown and his mother Saturday. When police went to investigate, they found Myrtle Brown's deceased body less than 100 yards from her Maywood home.
After Myrtle Brown's death, her son, Nick Brown, made a plea on Facebook.
“Mom, thank you for being strong, caring, diligent, fancy, funny, and for saving my art. I won’t let you down," Nick Brown wrote. "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.”
Nick Brown asked anyone who had information to help locate his brother to call police.
Brown, who played for the Colts from 2012 to 2014, was a star defensive back at Notre Dame before he signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played seven seasons in the NFL with the Patriots, Colts, Jaguars and Bills. He played his final season with Buffalo in 2016.
'Once my mom reminded me, it just felt like it was right'
During his time with the Colts, Brown talked to IndyStar about his mother and how much she meant to him. He had lost his father to cancer in 2002.
As Brown was set to play in his first game for the Colts Oct. 5, 2014, he received a text from his mother.
"12 years to the day," Myrtle Brown wrote to her son. Brown told IndyStar, at the time, it took him a minute to soak in what his mother was saying. After being on the Colts roster since 2012, he was thinking more about getting to start for the team than the date.
Soon, he realized what his mother was saying. His father had died Oct. 5, 2002, exactly 12 years before.
"Brown went out and had one of the finest days of his career, filling in admirably for suspended free safety LaRon Landry. Brown made three tackles, sacked Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco on a critical fourth-down blitz deep in Indianapolis territory, and added a pass deflection," IndyStar reported after the game. "He was everywhere. He was a difference-maker."
After the game, Myrtle Brown told her son: "Your dad would have been proud of you."
"Once my mom reminded me, it just felt like it was right," Brown said. "Honestly, the more I thought about it, the more it gave me peace of mind. It made me feel like everything was going to be OK. It let me go out there and be free."
His father, Mario Brown, died from lung cancer that started slowly and then rapidly spread. Brown was a freshman in high school when his dad died. "Once the cancer reached the bone marrow, it was over," Brown said of his father's illness.
Mario Brown was the first Black basketball player at Texas A&M, and he played an enormous role in Sergio's life, Brown told IndyStar in 2014. His father was the dad that knew every kid on the block, the one who would teach them the proper jump shot and free throw form. He was the dad who pushed them to get their education and not take school for granted.
Just before kickoff of that Oct. 5, 2014, Colts game, Brown pulled aside then-head coach Chuck Pagano with a request. He wanted to honor his dad. He wanted to talk with the team. Pagano, a cancer survivor, gave Brown the OK.
"So immediately after the team prayer, and right before the Colts burst onto the field for introductions, Brown shared his story with his teammates and coaches. He told them what the day meant to him," IndyStar reported. He told them what his father meant to him.
"He spoke from the heart," cornerback Greg Toler said at the time. "You could tell how much of a big deal it was to him."
Anyone with information on Brown or his mother's murder are asked to call the Maywood police anonymous tip line at (708) 450-1787.
USA Today and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via e-mail: dbenbow@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Sergio Brown update: Ex-Indianapolis Colt and his murdered mother
