![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/09/18/15/Ex-NFL_Player_Missing-Mother_Slain_38281.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp)
Former NFL player Sergio Brown allegedly burned his mother’s clothes before her body was discovered behind her Illinois home over the weekend, a neighbour has claimed.
Authorities in the village of Maywood continue looking for Mr Brown, 35, after his 73-year-old mother Myrtle Brown was found dead by homicide in the Addison Creek Reservoir on Sunday.
Mr Brown, who played for several NFL teams until his retirement in 2016, has purportedly posted bizarre videos claiming that he was kidnapped by the FBI and that his mother’s death was “fake news.”
Carlos Cortez, a neighbour of Myrtle Brown’s, told WBBM that he had given authorities Ring doorbell video in which Mr Brown is allegedly seen burning his mother’s clothes. The Maywood Police Department declined to comment on the allegations when reached by The Independent.
“They seen him taking out the trash, and they seen him have a bonfire where he burned all her clothes,” Mr Cortez said.
Mr Cortez also said that relatives told him Mr Brown had not been acting like himself lately but did not elaborate on what type of behaviour had given that impression.
“They said he wasn’t himself the last few months. He was out of his mind,” Mr Cortez told the outlet.
Mr Brown and his mother were reported missing on Saturday after relatives didn’t hear from them for over 72 hours. Myrtle’s sister and authorities then made the gruesome discovery on Sunday.
Myrtle Brown and her son Sergio Brown— (Myrtle Brown/Facebook)
“Myrtle, she was an outstanding woman, and I’m hoping she’s in the right place and she’s with God,” Mr Cortez told WBBM of his neighbour. “I never would’ve expected this in a million years.”
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Myrtle’s death was a homicide. According to records obtained by WGN-TV, she died from multiple unspecified assault injuries.
The Maywood Police Department has yet to name a person of interest or suspect in the investigation. The department said that it is aware of Mr Brown’s videos and they are being reviewed.
Anyone with information regarding Myrtle Brown’s murder or Sergio Brown’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Maywood Police Department Anonymous Tip Line at 708-450-1787.