The former N.F.L. defensive back Sergio Brown was taken into custody by the San Diego police on Tuesday in connection with the death of his mother last month, said the police in Maywood, Ill.
According to the police, Brown re-entered the country from Mexico and was being held in San Diego before extradition to Illinois, where he faces a first-degree murder charge. It was unclear how long he had been in Mexico.
His mother, Myrtle Brown, 73, was found dead after an assault left her with multiple injuries. Her body was discovered near a creek behind her home in Maywood, about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago.
Members of the Brown family had alerted the authorities after they were unable to reach Brown and his mother, the police said. He had been missing after her body was found.
A spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said last month that her death had been ruled a homicide.
Brown, 35, played for the University of Notre Dame before joining the New England Patriots as a defensive back in 2010. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars and played his final season in the 2016 season with the Buffalo Bills.
