The aunt of former NFL player Sergio Brown has spoken out as authorities search for the 35-year-old Brown after his mother's body was discovered in a creek near her home.
Sheila Simmons, sister to Myrtle Simmons-Brown, said she last spoke to her sister on Thursday, Sept. 14.
Per her recount of the days leading up to the discovery of Myrtle's body, Simmons said, “We’re going to find out what happened because it’s not normal for my sister to not answer her phone, not to respond to text messages. People have been reaching out to her since Friday. No one was able to reach her."
She continued, "Now, I got the call this morning saying that she’s missing, so immediately I came out here and find out my sister is dead.”
Simmons said she first learned that her sister and nephew were missing on Saturday morning at approximately 3 a.m. after receiving a phone call, per WGN9. She did not reveal who the call was from, however.
Simmons said she went to her sister's Maywood home that morning and noticed that things seemed "out of the ordinary."
Myrtle’s next-door neighbor, Carlos Cortez, told CBS News, "She was an outstanding woman, and I'm hoping she's in the right place and she's with God. Like I said, I never would've expected this in a million years. You only watch this on TV. And to know this happened next door, it's a tragedy.”
Like Simmons, Cortez last saw Myrtle on Thursday, Sept. 14, according to CBS. He also told the outlet that
police had seen footage of Sergio on his Ring doorbell. "They seen him taking out the trash, and they seen him have a bonfire," he said.
Concern has grown for the former NFL player's health, as
Cortez claimed family members had told him that Sergio “wasn't himself the last few months. He was out of his mind.”