Former NFL player Louis Nix was found dead days after he was reported missing.
The ex-Notre Dame football standout's body was recovered Saturday, ESPN confirmed. He was last seen on Tuesday leaving his father's home in Jacksonville, Florida. Family members grew concerned when they were unable to reach Nix and reported him missing on Wednesday.
"Can’t call him because voice mail is full and people he talks to daily have not heard from him. Not like him," Nix's mother, Stephanie Wingfield, told media, per Fox News.
Nix was a third-round pick in 2014 for the NFL’s Houston Texans.
On Saturday evening the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office issued a statement saying that Nix had been located but no information about his condition was released. The announcement came after a vehicle matching the description of Nix's Hyundai Azera sedan was discovered in a retention pond, reported The Florida Times-Union.
Wingfield told the outlet police had offered very little information about her son.
"They did say that it didn't look like foul play," she said.
Wingfield said that, despite initial reports, the 29-year-old former Raines High School defensive lineman's body was not found in or near his car but at an undisclosed location.
"The last location that his phone pinged was right there, which is why they searched the lake area for him," she said of the investigation. "They didn't say where he was. They just said they located him but couldn't tell me anything except sorry for my loss. And I just lost it," she continued.
In December Nix was injured in a shooting at a gas station near the Jacksonville airport. A bullet reportedly ricocheted off his sternum and went into his lung. He spent several days in hospital. Wingfield said Nix may have suffered a medical emergency related to the incident but until an autopsy has been conducted, it remains a mystery.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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