Brother of NFL player Calais Campbell charged with murder after their mother is found dead

Ciarre Campbell, 41, was found in possession of a knife when officers performed a wellness check on the Campbell brothers’ mother in Atlanta.

Ciarre Campbell, the brother of longtime NFL player Calais Campbell, was arrested on aggravated assault and murder charges connected to the death of the Campbell brothers’ 71-year-old mother, Nateal.

Officers performing a wellness check on Nateal Campbell in Atlanta found her unresponsive around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with her throat cut. Ciarre, found with a knife in his possession, was taken to Fulton County Jail and held without bond.

Police released a 911 call related to the case, in which an unidentified man can be heard calling for a wellness check at a residence. The man told the dispatcher that he was outside his mother’s house with relatives and was attempting to get inside. The man added that he could see another brother, who is “mentally ill” and lives with their mother at the home. The brother told him that their mother had left, but according to a neighbor’s ring camera footage, she had not.

Before Tuesday, Atlanta police had received nine different calls for wellness checks and services at the home where Campbell’s mother and brother had stayed since September 2025 for several reasons, including a fight, a suspicious person, and more, per police records.

The Campbell family issued a statement related to the death of Nateal, asking for privacy while sharing the devastation of the loss of their matriarch.

“We are devastated to share that the Campbell Family has lost its matriarch, Mrs. Nateal Campbell,” the family statement read. “While the details of her passing are still being investigated, we take comfort in knowing she is reunited with our father, her beloved Chuck, and in the arms of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Calais Campbell, 39, is set to play his 19th NFL season this year with the Baltimore Ravens. A standout at the University of Miami, he was drafted in the second round in 2008 and has spent most of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Atlanta Falcons and the Miami Dolphins. He spent last year with the Cardinals before signing a one-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

Both the Ravens and Cardinals issued statements related to his mother’s death.

“We extend our deepest condolences and full support to Calais and his family during this difficult time. We ask that everyone please respect their privacy while they grieve from this heartbreaking loss,” the Ravens’ statement read.