A California mom-of-two has vanished after dropping her daughter off at summer camp more than a week ago.
Investigators say Angelica Brophy visited a casino in Valley Center on July 6 before traveling to Palomar Mountain State Park later that day but has not been seen since.
A huge effort to find the 44 year-old was launched, with the park and the surrounding area searched. On Tuesday, Oceanside Police Department said that its participation in a physical search for the mom was being paused, but her family is still waiting for answers.
“We are reaching the point where all available search and rescue resources have been utilized,” the department told Fox 5/KUSI.
The search so far has involved dive teams, the police department, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and community volunteers.
Below is everything we know so far.
Who is Angelica Brophy?
Brophy has been described as a dedicated mom-of-two and a hard-working ER nurse, as well as a keen hiker who had visited Palomar Mountain State Park previously.
The Oceanside mom works at Kaiser Permanente in San Marcos, where her colleague Ashley Seitz says she was known for bringing levity to tense moments while at work.
“She’s just a goof ball,” Seitz told NBC7. “She’s the goofball of the group. She is silly. She is fun.”
Brophy’s co-workers, her family and friends have all joined the effort to find her.
As the search continues, Brophy’s husband Brent has been caring for their children. Meanwhile, the couple’s friends have taken over talking to the media, Seitz told The U.S. Sun.
A vigil for Brophy was held last week at Lakeview Park in San Marcos, with one of her five brothers, Martin Fabregas, urging anyone with more information about the case to come forward.
A family statement read aloud at the vigil described Brophy as having “spent her life caring for others during their most difficult moments.”
Brophy’s last known movements
Seitz wrote on Facebook that the missing mom dropped her daughter off at a summer day camp in Oceanside at 9.30 a.m. on July 6. She was scheduled to work later at 7 p.m. in San Marcos.
The Oceanside Police Department confirmed in a press release that Brophy was at Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center at around 3.30 p.m. that same day.
Around 50 minutes later, she entered Palomar Mountain State Park after buying a parking ticket from park staff.
During a press conference, Oceanside Police Chief Taurino Valdovinos confirmed that Brophy entered the park alone. She was not seen again.
The mom was reported missing at around 9.30 p.m., police say.
Chief Valdovinos says that police have no evidence to suggest that foul play took place.
Clues as the search continues
Police say detectives pinged Brophy’s phone on July 8, but no information was returned. They believe the device is either turned off or is out of battery.
On July 9, Brophy’s vehicle was found in the Palomar Mountain State Park, although the mom was nowhere to be seen.
Seitz confirmed on Facebook that the mom’s purse, wallet, driver’s license, passport, phone and cash were all discovered inside the vehicle.
Brophy’s Apple Watch last pinged, near the car, which is how the vehicle was found, Seitz says.
California State Park officers, supported by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s Search and Rescue team, conducted searches on July 9, 10 and 11, police noted.
Dive team members with California State Parks and Port of San Diego Harbor Police searched a pond near Palomar Mountain State Park on July 12 and 13. The search ended with “negative results.”
Search efforts by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Team resumed on July 14.
There are more questions to answer, her friends and family say
Seitz told The U.S. Sun that her friend often carried her passport with her.
However, Seitz says that it is “odd” that Brophy would have left her phone behind.
“If she was going hiking, she’d normally have some kind of safety net,” she told the outlet. “Then again, maybe she’d had a bad day and wanted to clear her head…just leave everything behind and go for a walk.”
Rafael Fabregas, one of Brophy’s brothers, says that the family is considering “every possible outcome.”
The brother told NBC7: “She could be in need of rescue…she could be, you know, abducted.”
Rafael said that he does not believe that his sister would have caused harm to herself, though.
The Independent has contacted the Oceanside Police Department for comment.
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