A colleague of missing California emergency room nurse Angelica Brophy has described the moment concern turned to alarm, as the search for the mother of two moves into an increasingly urgent phase.
Brophy, 44, an ER nurse from Oceanside, was last seen on July 6 after dropping her daughter off at a local camp. She never came back later that day.
Her disappearance sparked an intensive search after her car was found near Palomar Mountain Skate Park, an area where she was known to go hiking.
A friend and co-worker at Kaiser Hospital in San Marcos said she knew something was wrong when Brophy failed to arrive for her night shift on the evening she vanished.
‘We’re both nightshift nurses,’ she told Fox 5. ‘I showed up for work Monday night, and she did not.’
‘I reached out to another one of the girls from our group, and she hadn’t heard from her either. Then I found out that her husband was contacting the hospital to see if she had shown up for work, and that’s kinda when the alarm was sounded,’ she continued.
Brophy was reported missing to the Oceanside Police Department at around 9.30pm that same day, prompting a frantic effort to find her.
More than a week later, search teams have still not found any sign of Brophy.
Angelica Brophy, 44, an emergency room nurse from Oceanside, was last seen dropping off her daughter at a local camp on July 6, but she never returned later that day
Brophy was reported missing that same day at around 9.30pm to the Oceanside Police Department and the frantic search began
Her family have since been plastering North County with missing person posters for Brophy in the hopes that somebody has seen her
OPD Chief of Police Taurino Valdovinos said there is currently no evidence pointing to foul play in Brophy’s disappearance.
But her heartbroken family and friends are left wondering and hoping that Brophy will return to them alive and well.
‘We don’t really know what we’re supposed to do, and no one guides you,’ her co-worker continued.
‘So, at this point, we’re sort of taking a grassroots effort to try and find other areas to search.’
Much of the efforts to find Brophy have been concentrated on Palomar Mountain Skate Park, where her vehicle was found. Her relatives said she regularly hiked with them around the area.
A parking ticket placed her at the skate park around 50 minutes after she was last seen on security footage leaving the Harrah’s Resort Southern California Casino at around 3.30pm on July 6.
After she didn’t return home and failed to collect her daughter from camp, her husband called Brophy’s brother and then the police.
Her family have since been plastering North County with missing person posters for Brophy in the hopes that somebody has seen her.
Much of the efforts to find Brophy have been concentrated on Palomar Mountain Skate Park, where her vehicle was found. Her relatives said she regularly hiked with them around the area
A parking ticket placed her at the skate park around 50 minutes after she was last seen on security footage leaving the Harrah’s Resort Southern California Casino at around 3.30pm on July 6
Miki Melendez, a friend of Brophy’s seen above, wrote on Facebook that Brophy ‘has the biggest heart, super caring and generous’
She was last seen wearing black leggings and a gray t-shirt, according to the poster.
‘She loves life and we really just need her back,’ her sister-in-law Lisa Fabregas told NBC San Diego. ‘She is one of the most wonderful, thoughtful women that I know. She’s a very good mom. She will do anything for her children.’
‘She is funny and kooky, and will sing at the top of her lungs and will not have one note in tune, but she does not care,’ she added.
Manny Fabregas, one of Brophy’s five older brothers, said the family is desperately waiting on any information about her whereabouts.
‘We’re all in a state of limbo right now and it’s hard to move on without any leads,’ he told NBC News.
Another brother, Martin Fabregas, said he is trying hard not to let his mind wander into ‘dark places.’
‘It’s a wait-and-see. We’re trying to encourage everybody to stay positive, stay strong,’ he told the outlet.
Ramon Fabregas, another of Brophy’s brothers, told KGTV that many community members have been searching the park as well in hopes of finding her.
Manny Fabregas, one of Brophy’s five older brothers, said the family is desperately waiting on any information about her whereabouts
Community members held a vigil in San Marcos on Wednesday evening, praying for Brophy’s safe return
‘We are out here with volunteers, with friends and family just doing out own search, and we are just going to keep on pushing until we find her,’ he told the outlet.
‘I’m very humbled to see the search and rescue team from the sheriff’s department, Oceanside PD out here doing the same thing. And that just makes you feel better that we’re going to, we’re going to find her soon.’
Community members held a vigil in San Marcos on Wednesday evening, praying for Brophy’s safe return, Fox 5 reported.
Miki Melendez, a friend of Brophy’s, wrote on Facebook that Brophy ‘has the biggest heart, super caring and generous.’
‘[She] has the best smile, adventurous spirit, lover of music, sports, the outdoors and good food. Supportive friend and mom,’ she added.
Carina Hofmann, another friend, wrote: ‘This is my nursing school friend. We even got our first nursing job together on the same unit on night shift. We helped each other get through that first year and leaned on each other through some of our most difficult times.
‘Angelica is truly a kind loving person and an amazing nurse.’
Anyone with information on Brophy’s whereabouts is asked to contact Oceanside Police Detective Ryan Malone at 760-435-4537 or the Anonymous Tip Line at 760-435-4730.
