The urgent search for a California mother of two who vanished just hours after parking near a trail she was known to hike has now stretched into its second week.
Angelica Brophy, 44, an emergency room nurse from Oceanside, was last seen on July 6 after dropping her daughter off at a local camp, but she did not return later that day as expected.
Surveillance footage showed Brophy leaving Harrah’s Resort Southern California Casino at about 3.30pm, and a parking receipt later placed her at Palomar Mountain Skate Park roughly 50 minutes afterward.
Her family has not heard from her since she failed to pick up her daughter, and her vehicle was found at the skate park several days after she disappeared.
Relatives said Brophy often hiked in the area around the skate park with family members. When she did not come home, her husband first contacted her brother before calling police.
As the search intensified, investigators tried to locate Brophy through her cellphone, but authorities said the device was either switched off or had lost power.
Search-and-rescue crews have combed more than 1,800 acres in Palomar Mountain State Park since Brophy was reported missing. With no sign of the beloved mother, teams have recently concentrated their efforts around a pond inside the park.
‘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.’
A desperate search has been launched for California mother-of-two and nurse Angelica Brophy, who went missing after dropping her daughter off at a local Oceanside camp
Brophy, 44, pictured center, is an emergency room nurse from Oceanside, California. She was last placed near Palomar Mountain Skate Park where she was known to hike
Brophy’s car was found parked nearby at Doane Valley close to the Palomar State Mountain area (pictured)
‘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.
The family have been plastering North County with missing person posters for Brophy in the hopes somebody has seen her.
She was last seen wearing black leggings and a gray t-shirt, according to the poster.
Brophy’s relatives said she regularly hiked with them in the mountainous area where she vanished. Her husband called the police after she failed to return home
Brophy is a fit and healthy mother-of-two who often hiked in the area where she vanished
Brophy was described by her sister-in-law as a devoted mother-of-two who ‘loves life.’ She is pictured with her brother Rafael Fabregas
The beloved nurse works in the emergency room at Kaiser Hospital in San Marcos.
Oceanside Police said there is no indication of foul play in Brophy’s disappearance.
Detectives are also investigating Brophy’s time at the casino in the hours before she vanished.
Anyone with information about the case should call Oceanside Police at (760) 435-4900.
