Mystery as nurse mom-of-two who ‘loves life’ vanishes after going to casino then parking her car at favorite hiking spot
The desperate search for a California mother-of-two who went missing hours after parking her car close to a trail where she often hiked has entered its second week.
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.
Footage saw Brophy leaving the Harrah’s Resort Southern California Casino at around 3.30pm, before a parking slip placed her at Palomar Mountain Skate Park about 50 minutes later.
Brophy hasn’t been heard from by her family since she failed to pick up her daughter, as her car was discovered at the skate park days later.
Her relatives said she regularly hiked with them around the skate park, but after she didn’t return home, her husband called first Brophy’s brother and then the police.
As a frantic search ensued, detectives attempted to ping Brophy’s cellphone, but it was either turned off or had run out of battery.
Search and rescue teams have been scouting across over 1,800 acres in Palomar Mountain State Park ever since Brophy disappeared. With no trace of the beloved mother, efforts have focused on a pond in 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.’
‘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.
