OCEANSIDE — Dive teams resumed search efforts Monday at Palomar Mountain State Park as authorities continue searching for Angelica Brophy, an Oceanside woman who has been missing since July 6.
Brophy, a registered nurse and mother, was reported missing to the Oceanside Police Department at 9:30 p.m. last Monday evening. Investigators said she was last seen around 3:30 p.m. that day at Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center.
According to police, detectives began following up on leads the following day. On July 8, investigators attempted to ping Brophy’s cellphone, but were unsuccessful, indicating the phone was either turned off or its battery was dead.
On July 9, Brophy’s unoccupied vehicle was found in the parking lot of Palomar Mountain State Park. That discovery prompted search efforts by California State Parks and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team.
Search crews combed the area July 9 from 7 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., July 10 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and July 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but found no sign of Brophy.
On Sunday, a California State Parks dive team began searching a pond within the 1,862-acre state park. The initial search was unsuccessful, and divers returned Monday with assistance from the San Diego Harbor Police Department.
According to close friend and co-worker Alayna Johnson, Brophy dropped her daughter off at camp on the morning she disappeared and was expected to return that afternoon to pick her up. She also failed to report for her scheduled shift later that evening.
Johnson, who has been helping coordinate search efforts, said Brophy’s husband has worked tirelessly to bring his wife home.
“We have been working with him and her brothers to share all information so we can come up with any possible leads,” Johnson said. “He is also doing everything he can to remain strong and make sure their kids are comforted during this time. As difficult as this is for me, I can’t even imagine how difficult this must be for him.”
Johnson said she and Brophy became close during the past three years while working together as registered nurses in the emergency department at Kaiser Permanente San Marcos.
“She has become one of my closest friends, and I absolutely love her,” she said. “We would always schedule our breaks together and then find a quiet space to sit and talk about everything.
“Depending on life’s circumstances at the moment, we would laugh or cry or simply act like goofballs,” she continued. “She is the person I would go to with any struggles, and she would always give the most love and support and the best advice, all without judgement.”
Outside of work, the two friends regularly hiked together, went to the movies and attended Padres games. They are also members of a close-knit, five-person group of emergency department nurses who call themselves the “TacoBellas,” a nod to the Taco Bell meals they often shared after overnight shifts.
“With her missing, a piece of all of us is missing,” Johnson said. “We are heartbroken.”
Anyone with information about Brophy’s disappearance or whereabouts is asked to contact Oceanside Police Detective Ryan Malone at 760-435-4537 or the department’s Anonymous Tip Line at 760-435-4730.
Editor’s Note: The Coast News previously reported that Brophy dropped her daughter off at camp on Palomar Mountain, but that was not the case. We regret the error.
