OCEANSIDE — Family and friends of an Oceanside woman who has been missing for more than three weeks are continuing to search areas of Palomar Mountain and are asking the public to share any information about her whereabouts.
Angelica Brophy, a 44-year-old wife, mother and registered nurse, has been missing since July 6. Oceanside Police detectives attempted to ping her phone, but it did not provide a location, indicating it was either turned off or had lost power.
Her car was found three days later, on July 9, in a parking lot near the Doane Pond trailhead. According to FindAngelicaBrophy.com, a website dedicated to finding her, Brophy’s husband, Brent Brophy, used her old phone and saw her Apple Watch’s last known location at the trailhead.
Brent Brophy then notified his wife’s brother, who was already searching nearby. Angelica Brophy’s brother found the car and alerted a park employee.
According to her family, Brophy frequently hiked trails in the state park.
Authorities said Brophy was last seen on surveillance cameras at Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center around 3:30 p.m. on July 6. Park records showed she entered Palomar Mountain State Park about 50 minutes later.
Crews from California State Parks, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team, and the San Diego Harbor Police Department searched the 1,862-acre state park between July 9 and July 14. Teams searched on foot over multiple days while dive teams repeatedly searched a pond.
Despite the extensive effort, authorities found no sign of her.
On July 20, Oceanside Police spokesperson Gina Avalos said the department had no new information but confirmed that organized ground searches had ended for now while the investigation remains ongoing.
Martin Fabregas, one of Brophy’s brothers, shared in a July 22 Facebook update that there were at least three additional areas on the mountain the family planned to continue searching.
In another update on July 27, Fabregas said the family had not started a GoFundMe or any other fundraising campaign to support the search for Brophy. He cautioned anyone who came across such a post that it was not approved by the family.
“Our priority is to bring Angelica back,” Fabregas continued. “As we enter the fourth week of her disappearance, we once again make this plea for any information that will help us find her.”
Alayna Johnson, Brophy’s close friend and fellow registered nurse at Kaiser Permanente San Marcos, said she spent 15 hours last week searching for her and will be up there again this week as well. She continues to coordinate with her family’s efforts and search for leads.
“Some of our search efforts are repeating areas that have been done, essentially to check it off for ourselves, while others are focusing on areas that haven’t been searched even though we don’t necessarily believe she would have made it out there,” Johnson explained.
Johnson said a number of other volunteers are searching on their own as well.
“We ask anyone searching to record their path on AllTrails, Caltopo, or the like so we can import it into a map and keep better track of what has been searched,” Johnson said.
Johnson said they are also working with outside investigators to retrace Brophy’s steps and search for missed clues.
Johnson said she has been devastated since her friend has gone missing and has started journaling everything she wants to say to her in person.
“Decisions feel impossible because nothing feels right,” Johnson said. “In everything, I keep Angelica at the forefront of my mind and attempt to navigate this process from a place of love and honor for the beautiful soul she is.”
Signs about Brophy’s disappearance have been posted throughout Palomar Mountain, including in the state park and at nearby Cleveland National Forest campgrounds.
Fabregas urged people to check their vehicle dashcams, hiking or camping photos, and anything else that could help locate her. He also said she may have been carrying a backpack with pink pineapples on a blue background.
Brophy is believed to have been wearing black leggings, a light gray quarter-zip pullover and white running shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Oceanside Police Tip Line at 760-435-4730, email [email protected] or submit a tip at FindAngelicaBrophy.com.
