OCEANSIDE — Authorities have suspended physical search efforts on Palomar Mountain for Angelica Brophy, the 44-year-old registered nurse who has been missing for more than two weeks, though investigators say the case remains active.
Brophy, an Oceanside resident, wife and mother, was reported missing to the Oceanside Police Department on July 6. Three days later, her vehicle was found in a parking lot at Palomar Mountain State Park.
Authorities said Brophy was last seen at Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center around 3:30 p.m. that day. Surveillance footage later showed her entering the state park alone in her vehicle at about 4:20 p.m.
According to close friend and co-worker Alayna Johnson, Brophy dropped her daughter off at camp 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 at Kaiser Permanente in San Marcos.
“With her missing, a piece of all of us is missing,” Johnson previously told The Coast News.
Since Brophy’s vehicle was discovered, the search has involved California State Parks, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team and the San Diego Harbor Police Department.
Search crews combed the 1,862-acre state park between July 9 and July 14, searching on foot over multiple days while dive teams repeatedly searched a pond after investigators were unable to locate Brophy’s cellphone. 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 have ended for now.
“We are still investigating but a physical search coordinated by law enforcement at Palomar Mountain at this point is no longer happening at this time,” Avalos said.
Anyone with information about Brophy’s disappearance should contact Oceanside Police Detective Ryan Malone at 760-435-4537 or the department’s anonymous tip line at 760-435-4730.
