Chilling Photos: Newly released images of missing nurse Angelica Brophy’s car reveal unusual items left behind as the search enters its third week
NEW photos show what was left behind in the car of a mom of two who vanished after leaving her vehicle at a California state park.
Angelica Brophy, 44, disappeared after she drove to Palomar Mountain State Park following a trip to a nearby casino on July 6 and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
Brophy dropped her daughter off for summer camp on July 6 and was later spotted on a surveillance camera leaving Harrah’s Resort in Southern California, a four star hotel and casino, around 3:40pm.
She then drove to Palomar Mountain State Park, where her parking receipt showed she arrived at 4:20pm.
Brophy’s husband reported her missing around 9:30pm that night after she failed to show up to her schedule shift at a local hospital at 7pm, where she works as an emergency room nurse.
Her gray SUV was found three days later abandoned in the parking lot of Palomar Mountain State Park.
Photos have since been released of the contents of her vehicle as it still remained in the parking spot she left it on July 15.
Her parking receipt could be seen taped to the front windshield of her car, where it showed she paid the $10 rate for the day pass at 4:20pm.
A Hydro Flask reusable water bottle with a pink straw topper was seen in the cupholder in the front of the car, and a white shirt was visible on the driver’s seat.
In the back seat there was a blue object possibly resembling a bodyboard one might take to the beach.
There also appeared to have been a phone charger in the car and a pink case on the passenger seat.
The Oceanside Police Department confirmed that Brophy arrived at the park alone.
In a Facebook group called Angelica Brophy Home, Brophy’s coworker and friend Ashley Seitz said Brophy’s phone, wallet, purse, driver’s license, passport and cash were also found inside of the car.
Seitz said that it is common for Brophy to carry her passport on her, but said it was deeply “concerning” and “perplexing” that she would leave the rest of her belongings behind.
“I think it’s odd. Leaving the wallet isn’t that strange, but leaving her phone? She’s smart,” she said.
“If she was going hiking, she’d normally have some kind of safety net. Then again, maybe she’d had a bad day and wanted to clear her head — just leave everything behind and go for a walk.”
A massive search for Brophy ensued, with volunteers, search and rescue teams, police officers, K-9 teams and drones combing the area of Palomar Mountain State Park.
Police said they tried to ping Brophy’s phone but weren’t able to locate it, leaving them to believe it had either been shut off or the battery died.
Ground searches and dive operations have been conducted, where officials searched a pond in the park but did not make any discoveries.
Brophy’s friend said her Apple Watch pinged near a trailhead beyond where the car was parked, which helped them find her car, but the watch has reportedly not been recovered.
Her friend told Fox affiliate KUSI that while Brophy is an avid hiker, she finds the circumstances surrounding her last known movements unusual.
“She has hiked a lot with one of our other friends, but never under these sort of circumstances. I mean, alone, without telling anyone,” she said.
Martin Fabregas, one of Brophy’s brothers, said the family has organized its own search parties and family members have traveled far to help search for their missing loved one and distribute flyers.
“I live in Toronto but flew over as soon as I heard,” he told The U.S. Sun.
“I can’t believe what is happening but we will do everything to find my sister.
“It’s a wait and see. I don’t want to go to dark places. We’re trying to encourage everybody to stay positive, stay strong.”
In an update on July 14, Oceanside Chief of Police Taurino Valdovinos said they were treating Brophy’s case as an open investigation.
Valdovinos said there was no evidence of foul play and that they were continuing to work with local agencies and the family in the search efforts.
The Oceanside Police Department has asked anyone with information to contact them at 760-435-4900.
You can watch The U.S. Sun’s breakdown of Angelica Brophy’s last movements on our YouTube channel.
