Friends Speak Out: Angelica Brophy’s friends reveal the first alarming warning signs after the missing mother never showed up for work
A FRIEND of a missing nurse and mom of two has spoken out about a warning sign she noticed after the 44-year-old vanished on July 6 and has yet to be seen since.
Angelica Brophy, 44, drove to a state park after making a trip to Harrah’s Resort in Southern California before she disappeared.
Brophy was last seen on surveillance camera leaving the casino resort around 3:40pm on July 6 before heading toward Palomar Mountain State Park, where her parking receipt showed she arrived at 4:20pm.
Brophy, an emergency room nurse, did not return home that night and failed to show up for work, which prompted her husband to report her missing around 9:30pm.
Three days later her car was found abandoned in a parking lot at the state park and a massive search effort ensued, involving deputies, drones, K-9 teams, volunteers and search-and-rescue teams.
Police were unable to ping the mom of two’s phone, and believe it either had a dead battery or was switched off.
Search efforts have continued in the days since, and now co-workers of hers are speaking out about the night she vanished.
“I showed up for work Monday night, and she did not. I reached out to another one of the girls from our group, and she hadn’t heard from her either,” a friend and fellow nightshift nurse told Fox affiliate KUSI.
“Then I found out that her husband was contacting the hospital to see if she had shown up for work, and that’s kinda when the alarm was sounded.”
The friend said Brophy is an avid hiker, but said the circumstances of the last moments she was seen are 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.
Oceanside Police Department Chief of Police Taurino Valdovinos said on Tuesday they are treating the case as an open investigation until the 44-year-old is found.
He also said there is no evidence of foul play at this time and that the department will continue to work with the family and local agencies in conducting search efforts.
“We don’t really know what we’re supposed to do, and no one guides you,” Brophy’s friend told KUSI.
California officials searched a pond at Palomar Mountain State Park but have not found BrophyCredit: NBC San Diego
“So, at this point, we’re sort of taking a grassroots effort to try to find other areas to search.”
On Sunday, divers from California State Parks searched a pond at the Palomar Mountain State Park, but did not find anything
The search of the pond resumed on Monday with the assistance of San Diego Harbor Police officers, but efforts were again unsuccessful.
“Going forward, we will continue to work with the California State Park team and the San Diego County search and rescue team, as well as the Brophy family to continue our search for Angelica,” Valdovinos said.
Brophy’s brother Martin Fabregas told The U.S. Sun that the family has organized its own search parties to bring their loved one home.
“I live in Toronto but flew over as soon as I heard,” Fabregas said.
“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.”
Manny Fabregas, another brother of Brophy’s, said the family has been struggling with the uncertainty surrounding her disappearance.
“We’re all in a state of limbo right now and it’s hard to move on without any leads,” he said.
