The mystery around a missing Southern California woman continues after authorities say human remains found near a 2,000-acre recreational area in northern San Diego County are not those of Angelica Brophy.
On Thursday, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office announced that a volunteer search-and-rescue team had unearthed the remains at Palomar Mountain State Park. They were found Wednesday afternoon in an embankment near the 33000 block of South Grade Road in Pauma Valley, less than three miles from the entrance of the state park.
Brophy, a mother of two and an Oceanside emergency room nurse, has been missing since July 6, and her vehicle was discovered in a parking lot within the recreation area.
Officials are actively investigating the identity of the remains, and the cause death will be determined by the county medical examiner’s office.
It’s unclear whether the remains belong to a man or woman, authorities said.
On the morning of July 6, a Tuesday, Brophy dropped her daughter off at summer camp in Oceanside, according to the Missing in America Network, a nonprofit that supports families of missing persons.
Later that day, around 3:30 p.m., surveillance footage captured the 44-year-old woman inside Harrah’s Resort Southern California in the community of Valley Center, about 35 miles east of Oceanside, according to the Oceanside Police Department. Almost an hour later, Brophy entered Palomar Mountain State Park. It’s believed she parked her Hyundai — which was found abandoned by authorities three days later — near Doane Pond, about two miles into the recreational area, after purchasing a parking pass.
Brophy is a hiker, and her Apple watch last pinged her at a trail head near the pond, according to the nonprofit support group.
Police contacted the woman’s cellphone carrier two days later to ping her phone, but the company was unable to provide any information on the location of Brophy’s device.
Authorities searched for her within the state park from July 9 to 11 to no avail. On July 12, dive team members with California State Parks searched Doane Pond but did not find her.
In addition to state parks personnel, several agencies have collaborated to comb through the park for Brophy including the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team; the U.S. Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue Team; and the Oceanside Police Department. Canine teams also have been used in the search through steep canyons and dense vegetation.
“Throughout the investigation, detectives have continued to pursue newly developed leads,” Oceanside police stated. “As a result, three additional searches were conducted within Palomar Mountain State Park based on potential investigative leads.”
Despite these efforts, Brophy remains missing.
Oceanside Police Chief Taurino Valdovinos said, at this point in the investigation, there is no evidence of foul play.
“We will continue to work closely with the Brophy family to locate Angelica,” Valdovinos said.
Brophy is described by the Missing in America Network as a seasoned hiker, runner and world traveler. Palomar Mountain State Park is a recreational area that she frequented “to get her steps in on the trails,” the organization stated.
Brophy’s brother Ramon Fabregas was a part of volunteer efforts to search the state park for his sister last month.
The Times reached out to Fabregas for comment but did not hear back before publication.
He told ABC News affiliate KGTV, “We are out here with volunteers, with friends and family just doing our own search, and we are just going to keep on pushing until we find her.”
Fabregas expressed his gratitude for the work the county sheriff’s search and rescue team was conducting, saying, “That just makes you feel better that we’re going to, we’re going to find her soon.”
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