Volunteers, first responders comb California woods for missing mom
First responders and volunteers have been searching through a dense and dangerous terrain in a California state park for nearly 10 days for a missing mother of two.
Angelica Brophy, of Oceanside, was last seen on July 6 and was reportedly in Palomar Mountain State Park, roughly 45 miles northeast of San Diego, according to the Oceanside Police Department.
Ramon Fabregas, Brophy's brother, told ABC affiliate KGTV Tuesday that several people have taken time to search the park in the hopes of finding his sister safe and sound.
"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," he told KGTV.
Brophy was seen dropping off her daughter at a camp on the morning of July 6 and later that day on surveillance cameras at Harrah's Resort in Valley Center, according to investigators.
A parking receipt showed her vehicle arrived at Palomar Mountain State Park at 4:20 p.m. on July 6, according to police. Brophy was reported missing that night, police said.
First responders found her car in a parking lot at the park three days later, according to police. Brophy's cell phone could not be pinged by investigators, indicating it either lost power or was turned off, according to investigators.
Investigators have found no evidence of foul play, police said Tuesday.
Due to the park's rugged terrain and extreme heat, first responders have had to use canines, horses and other specialized units to navigate steep canyons, cliffs, dense brush and poison oak, police said.
The terrain is also home to rattlesnakes and mountain lions, investigators said.
As first responders continued looking, a group of volunteers began searching trails Tuesday.
"I'm very humbled to see the search and rescue team from the sheriff's department, Oceanside PD out here doing the same thing. And that just makes you feel better that we're going to, we're going to find her soon," Fabregas told KGTV.
Among the volunteers was Amiee Smith, who told KGTV that she didn't know Brophy but was concerned.
"We just honestly want to help someone else, you know, and help another family in need that's missing their family member, and I would want people to do that for me, but I think that just kind of says something about humanity to the core," she told the station.
