Police now say Chantel Brooks did not simply vanish; they believe someone made her disappear.
Story Snapshot
- Fairfield police say foul play is involved in the disappearance of Chantel Brooks.
- Investigators served dozens of search warrants and ran large-scale ground and drone searches.
- Brooks was last seen in Fairfield on July 17 after leaving work in San Francisco.
- Her black 2021 Infiniti SUV pinged an automated camera in Oakland and is still missing.
Police elevate the case after an intense month of searching
Fairfield Police Department leaders said they believe foul play is involved in the disappearance of 36-year-old Chantel Brooks. Lieutenant Kelly Rombach said the department remains in active investigation mode and tied the conclusion to what detectives learned over weeks of work.
Police described a surge of search activity. They executed dozens of search warrants and conducted multiple ground searches with search-and-rescue teams. They also flew extensive aerial drone grid searches across key areas.
Detectives also coordinated with the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. That link signals prosecutors are tracking the case as evidence develops. The department asked the public to send tips to a dedicated case email and to report any information about Brooks or her vehicle.
Police have not released the specific facts that led to the foul-play call. That caution is standard during an open probe where leads can dry up if details leak.
The last confirmed movements on the night she vanished
Reporters outlined a tight timeline from the night Chantel went missing. She finished a late shift in San Francisco in the 700 block of Eddy Street and then appeared on camera in Fairfield.
At about 1:45 a.m. on July 17, surveillance showed her approaching her vehicle in a CVS parking lot in the 300 block of East Travis Boulevard. That sighting became the anchor point for her last known movements as police mapped the route and pulled video along the way.
Investigators then tracked her vehicle’s trail with automated license plate cameras. Her black 2021 Infiniti sport utility vehicle was later detected by a Flock Safety camera system in Oakland. Police have not recovered the car.
Automated license plate readers scan plates and flag hits in real time. They are common in missing-person searches and help stitch together movement between cities when witnesses are scarce.
Why foul play is a working theory in cases like this
Law enforcement often treats adult disappearances as suspicious until facts show otherwise. That is by design. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) training on no-body cases stresses building a picture of the victim’s routine, money trail, messages, and movements to spot breaks that point to crime.
Fairfield detectives appear to be following that playbook. The scope of warrants and search activity suggests they are testing a theory, not guessing. When that many tools come out, leadership sees more than a missed call. Public disclosure usually lags behind the work. Releasing the evidence too soon can tip off a person of interest or taint future jury pools.
What to watch next and how the public can help
The next clear milestones are concrete. First, the recovery of her vehicle would provide forensic evidence, location data, and a new search radius. Second, any public filing, such as a warrant return or evidence inventory, could reveal what triggered the foul-play call.
Third, a fuller video chain from San Francisco to Fairfield could confirm who was driving and when that changed, if it did. Each step would tighten the timeline and either point to a suspect or rule out blind alleys.
Police in Fairfield, California, said they believe "foul play" is involved in the disappearance of 36-year-old Chantel Brooks, who went missing a month ago after she left her work at a hotel in San Francisco. https://t.co/0OvAIL83Y9
— ABC News (@ABC) August 19, 2026
Police urged anyone who saw Chantel near the Fairfield CVS around 1:45 a.m. on July 17, or who saw her black 2021 Infiniti sport utility vehicle afterward, to come forward.
Even small details help, like a license plate sighting, a dashcam clip, or a credit card timestamp at a nearby gas station. Cases like this often break because a regular person notices one odd thing at the right time. If you know something, say something today.
Sources:
abcnews.com, abc7news.com, fox40.com
