The search for Amy Hillyard, the 52-year-old co-owner of Farley’s coffee shops in Oakland and San Francisco, remains active months after she disappeared from her Oakland neighborhood. Despite extensive searches involving law enforcement, volunteers, private investigators and community members, there has been no confirmed trace of Hillyard since she vanished on March 25, 2026. Authorities continue to classify her as an at-risk missing person because of medical circumstances and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Hillyard was initially reported missing after she was last seen leaving the area of the 500 block of Radnor Road in Oakland’s Cleveland Heights neighborhood, near Lake Merritt. Since then, investigators have expanded the timeline after reviewing surveillance footage and following public tips, but police say the case remains unresolved and there is no confirmed evidence of foul play at this stage.
Search efforts continue as investigators refine the timeline
When the search first began, Oakland police said Hillyard was last seen around 2 p.m. on March 25. As the investigation progressed, surveillance footage placed her later that afternoon in the Dimond Park area, prompting officers, neighboring agencies and hundreds of volunteers to search parks, trails and nearby open spaces.
Investigators continue reviewing security camera footage collected from homes and businesses while following up on public sightings. Police have repeatedly said every credible lead is being examined, although no major breakthrough has been announced.
Amy Hillyard is described as a white woman with blonde hair and hazel eyes, standing approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds. Later witness information suggests she may have been wearing a white T-shirt, light blue jeans and white sneakers with a black stripe when she disappeared.
Missing person investigations often depend heavily on witness accounts, surveillance footage and community support. Similar large-scale search operations have unfolded during the hunt for a missing man during Wellington’s flood emergency, where public tips played an important role in assisting authorities.
Bay Area community continues to support the family
Hillyard is widely known throughout the Bay Area through Farley’s, the family-owned coffee business she operates with her husband, Chris Hillyard. The original San Francisco cafĂ© opened in Potrero Hill in 1989 before the family expanded to Oakland, where Farley’s East has become a popular gathering place for local residents, students and professionals.
Friends, customers and fellow business owners have organized vigils, neighborhood searches and flyer campaigns to keep attention focused on the case. Volunteers have searched parks and surrounding neighborhoods while encouraging residents to review home security camera footage recorded on the day Hillyard disappeared.
The family has also retained private investigators to assist the official investigation and has offered a reward for information that leads to her safe return. Community leaders continue urging the public to remain alert and report anything that could help establish Hillyard’s movements.
Police say every piece of information could matter
Oakland police have not publicly disclosed the medical condition behind Hillyard’s at-risk classification, but family members have said she required medication, making the search especially urgent. Detectives continue asking anyone who was in the Cleveland Heights, Lake Merritt or Dimond Park areas on March 25 to check photographs, videos or surveillance footage that may help investigators reconstruct her movements.
Even details that appear insignificant can become valuable during a missing person investigation. Families often wait months for answers while investigators work to verify sightings and develop a complete timeline. A similar case involving Samuel McAlister’s nearly three-year search demonstrated how new evidence can emerge long after an investigation begins.
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Anyone with information about Amy Hillyard’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department Missing Persons Unit at (510) 238-3641. The latest official updates are available through the Oakland Police Department.














