On March 25th, Amy Hillyard left her Oakland, California home and has not been seen since. The co-owner of Farley’s Coffeehouse left her house alone, without her phone or any other belongings, and is believed to have gone hiking. Now, six months later, new evidence has emerged and the search has been reignited, and the family is once again asking for anyone with information to come forward.
Farley’s has been around since the late-‘80s and is an institution in the Bay Area. It served as a sort of bridge coffee shop between the second and third waves. It was started by Roger Hillyard and later taken over by his son Chris and his wife Amy.
Per SFGate, Amy is described as an “avid hiker,” and when she went missing extensive searches were done along three hiking routes she was believed to have taken. And thanks to a “forensic deep dive” of her phone and computer by a private detective hired by the family, five potential new routes have been discovered. Rescue parties will begin searching them this weekend.
According to Steve Fischer, the private investigator hired by the family, Amy’s disappearance “is among the most perplexing cases he has worked on.” This is due primarily to the lack of footage leading up to her going missing. Her last confirmed appearance is from security footage of her leaving her house. Officials have looked through long-term security footage, from businesses like banks and temples, and she has yet to be spotted.
“This is a woman who walked away from a very populated area in Oakland and most likely going towards the hiking trails. Even as investigator, it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around this one,” Fischer tells SFGate. “This is not a case where she started at a trailhead in the wilderness, this is where she had to traverse through really populated area.”
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, husband Chris stated that Amy was “recovering from depression and anxiety when she disappeared.” According to her journal, Amy said hiking was a way to manage anxiety.
With new leads, the family is once again asking anyone with information on the disappearance of Amy Hillyard to come forward and are offering a $25,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to her safe return. Specifically residents in Cleveland Heights, Lake Merritt, the Lakeshore District, and Crocker Highlands are being asked to review any home security or camera footage from Wednesday, March 25, starting at 2:00 p.m.
Anyone with information can call the Oakland Police Department’s missing person unit at 510-238-3641.
For more information, visit BringAmyHome.com.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
