California Coffee Shop Co-Owner Vanishes, Police Say She’s Believed to Be At-Risk

A coffee shop co-owner in California has been reported missing after she vanished, and police said they believe she could be at-risk.

The Oakland Police Department announced that 52-year-old Amy Hillyard was last seen around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, on the 500 block of Radnor Road. Authorities added that Hillyard is at-risk due to undisclosed medical conditions.

Hillyard co-owns Farley’s East coffee shop with her husband, Chris Hillyard, in downtown Oakland, as well as Farley’s in San Francisco.

Police said that Hillyard stands at 5-foot-4 tall and weighs 120 pounds. She has blonde hair and hazel eyes. Additionally, she was reportedly last seen wearing a tan-colored top and matching tan pants.

Authorities have asked that anyone who may have information regarding Hillyard’s whereabouts contact the department’s Missing Persons’ Unit at (510) 238-3641.

It is not currently clear if police have any indication of where Hillyard might be or what may have happened to her.

Shortly after Hillyard was reported missing, Farley’s East took to Instagram on Thursday, March 26, to reflect on the scary situation.

“Our hearts go out to Amy and her family and friends during this difficult time. She has been a passionate and active member of the Oakland community for 20+ years. We hope that she returns safely and we appreciate any information,” the coffee shop wrote alongside a missing person’s poster with her information.

Hillyard’s loved ones, neighbors and strangers gathered for a vigil in her honor on Sunday, March 29.

Tom Green, who knows Hillyard because their children met in preschool, spoke to ABC 7 about her family’s hopes of bringing her home during the vigil.

“What we’re hoping for tonight is to generate as much attention on the fact that she’s missing and how loved she is in hopes it’ll ultimately bring her home,” Green told the outlet.

An endangered missing alert went off on attendees’ phones during the vigil, which prompted organizers to remind neighbors to check their home security cameras amid Hillyard’s disappearance.

“Please review your video cameras for evidence of her walking past your home,” Green said. “She loved hiking and walking. It’s very possible she could be on that video.”

Green added that Hillyard would have been the first to organize a gathering like the vigil if anyone else in the community had disappeared.

“She’d be the one jumping in, volunteering, leading volunteers, talking to other people in the community,” he said. “It seems crazy that she’s not here tonight with us.”

Meanwhile, Hillyard’s other friends also spoke to the outlet to share insight into who she is as a person. “She is the lynch pin in a lot of our relationships. She is the lynch pin of her coffee shop,” Serena Kharia said. “She has fed hundreds, if not thousands, of people through her coffee shop.”