Amy Hillyard, the 52-year-old co-owner of the beloved Farley’s Coffee shops in Oakland and San Francisco, has been missing since March 25, 2026. More than three weeks later, her family, friends, and investigators continue an intensive search across Oakland’s trails, neighborhoods, and surveillance footage. While no foul play is suspected, Amy is considered at risk due to a medical condition and the fact that she left without her medication or her cellphone.

The case has drawn widespread attention in the Bay Area, not only because of Amy’s deep community ties as a business owner, mother of two, and president of the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, but also because of the puzzling circumstances surrounding her disappearance. She left her personal belongings — including her phone, wallet, keys, and handbag — on the kitchen counter at her Cleveland Heights home near Lake Merritt. Her car remained in the driveway. Yet surveillance video later placed her near Dimond Park around 4:30 p.m., at the base of Dimond Canyon’s hiking trails.

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Workers seen on video denying Jewish customer access to bathroom no longer working at California coffee house

Farley’s East in Oakland, where Amy was a familiar and welcoming presence.

Friends and family have described her as someone whose “superpower is to bring out the best in people.” Chris Hillyard, her husband, has publicly shared that “she made me a better person” and called on the community to channel that same energy to help bring her home. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to her safe return.

The Known Timeline and the 1:40 p.m. Text

On the morning of March 25, Amy and Chris had breakfast together at home. He dropped her off at a nearby BART station so she could attend a therapy appointment in Walnut Creek. Around 1:40 p.m., Amy texted Chris to say she was home. Credit card records confirmed the round-trip BART travel.

About five minutes later, she took the family dog for a walk. A neighbor spoke with her during or shortly after the walk, and surveillance footage from a neighboring property captured the interaction. When Chris returned home around 3:15 p.m., the back door was open and Amy’s belongings were on the kitchen counter. She had not left a note or any indication of where she was going.

The only confirmed text from Amy that day is the brief message to her husband confirming her return home. Public reporting has not detailed any additional outgoing or incoming text messages exchanged with others in the hours immediately before she left the house for the final time. Friends searching for answers have referenced the possibility of other communications, and investigators are reviewing all available digital and witness information to piece together her intentions.

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Chris and Amy Hillyard in happier times. Chris has described the pain of her absence as “unbearable” at times while expressing gratitude for the community’s support.

Emotional Strain in the Weeks Prior

In the months leading up to her disappearance, Amy had been navigating significant emotional challenges. Chris told the San Francisco Chronicle that she was recovering from depression and anxiety triggered by multiple losses — the death of a close family friend, the passing of one of their dogs, and the heavy emotional labor of caregiving for relatives. She prided herself on being there for others, but these stressors had taken a toll. Amy was attending therapy, taking prescribed medication, and “doing all the right things to heal,” according to her husband.

Being without her medication since March 25 is a serious concern. Chris has emphasized that this makes it urgent to find her. Friends have described her as someone who might have sought solitude in nature for calm — places like Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park or the trails around Dimond Canyon were familiar retreats.

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Dimond Canyon Hiking Trail sign and wooded paths near where Amy was last captured on video. The area features dense foliage, creeks, and trails that searchers have combed extensively.

No public reports have confirmed a specific “last text message” to anyone other than her husband, nor have they detailed the content of any additional exchanges. However, in high-profile missing persons cases, investigators routinely examine phone records, app data, and any recent communications — even if the physical phone was left behind — to understand state of mind and possible destinations. Oakland Police and assisting agencies continue reviewing hours of surveillance footage from BART stations, neighborhoods, trails, and businesses Amy frequented. They have shared some video with the family, who know her appearance and habits best.

The Search: Community Mobilization and Ongoing Efforts

Hundreds of volunteers have participated in ground searches, door-to-door canvassing, and digital review of footage. On March 31, police from multiple counties and about 60 volunteers searched the Dimond Park area. Additional efforts have targeted the Oakland hills, Lake Merritt vicinity, coffee shops, farmers’ markets, and hiking trails. Volunteers have used tools like Google Maps and Strava to coordinate coverage.

As of mid-April 2026, the search continues. Chris Hillyard has released video statements expressing deep gratitude while acknowledging the growing difficulty: “As each day goes by, it is more and more painful.” He and the family maintain hope that Amy is still alive and that someone may have seen her or hold a small piece of information that could help.

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Missing person posters featuring Amy Hillyard have been widely distributed. She is 5’4”, about 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Updated descriptions note she was last seen wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, light-colored jeans, and white sneakers with black stripes.

What Investigators Are Examining

Oakland Police have stated there is no evidence of foul play, abduction, or crime at this time. The focus remains on locating Amy, who is classified as at-risk. Key questions include:

What prompted her to leave her belongings and phone behind?
Did any conversation — text or otherwise — in the hours after her therapy appointment and return home indicate a plan to go somewhere specific?
Could emotional overwhelm, combined with her recent losses and recovery process, have led her to seek solitude without intending to stay away long?

The “last text message” angle highlighted by some friends appears to stem from the broader effort to reconstruct her final hours through any available communications. While the confirmed 1:40 p.m. text to Chris is public, authorities are quietly reviewing all leads, including potential unreported exchanges, to determine if they shed light on where she intended to go after leaving the house that afternoon.

Anyone with information, surveillance video, or sightings is urged to contact the Oakland Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (510) 238-3641. The family’s dedicated site, bringamyhome.com, provides updates and ways to assist.

Amy Hillyard’s disappearance has shaken Oakland’s tight-knit community. She is remembered as a caregiver, community builder, and someone who lifted others up. Now, that same network is working tirelessly to bring her home. The unanswered questions — including the full context of her final communications and movements after approximately 2 p.m. on March 25 — remain at the heart of the investigation.

The Bay Area continues to search trails, review footage, and hold space for Amy’s return. Her family’s message is clear: “We won’t stop searching for Amy until we have answers.”