Amy Hillyard

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Oakland Police Department (CA)

Missing From:

Oakland, California

Summary:

Amy Hillyard, a 52-year-old Oakland mother and coffee shop co-owner, disappeared on March 25, 2026, after being dropped off at a train station to attend a therapy appointment. She is considered at risk due to medical conditions. Six months after her disappearance, her family and investigators continue searching for answers, with a $25,000 reward still available.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Her husband, Chris Hillyard, had breakfast with his wife at home before dropping her off at a station on her way to a therapy appointment. Amy Hillyard was last seen around 2:00 p.m. on March 25, 2026, in the 500 block of Radnor Road. After she arrived home from her therapy appointment, she took their dog for a walk and talked to a neighbor on her way back home, with surveillance footage from a neighboring home evidencing this. When Chris Hillyard returned home the back door was open and Amy's belongings, including her car keys, cellphone, wallet and handbag were on the kitchen counter, and she did not leave a note behind or any clues that would help locate her. Surveillance video showed Hillyard walking in Diamond Park, a place she was known to hike just miles from her home.

Additional Details:

Amy had been experiencing mental health issues including depression and anxiety after a close friend and one of the family's dogs died. She was taking mental health medication when she went missing, while also leaving behind valuables, like her phone and wallet. A month after her disappearance, her family began offering a $10,000 reward. The reward was increased from $10,000 to $25,000. In addition to co-running the café, she operates a consulting practice, where she has advised leaders from organizations including Apple, Gap, Electronic Arts and the Marine Mammal Center, and has also been deeply involved in nonprofit and community work, serving on boards and leading pro bono efforts. Hillyard serves as board president of the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir. A private investigation and search and rescue firm, SEARCH Investigations LLC, was hired by the Hillyard family to help in the search and is currently going through surveillance videos that were previously unseen or were recently obtained through search warrants. Private investigator Steve Fischer, hired by the Hillyard family, said a deep digital forensics dive of her home computer revealed she spent 33 minutes looking at eight different hiking trails in Oakland and Berkeley the morning before she disappeared, with five of those trails previously unexamined and not yet searched. Oakland police continue to investigate as they say they've found no evidence of foul play or any crime, such as kidnapping.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 10, 2026