Amy Hillyard: Search continues for missing coffee shop owner at Oakland's Dimond Park

Police search for missing coffee shop owner in Dimond Park

Oakland police have new video placing missing coffee shop owner in Dimond Park as search continues.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Authorities and volunteers were out searching Tuesday morning in Oakland's Dimond Park for a missing coffee shop owner who hasn't been seen since last Wednesday. 

Amy Hillyard, the co-owner of Farley's Coffee, was last seen around 2 p.m. Wednesday leaving her home in Oakland's Cleveland Heights neighborhood. Authorities are considering her at-risk because of a medical condition.

About 60 people from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office are part of Tuesday's search, which started around 8 a.m. Mutual aid teams from Contra Costa and Marin counties are also assisting.

New development

The Oakland Police Department issued a statement saying the search focused on this location because it's the last place Hillyard was known to be. Police said there is recent video footage of her at Dimond Park at around 4:30 p.m. on March 25, the day she was last seen. 

Despite some incorrect initial information, friends and family want people to know she was last seen wearing a white top and jeans, and that she was alone.

Community search parties formed around the Oakland hills along Skyline Boulevard Tuesday morning, in addition to the Search and Rescue crews. 

Brian Molyneaux, who said he didn't know Hillyard, joined the search this morning along Skyline Boulevard, searching for clues like shoes or articles of clothing that could have been left behind.

"I’d want the same thing for me or someone I love went missing, God forbid," said Molyneaux. 

Owner of Farley's coffee

Local perspective:

Hillyard is well known locally as the co-owner of Farley’s Coffee, with locations in Oakland and San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood. Friends describe her as a unifying presence in the community.

Susan Eandi, who’s acting as a spokesperson for the family, said she’s known Hillyard since she was 18 years old, and called her an avid hiker, who is a dedicated servant to the community. 

"We're continuing to raise awareness, and we’re just focusing on bringing Amy home to the family," she said.

Eandi added more than 200 people have been searching for her in the areas she frequented since she went missing.

"She’s the kind of person that collects people, brings people together," friend Serena Khaira said at a vigil on Sunday. "When you have a problem, she’s generally the first person you reach out to."

Oakland police are asking anyone with information to contact the department’s Missing Persons Unit at 510-238-3641.

Vigil held for missing Oakland coffee shop owner as search intensifies

Friends, family and community members gathered Sunday evening at Lake Merritt for a vigil honoring missing Oakland coffee shop owner Amy Hillyard, as a growing search effort continues for the 52-year-old mother of two. Hillyard was last seen Wednesday around 2 p.m. leaving her home in Oakland’s Cleveland Heights neighborhood. Authorities say she is considered at risk due to a medical condition.