Vigil marks 'painful milestone' in missing person case of Oakland mom, coffee shop owner
Vigil marks painful milestone in missing person case of Oakland mom, coffee shop owner
Family, friends, and community members of missing woman Amy Hillyard gathered for a vigil in Oakland on Monday night to mark a "painful milestone" — two months since the disappearance of the local coffee shop owner and 52-year-old mother of two.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Family, friends, and community members of missing woman Amy Hillyard gathered for a vigil in Oakland on Monday night to mark a "painful milestone" — two months since the disappearance of the local coffee shop owner and 52-year-old mother of two.
Tireless search continues
What they're saying:
"We miss every second of every day. We have not stopped searching for you and we will not stop," said Chris Hillyard, Amy's husband. "We are still believing, and we are still waiting for the day we can bring you home. We love you."
Organizers also expressed deep gratitude to all the people who have worked tirelessly in the search for the missing woman.
The backstory:
Hillyard was reported last seen on March 25, sometime after 2:00 p.m. in the 500 block of Radnor Road in Oakland's Cleveland Heights neighborhood near Lake Merritt.
Oakland police later said video footage showed Hillyard that same day around 4:30 p.m. at Dimond Park.
She’s described as 5 feet and 4 inches, approximately 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, light-colored jeans, and white sneakers with black stripes.
Since her disappearance, there has been a massive search effort to locate the woman, who was said to be considered at-risk due to a medical condition.
$25,000 reward
Hillyard’s family has also announced a reward which has now jumped to $25,000 for information that will lead to her safe return.
SEE ALSO: Missing Oakland woman's husband releases new video 2 weeks after disappearance
Friends have established a GoFundMe to help the Hillyard family cover costs related to the search.
"Amy’s disappearance has left her family, friends, and community devastated and searching for answers," GoFundMe organizers wrote.
They said all the money raised would go directly to support "critical search efforts." That includes hiring experienced private investigators to help in the case, securing drones, search dogs and other tools for search operations, and enhancing the reward money.
Vigil details
Monday night’s vigil was held at Mandana Plaza Park on Lakeshore Avenue.
Big picture view:
Organizers noted that May is designated as Missing and Unidentified Persons Month and said the gathering also served as a time to hold vigil for all missing people and their loved ones who are suffering with the unknown.
"In Oakland there’s actually 1500 missing persons cases a year and just to imagine all of the families and friends and community members that go through this. I had no idea. And that’s just in Oakland alone," said Amy's sister Alexandra.
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.