Mystery Deepens: Missing SF-Oakland Coffee Shop Owner’s Last Phone Call Traced to Strange Number – Community in Panic Over New Clues
The disappearance of 52-year-old Amy Hillyard, a beloved mother of two and co-owner of popular Farley’s coffee shops in Oakland and San Francisco’s Potrero Hill, continues to baffle authorities and the tight-knit Bay Area community months after she vanished on March 25, 2026. What began as a routine afternoon walk near her home in Oakland’s Cleveland Heights has spiraled into a haunting mystery filled with unanswered questions and growing desperation for answers.
Hillyard was last seen around 2:00 p.m. in the 500 block of Radnor Road, wearing a tan top and tan pants. She left behind her phone, wallet, keys, and other personal belongings inside the house, with the back door wide open and the family dog out of its crate. Her husband, Chris, returned home shortly after to discover the unsettling scene. Despite extensive searches involving police, volunteers, and even private investigators, no trace of her has been found.
Recent developments have only intensified the anguish. New information shared by the family and community highlights activity on Amy’s phone records, including a final call to an unfamiliar number that has raised eyebrows. Attempts to reach the number reportedly result in repeated messages indicating it cannot be contacted, fueling speculation and urgent calls for anyone with details to come forward. Private investigators, funded through community support, are now meticulously reviewing hours of surveillance footage from BART stations, streets, and businesses across Oakland and San Francisco, hoping to uncover the missing piece that could explain her movements after she was also spotted on video near Dimond Park later that afternoon.
Hillyard is considered at-risk due to underlying medical conditions, including mental health challenges she was managing with medication. Friends and family emphasize that she left without any note or indication of intent to disappear, leaving her loved ones in emotional turmoil. Vigils held in late May marked a painful two-month milestone, with attendees lighting candles and sharing memories of the vibrant businesswoman who helped build Farley’s into a community staple since the late 1980s.
The Bay Area community has rallied strongly, distributing flyers, checking doorbell cameras, and searching parks and transit hubs. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to her safe return. Her family maintains hope, believing someone out there holds the key—perhaps a sighting in the Mount Shasta/Weed area or elsewhere in Northern California where alerts have been issued.
As searches continue with no evidence of foul play so far, the case serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly everyday life can turn into an unimaginable nightmare. The Hillyard family, along with friends and business partners, urges anyone who may have seen Amy or has tips about her last known activities to contact the Oakland Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (510) 238-3641. Every lead, no matter how small, could bring this beloved wife, mother, and entrepreneur home. The community’s collective vigilance remains her strongest lifeline in the ongoing effort to solve this perplexing vanishing act.
