The husband of a missing coffee shop owner from California is sharing new updates from the ongoing search for his wife, which has now stretched over six months. Chris Hillyard mentioned that investigators and volunteers are focusing on locations that Amy Hillyard frequented for hiking and walking, using drones for more thorough searches.
Amy, who is 52 and co-owns Farley’s Coffee in San Francisco, was last seen on March 25 while walking her dog on Radnor Road in Oakland.
Despite the long duration without answers, her family continues to hold onto a small “glimmer of hope.” Chris noted in a video that a private investigator who specializes in missing persons cases described Amy’s case as one of the most baffling he has encountered.
The investigator, Steve Fischer, recently conducted an in-depth examination of Amy’s devices and apps. This investigation revealed five hiking routes that had previously gone unnoticed by the search teams. Hired by Amy’s family, Fischer stated that investigators spent two days examining her devices, discovering that the day before her disappearance, she spent time researching eight different hiking trails leading from Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park to Berkeley.
Prior searches had already covered three of those routes, but this new digital information opened up five additional ones, prompting a small team to plan searches in those areas starting Sunday. These trails lie within approximately five miles of Amy’s home, and Fischer confirmed that she had previously hiked all but one of them.
Fischer also highlighted that entries in Amy’s journal indicated that hiking was a strategy she employed to manage her anxiety. Some of the newly identified trails are lengthy, stretching between 6.5 to 7 miles.
Now, with a focus on these specific areas, investigators are utilizing drones to search the familiar locations that Amy loved. Chris Hillyard expressed a persistent hope that each day could potentially yield new information concerning his wife’s whereabouts.
Amy is described as 5-foot-4, weighing around 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, and is considered at risk due to a medical condition. Her husband noted that she left her cellphone behind when she disappeared. There is a $25,000 reward for any information regarding her case.
Friends and family have also created a website where supporters can keep up with the search progress and find ways to assist.
