{"id":244797,"date":"2026-03-31T09:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/244797\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:14:18","slug":"beloved-coffee-shop-owner-mother-of-two-disappears-near-home-urgent-search-underway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/244797\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved coffee shop owner, mother of two disappears near home, urgent search underway"},"content":{"rendered":"

A beloved Oakland, California, coffee shop owner and mother of two has vanished under concerning circumstances<\/a>, prompting an urgent search as police warn she may be at risk due to a medical condition.<\/p>\n

Amy Hillyard, 52, was last seen around 2 p.m. Wednesday near her home on Radnor Road in Oakland\u2019s Cleveland Heights neighborhood, not far from Lake Merritt, according to the Oakland Police Department. A neighbor told KTVU<\/a> that she left without her cellphone, and authorities said she has not been heard from since.<\/p>\n

Investigators have released few details about the nature of her condition, but say it is serious enough to classify her as an at-risk missing person.<\/p>\n

Hillyard is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Police said she was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers with a black stripe.<\/p>\n

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT ATTENDANT VANISHES DURING COLOMBIA LAYOVER: \u2018HIS FAMILY IS DESPERATE\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Her disappearance has sent shockwaves through Oakland\u2019s tight-knit community, where Hillyard is widely known as the co-owner of a popular local caf\u00e9 and an active community leader.<\/p>\n

Friends, employees and customers say her absence is deeply out of character.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want her home,\u201d a former colleague told KTVU. \u201cShe loves her family, especially her two girls. She\u2019s passionate about everything she does.\u201d<\/p>\n

LONG ISLAND WOMAN MISSING AFTER JUMPING FROM MOVING VEHICLE IN PANICKED STATE<\/a><\/p>\n

Missing posters displaying her photo now line busy stretches of Grand Avenue and the windows of her caf\u00e9, where regulars described her as warm, generous and deeply connected to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole thing is heartbreaking and shocking,\u201d caf\u00e9 regular Lynn Lazarus told KTVU.<\/p>\n

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Hillyard\u2019s impact extends well beyond her business. In addition to co-running the caf\u00e9, she operates a consulting practice, where she has advised leaders from organizations including Apple, Gap, Electronic Arts and the Marine Mammal Center, according to her website.<\/p>\n

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She has also dedicated significant time to nonprofit work and community service<\/a>, serving on boards and leading pro bono efforts. Hillyard is the board president of the Piedmont East Bay Children\u2019s Choir.<\/p>\n

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In a statement to KTVU, choir officials said the news has deeply affected those who know her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is incredibly difficult news for our close community. Amy is such an important part of our organization, and our hearts are with her and her loved ones as we hope for her safe return,\u201d the group said. \u201cThank you for holding Amy in your thoughts and for supporting one another during this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hillyard and her husband also operate a second caf\u00e9 in San Francisco<\/a>, further expanding their footprint in the Bay Area.<\/p>\n

Her husband said in a statement the family is overwhelmed by community support as the search intensifies.<\/p>\n

Anyone with information about Hillyard\u2019s whereabouts is urged to contact the Oakland Police Department\u2019s Missing Persons Unit at (510) 238-3641.<\/p>\n

Police have not said where the case stands, but emphasize that time is critical in locating at-risk missing individuals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A beloved Oakland, California, coffee shop owner and mother of two has vanished under concerning circumstances, prompting an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244798,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-244797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244797"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244797\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}