AMY HILLYARD VANISHED SIX MONTHS AGO — NEW DIGITAL CLUE LEADS SEARCHERS TO FIVE UNSEARCHED HIKING TRAILS

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Six months after 53-year-old mother and coffee shop owner Amy Hillyard disappeared without a trace, investigators have uncovered a new clue that is sending search teams back into the hiking trails of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hillyard disappeared on March 25, 2026, after leaving her home in Oakland. Despite months of searches by police, volunteers and private investigators, her whereabouts remain unknown.

Now, a forensic examination of her electronic devices has revealed that Hillyard spent about 30 minutes researching eight hiking trails in the Bay Area shortly before she vanished.

Investigators had previously searched three of those trails. The other five had not been searched, prompting a new effort to examine them.

A NEW LEAD AFTER SIX MONTHS

Private investigator Steve Fischer, who was hired by Hillyard’s family, said his team conducted an extensive forensic examination of her digital devices.

The investigation found that on March 24, the day before she disappeared, Hillyard used her desktop computer to look at eight trails through AllTrails.

The timing immediately caught investigators’ attention.

Hillyard was an experienced and enthusiastic hiker, and the newly identified routes included trails in the Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park area and Berkeley.

Five of the trails were unfamiliar to investigators and had not previously been searched.

Fischer described the discovery as the most promising lead the investigation has produced so far, while cautioning that it does not necessarily explain what happened to Hillyard.

SEARCH TEAMS HEAD BACK INTO THE WOODS

Fourteen volunteers and private investigators planned to begin searching the five newly identified trails, each covering roughly three to eight miles.

The operation is also expected to include drone searches.

Investigators plan to use drones to examine areas extending roughly 200 feet from either side of the trails, including locations covered by thick vegetation and trees that can be difficult to search on foot.

The effort could continue for several days.

Hillyard’s family is cautiously hopeful that the new information could finally provide an answer.

At the same time, her husband, Chris Hillyard, acknowledged the painful possibility that finding evidence in the wilderness could bring devastating news.

THE MYSTERY OF HER DISAPPEARANCE

Amy was last seen on March 25, after 2 p.m., near the 500 block of Radnor Road in Oakland.

Her husband previously said he had dropped her off at a BART station near their home for a therapy appointment in Walnut Creek.

She later texted him at around 1:40 p.m., indicating that she had returned home.

Surveillance footage from a neighboring property showed Hillyard taking the family dog for a walk shortly afterward and speaking with a neighbor.

When Chris returned home at approximately 3:15 p.m., he said he found the back door open.

Amy’s cellphone, wallet, handbag and car keys were reportedly still inside the house.

There was no note explaining where she had gone.

POLICE HAVE NOT ANNOUNCED EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY

Oakland police previously said there was no evidence at that point suggesting that Hillyard had been abducted or that another crime was connected to her disappearance.

The new search is therefore focused heavily on the possibility that she went hiking.

Fischer said Hillyard regularly used hiking as a way to exercise and cope with anxiety.

Her husband has previously said she was dealing with significant emotional stress before she disappeared, including the loss of a close friend and a family dog, as well as extensive caregiving responsibilities.

However, those circumstances do not establish what happened to her, and investigators have not publicly determined why she disappeared.

A MOTHER OF TWO WHO NEVER CAME HOME

Hillyard is the mother of two daughters, who were 19 and 20 when she disappeared.

She and Chris have been married for more than two decades.

The couple are also co-owners of Farley’s Coffee, a long-standing Bay Area coffee business with locations in Oakland and San Francisco.

Friends and family have described Amy as compassionate and deeply involved in her community.

Her loved ones have continued searching for answers while maintaining a $25,000 reward for information that leads to her safe return.

SIX MONTHS LATER, THE FAMILY IS STILL WAITING

September 25 marked six months since Amy disappeared.

In a video released on the anniversary, Chris asked people not to let her story disappear from public attention.

He said investigators and supporters were continuing to examine possible locations and were using drones to search areas where Amy had previously enjoyed hiking.

The family remains hopeful that someone may eventually provide the missing piece of information.

For now, five previously unsearched trails have become the latest focus of a case that has left a family waiting for answers for half a year.

And after months with almost no clues, investigators are once again searching the woods — hoping the new digital trail will finally lead them to Amy Hillyard.