New clues to search for Californian cafe owner Amy Hillyard, missing 6 months after her disappearance

The husband of a missing California cafe owner reveals new details about the six-month search for his wife, including the use of drones to search for clues as desperate efforts continue.

Chris Hillyard said investigators and his supporters are focusing on areas where Amy Hillyard liked to hike and walk, using aerial imagery to search for any trace of evidence.

Amy, 52, co-owner of Farley’s Coffee in San Francisco, was last seen March 25 walking her dog near the 500 block of Radnor Road in Oakland.

Today, after six months without answers, his family is still clinging to a “ray of hope”.

“The private investigator who has worked on missing persons cases across the country has called Amy’s disappearance one of the most confusing cases he has ever worked on,” Chris Hillyard said in a video marking the sixth month since her disappearance.

That investigator, Steve Fischer, recently conducted a “forensic deep dive” into Amy’s devices and apps, uncovering five hiking routes that investigators were previously unaware of.

Fischer, who was hired by Amy’s family, told SFGate that investigators spent two days searching her devices.

They discovered that the day before she went missing, Amy spent about 30 minutes using Chrome to hike eight different hiking routes from the Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park area in Oakland to Berkeley.

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Investigators had previously identified three such routes and searched them.

Digital discovery revealed five more – and a small team planned to start searching the newly identified routes on Sunday.

The trails are all within about 5 miles of Amy’s house, and Fischer told SFGate that she has already hiked all but one of the trails.

“These are areas that frankly weren’t on our radar,” Fischer told the outlet.

Some routes are long, he said, stretching about 6 1/2 to 7 miles.

Fischer also said that Amy’s journal entries indicated that hiking was one of the ways she dealt with her anxiety.

Now investigators are focusing on specific areas and using drones to search for places Amy knew and loved, according to her husband.

“We all keep trying and every day we wake up with a glimmer of hope that today will be the day that brings information that offers an answer to Amy’s whereabouts,” Chris Hillyard said.

Amy is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing approximately 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She is considered at risk due to health issues.

Her husband said Amy left her cell phone at home before disappearing and the dog was found safe inside the house.

A $25,000 reward remains in effect for information in his disappearance.

Her friends and family also launched Bringamyhome.com, where supporters can follow the search and learn how to help.