OAKLAND, CA — A new clue has given family and friends of missing Oakland coffee owner Amy Hillyard a fresh reason to hope after more than six months without answers. Hillyard, co-owner of Farley’s coffee shops, was last seen walking near her Oakland home on March 25. She left without her phone or wallet, deepening concern from the start.
Private investigator Steve Fischer, who was hired by Hillyard’s family, says a forensic review of her home computer has turned up a possible lead. According to Fischer, she spent 33 minutes looking at eight different trails in Oakland and Berkeley the morning before she disappeared. Five of those trails had not previously been part of the search effort.
Forensic review of her computer pointed investigators to eight East Bay trails
Fischer described the computer discovery as the most significant development since he joined the case. He said the time spent looking at trails suggests Hillyard may have been considering a route or destination before she went missing. That, he said, gives searchers something more concrete than they had before.
The trails are spread across Oakland and Berkeley, adding a broader East Bay footprint to the investigation. Fischer said the family had not focused on five of the locations before this digital review surfaced. That means there are still places connected to Hillyard’s final known activity that have not yet been checked…