Candlelight vigil held for missing Oakland coffee shop owner as community holds onto hope

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Hundreds of people gathered at the pergola on the east side of Oakland's Lake Merritt on Sunday night for a candlelight vigil as Oakland police continue searching for 52-year-old Amy Hillyard.

Loved ones, neighbors and even strangers came together to pray, sing, and hold onto one shared hope: that Hillyard will come home.

Hillyard was last seen on Wednesday around 2 p.m. near her home in the Cleveland Heights neighborhood, close to Radnor Road and Cleveland Street. Because of an undisclosed medical condition, police consider her at risk.

Tom Green knows Hillyard through their children, who met in preschool. He spoke on behalf of Hillyard's family, sharing that Amy's husband Chris, feels that hope has defined their family.

"What we're hoping for tonight is to generate as much attention on the fact that she's missing and how loved she is in hopes it'll ultimately bring her home," Green said.

During the vigil, an endangered missing alert sounded on attendees' phones, prompting organizers to remind neighbors to check their home security cameras.

"Please review your video cameras for evidence of her walking past your home," Green said. "She loved hiking and walking. It's very possible she could be on that video."

Members of the community said Hillyard would have been the first to organize a gathering like this if anyone else had disappeared.

"She'd be the one jumping in, volunteering, leading volunteers, talking to other people in the community," said Green. "It seems crazy that she's not here tonight with us."

Friends describe Hillyard as a longtime Oakland resident deeply woven into the fabric of the community. She is involved in her daughter's local choir, which sang 'Homeward Bound' at the vigil, and co-owns a popular coffee shop in downtown Oakland, where missing person flyers now cover the windows.

"She is the lynch pin in a lot of our relationships. She is the lynch pin of her coffee shop," Serena Kharia said. "She has fed hundreds, if not thousands, of people through her coffee shop."

Another friend, Susie Wise, said she intentionally speaks about Hillyard in the present tense.

"This is a space for love and hope. It is right here in Oakland, the city Amy loves," Wise said.

As the sun set over Lake Merritt, the glow of hundreds of candles reflected across the water. Despite the fear and uncertainty, those gathered said their hope that Hillyard will come home has not dimmed.

Hillyard is described as being 5'4" and about 120 pounds, with hazel hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing light blue jeans, a white shirt, and white tennis shoes with black stripes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Oakland Police at 510-238-3641.