Owner of popular San Francisco coffee shop reported missing — and police believe she’s ‘at-risk’

A Bay Area coffee boss tied to a past firestorm of antisemitism has vanished without a trace, and cops say the clock is ticking.

Amy Hillyard, 52, co-owner of the Farley’s coffee chain, disappeared earlier this week. She was last spotted around 2 p.m. Wednesday on Radnor Road in Oakland’s Cleveland Heights neighborhood, authorities said.

Police say Hillyard is considered “at risk” due to a medical condition, intensifying fears as the search drags on. She’s described as 5-foot-4, roughly 120 pounds, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, and was last wearing a tan outfit.

A Bay Area coffee boss tied to a past firestorm of antisemitism has vanished without a trace, and cops say the clock is ticking. X/henrykleeKTVU

Amy Hillyard, 52, co-owner of the Farley’s coffee chain, disappeared earlier this week. X/henrykleeKTVU

A neighbor told KTVU they saw her walking her dog shortly before she disappeared.

Hillyard’s husband said she left her cell phone at home.

Hillyard co-owns Farley’s with her husband, and the couple operate locations in both Oakland and San Francisco. But Hillyard’s name, and her business, have been in headlines before.

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The Farley’s brand was rocked in late 2023 after a viral confrontation inside its Oakland shop, where employees were caught on video blocking a Jewish customer from a restroom with antisemitic graffiti scrawled inside. 

Staffers were heard making inflammatory remarks and referencing Israel while denying access to the customer — who tried to get back into the restroom to take photos of the graffiti — sparking outrage online.

The backlash was swift: multiple workers were fired after the incident blew up, with the shop publicly distancing itself from the behavior.

Hillyard’s friends, customers and investigators are now scrambling for answers on her disappearance.

Oakland police are urging anyone with information to come forward as the mystery deepens, and concerns grows by the minute.