The Amy Diesman case: eight minutes, three people in a store, and a killer who may have known her.
Before dawn on Sept 12, 1987, Amy Diesman, 19, a new mother working her first weeks as a third-shift clerk, was shot twice in the head at a Stop N Go on Ohio 125 in Pierce Township, east of Cincinnati. Police believe three people were in the store minutes earlier. No one has been convicted.
Case file at a glance
The Diesman case has an unusually tight timeline: at 5:27 a.m. three people were inside, and by 5:35 one was dead and one customer was gone. Police believe the killer knew her. Two grand jury indictments of a primary suspect were dismissed, and the case remains open.
- An eight-minute window.Police believe a female customer, a male customer, and Diesman were inside at 5:27 a.m. The woman left, and by 5:35 the man was gone and Diesman was dead.
- Two shots, no robbery.She was shot twice in the head with a .25 caliber weapon. There was no sign of sexual assault and no indication of robbery.
- A primary suspect, twice indicted.Police say they have a primary suspect, unnamed and described as very close to Diesman. A grand jury indicted the person twice and both cases were dismissed for reasons the report calls unclear.
- The killer likely knew her.Police and a Stop N Go internal review reached the same conclusion.
Editorial assessment of public sources, not a finding of fact. Nobody named here has been charged unless this page says so.
What happened
Details come from a May 2023 FOX19 report and the Ohio Attorney General's cold-case listing. The police timeline is from the lead investigator.
A new job
Amy Diesman, 19, a recent New Richmond High School graduate who planned to study nursing, has a four-month-old daughter. She has worked about a week as the third-shift clerk at a Stop N Go on Ohio 125 in Pierce Township.
Three people in the store
Police believe three people were inside: Diesman, a female customer, and a male customer. The woman leaves; the man remains.
The discovery
The male customer is gone and Diesman is dead. A customer entering the store finds her. She was shot twice in the head, once behind the ear and once behind the head, with a .25 caliber weapon. There is no sign of sexual assault and no indication of robbery.
The evidence
Investigators photograph the scene and recover a .25 caliber bullet lodged in a package of donuts and a WEBN sweatshirt. A suspect sketch is made; police now say it is no longer useful. Gun sale records are checked and items are sent to a ballistics lab with no reported results.
Indictments
A primary suspect, unnamed, is indicted twice by a grand jury. Both sets of charges are dismissed.
A new lead investigator
Lt. Bryan Burke begins working the case. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation later assists through a cold-case grant.
Evidence shared
Pierce Township police share evidence publicly, hoping to generate tips. No DNA is found on the sweatshirt.
Victims
A young mother in her first weeks at a new job.
Photo: Ohio Attorney General, unsolved-homicide listing. The source states no reuse license; shown at the site owner's direction. Contact us to have it removed.
DiedAmy Diesman, 19
A recent New Richmond High School graduate who planned to study nursing. She had a four-month-old daughter and had worked at the store for about a week. Reports say her parents died before the case was solved.
The photo of Amy Diesman is from the Ohio Attorney General's listing and is credited under it. Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Evidence
What exists, and what each piece may or may not mean.
| Item | What is known | Disputed or unknown |
|---|---|---|
| The shooting | Two shots to the head with a .25 caliber weapon. | The weapon was not found; it is presumed to be a .25 pistol. |
| The bullet | A .25 caliber bullet was found lodged in a package of donuts. | None. |
| The sweatshirt | A WEBN sweatshirt was collected. No DNA was found on it. | Police say they "thought it possibly was" connected; its relevance is unknown. |
| The sketch | A suspect sketch was made in 1987. | Police say it is no longer considered useful. |
| The timeline | At 5:27 a.m. three people were in the store; at 5:35 one was dead. | The male customer is, in police words, a good suspect because he was last with her, but he may not be the killer. |
| Ballistics and gun records | Gun sale records were checked and items were sent to a ballistics lab. | No results are reported. |
Public documents
One 2023 local report and the Attorney General's listing are the public record. The dismissed indictments would be in court files.
| Document | Holder | What it shows | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOX19: Detectives share evidence (2023) | FOX19 / WXIX | The timeline, evidence, and what police say about the suspect. | Online, free |
| Amy Diesman, Unsolved Homicide | Ohio Attorney General | The state's case listing. We saw it in search results but did not open it. | Online, free |
| Two grand jury indictments and their dismissals | Clermont County Common Pleas Court | The charges against the primary suspect and why each was dismissed. | Request needed |
| Pierce Township Police case file | Pierce Township Police Department | The full investigation, including ballistics. | Withheld or sealed |
Access labels: Online, free = we could open it. Fan-hosted copy = a private researcher posted scans; originals are held by the named agency, and we cannot vouch for completeness. Quoted in news = reporters read it; we did not see the document itself. Request needed = held by an agency or court. Withheld = the holder has not released it. We cannot reach non-public records, and we do not try to.
Online discussion (unverified)
Where people talk about this case online, and how to read it.
| Platform | Live search | What you tend to find |
|---|---|---|
| Google: Reddit | site:reddit.com search | Public Reddit threads that Google has indexed, including old discussions. |
| Google: X and Twitter | X and Twitter posts | Public posts and profiles that appear in search results. |
| Google: Facebook | Public Facebook pages and posts | Only public pages and groups that Google can see. Private groups never appear. |
| Google: Instagram and TikTok | Instagram and TikTok | Public posts, memorials, and videos. |
| Google: forums | Forums and message boards | Long-running true-crime forums. |
| Google News | Latest news | Newest reporting, which is usually more reliable than posts. |
| Search Reddit | Long discussion threads and theories, often by amateur researchers. No sign-in needed to read. | |
| X (Twitter) | Search X | Short posts, news links, and anniversary notes. May require sign-in. |
| Search Facebook | Public groups and family or community pages. Requires sign-in. | |
| Search #amydiesman | Memorial and true-crime posts. Requires sign-in. | |
| YouTube | Search YouTube | Documentaries, news clips, and interviews. Quality varies widely. |
Be careful with online theories. Naming a private person as a suspect can harm an innocent family, and many "identifications" on forums have been wrong. Our own tools could not read these platforms: Reddit blocks automated access, and the others require an account. The Google searches above work from your browser. To get new public mentions by email, make a free Google Alert for the case name in quotation marks.
Coverage timeline and verification
What local and national reports say, and when we last checked for a solution.
| Date | Outlet | What it reported | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2023 | |||
| FOX19 / WXIX | |||
| Police share evidence; a primary suspect was indicted twice and both cases were dismissed. | |||
| Read | |||
| Current | |||
| Ohio Attorney General | |||
| Case listing (seen in search results; not opened). | |||
| Read |
Status is re-checked on a regular schedule. If you know of a development we missed, use the clue form near the top of this page or the contact form, and include a link.
Suspects
Police have a primary suspect and have not named anyone.
The primary suspect
Why named: Police describe the suspect as very close to Diesman. A grand jury indicted the person twice.
Against: Both sets of charges were dismissed, for reasons the FOX19 report calls unclear. No conviction.
The male customer
Why named: He was the last person in the store with Diesman, per police. Police say they do not know who he is.
Against: Police say he may not be the killer.
The female customer
Why named: She left the store before the shooting, per police.
Against: No allegation against her; she is a possible witness.
Other possible suspects
Why named: Police examined other people. Some are now dead.
Against: No names released.
Where a card shows a silhouette, we found no photo. Anyone who wants a photo added, changed, or removed can use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Latest lead: why the indictments were dismissed
The most important open question is not who, but why a twice-indicted primary suspect was never tried.
What is known
- Police say the killer likely knew Diesman, which is also the conclusion of the Stop N Go internal review.
- A grand jury indicted the primary suspect twice and the cases were dismissed. The report calls the reasons unclear.
- In 2023 police released evidence to generate tips and asked for information at the Pierce Township police tip line.
What would settle it
- Review the dismissed cases. Court records in Clermont County should show why each was dismissed.
- Identify the male customer and the female customer through records and memories.
- Test the bullet and any retained items with current ballistic and DNA methods.
A killing by someone she knew, with the evidence problem unsolved
We put the chance that the killer knew Diesman at roughly 70%, in line with police and the company's own review. We put the chance that the unnamed primary suspect committed the crime at roughly 35%, because two grand juries indicted, but charges were dismissed and no trial tested the evidence.
Editorial judgment, not statistics.
Elimination matrix
"—" means no public information, not a clean result.
| Person or idea | Knew her | Physical link | Legal outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary suspect (unnamed) | ✓ per police: very close to her | — none published | ? indicted twice; dismissed |
| Male customer | ? unknown | — none published | — unidentified |
| Female customer | — | — | — unidentified; possible witness |
✗ excluded or contradicted · ✓ supports · ? disputed · — nothing public. No cell is an official finding.
Our hypothesis
Editorial reading of public records. A working theory, not a finding, and it names no individual.
A personal killing at work, done quickly, by someone she knew
- It was fast. The window between the last customers and her death was minutes.
- Robbery was not the point. Police saw no indication of robbery.
- The killer knew her schedule. She had worked there only a week, which suggests someone who knew she was on that shift.
- The legal record is the key. Why two indictments failed matters more than any new theory.
Judgment, not statistics.
Missing links
Questions raised by gaps in the public record.
1. The dismissals
The court records explaining why both indictments were dismissed.
2. The customers
Who the female and male customers were, and whether either has been interviewed.
3. The weapon
Ballistic results on the .25 bullet and any link to other crimes.
4. The sweatshirt
Whether the WEBN sweatshirt belonged to anyone connected, and whether modern DNA testing was tried.
5. The store's records
Registers, schedules, and the company's internal review.
6. Her schedule
Who knew she had just started third shift.
7. The sketch
Who the sketch was based on, and whether it was ever shown to witnesses.
8. A refreshed interview round
Re-interviews of people from 1987, including relatives of those now deceased.
Evidence gaps
"Not public" means we could not find a report.
| Item | Tested | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| .25 bullet | Sent to a ballistics lab. | Results: not public. |
| WEBN sweatshirt | No DNA found. | Other tests: not public. |
| Grand jury records | Indictments dismissed. | Reasons: not public. |
| Police file | Held by Pierce Township Police. | Public index: not available. |
Forensic tech
| Tool | What it could do | Status here |
|---|---|---|
| Ballistics database (NIBIN) | Link the bullet to other crimes. | Results not reported |
| DNA from the sweatshirt | Identify a donor. | Tested; no DNA found |
| Genetic genealogy | Identify an unknown donor. | Needs DNA; none reported |
| Cold-case grant support | BCI assistance. | Used |
Solved cases
Local cases that moved after decades.
Carol Sue Klaber (Boone County, KY, 1976)
Investigators say a private genealogy investigation helped them identify Thomas Dunaway, who died in 1990, as the man who killed the 16-year-old. He cannot be indicted, so prosecutors sent a letter saying he would have been charged. The lesson: genealogy can name a killer after decades, even when no trial is possible.
Forensic genetic genealogy training
In 2024, local investigators were being trained in the technique, which has already helped solve Cincinnati-area cases, according to FOX19. The lesson: the tool is now local, so cases with usable DNA have a real path forward.
Golden State Killer
Old crime-scene DNA matched relatives in a public database and led to a 2018 arrest. The lesson: a usable sample can still work after decades.
Case details come from public news coverage and the Boone County Sheriff's cold-case list. Confirm in court records.
False leads
| Claim | Source and date | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
| Someone close to her got away with it | A Medium essay | Police say they have a primary suspect, but charges were dismissed; no conviction. |
| The male customer is the killer | Police interest | Police say he may not be the killer. |
| The sweatshirt belonged to the killer | Police thought it "possibly" was connected | No DNA found; relevance unknown. |
| The store address differs by source | Various | Sources describe a Stop N Go or Merwin Stop-N-Go on Ohio 125. |
Where
The shooting happened at a convenience store on Ohio 125 in Pierce Township, Clermont County, east of Cincinnati.
Open in maps: Ohio 125, Pierce Township. We show no photograph of the scene.
Source ratings
| Source | Type | Rating | Use with care because |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Attorney General cold-case listing | Agency | A | Brief. |
| FOX19 / WXIX, May 2023 | Local news | B+ | Quotes the lead investigator; some points are his interpretation. |
| Medium essays and podcasts | Advocacy | D | One claims police have long had a suspect. |
Records
Pierce Township Police Department
Lead agency. Lt. Bryan Burke has led the case since 2007. FOX19 listed 513-752-4100 in 2023; please confirm before calling.
Clermont County Prosecutor and Common Pleas Court
The two dismissed indictments.
Ohio Attorney General (BCI)
Cold-case grant and the unsolved-homicide listing.
Sample public-records request
Under the Ohio Public Records Act, I request copies of non-exempt records relating to the September 12, 1987 homicide of Amy Diesman in Pierce Township, Clermont County, including incident reports, laboratory reports, and any evidence inventory. Please send electronic copies. If any part is withheld, please identify the exemption relied on and release all reasonably segregable material.
Agencies often withhold records of open investigations, so expect partial answers.
Remembering the victims
Amy was 19, a new mother with plans to study nursing. Her parents died before the case was solved.
News & databases
In the news
Loading headlines…
News archives
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Where they disagree, we say so above.
- Detectives share evidence in hopes to crack 1987 cold case murder, FOX19 / WXIX, May 23, 2023 (all facts on the case).
- Amy Diesman, Unsolved Homicide, Ohio Attorney General (seen in search results; not opened).
Almost everything comes from one May 2023 FOX19 report. The primary suspect and the reasons for dismissal are not named in public sources we found. The Medium essay's claim is unverified. Tip-line number is as published in 2023. We found no coverage newer than 2023.
Change log
- Oct 8, 2026: File published.