Lick Road, The Legend of Amy, and The Linda Dyer Connection

Lick road gate

Lick Road is home to the legend of Amy, a 30 year old woman said to have been killed here by her boyfriend. Located just outside Cincinnati, it is one of the areas more popular “haunted” hot spots. Lick Road dead ends at the Richardson Forest Preserve, maintained by the Hamilton County Park district. There are two paths at the end of the road, both gated, leading into the preserve. The path to the right goes through a field, the path to the left leads into the woods, to a small bridge crossing a creek. It is at this bridge that Amy is said to have been killed.

Sitting  there at the end of the road can be creepy enough, but when you throw in some of the stories about the area, it’s even worse.  Depending on who you ask, you may hear screams in the night, hear footsteps, or catch a glimpse of a woman in white walking by. The most popular story is that if you park here and just sit and wait, Amy will write the words “Help me’ in the condensation on you windows. Not to mention an old urban legend staple…that if you park facing the path, shut off your engine, and flash your lights 3 times, an orb or an apparition will come towards you down the path.

Until it was recently replaced, one of the street signs on Kemper road, just before you reach Lick road, had the name ‘Amy’ spray painted across it, which set a creepy tone itself. However, it doesn’t appear that Amy, or anyone else, has been murdered here. When asked, the Chief Ranger for the Hamilton County Park District, who has held the position for over 20 years, says there are no records of any deaths, natural or otherwise, at the Richardson Forest Preserve.

The likely start of this legend is the death of 15 year old Linda Dyer. On August 24th, 1976, Dyer was Hitchhiking near North bend Road, and picked up by 2 men in a 1975 Volkswagen. The following day, her body was found under a bridge at the corner of Crest and Banks road, which is close to Lick Road. The autopsy revealed that she had been stabbed and strangled to death, but due to lack of blood around the body when she was found, it was determined that she had likely been killed elsewhere, and her body dumped there. Her killer(s) were never found. So while this didn’t occur at the bridge on Lick road, the location and details of her death are close enough to the legend of Amy to believe that her death was the origin of this ghost story.

So does Amy, Linda, or someone else haunt the dead end of Lick Road? I guess the only way to find out is to drive out there, roll up your windows, and wait for her plea for help. But, since alot of you already do that, don’t expect to be alone there. There’s always someone driving back there to have a look for themselves. The area also gets patrolled by the police pretty regularly, so keep that in mind. Lastly, if you venture past the gates looking for one of these ghosts, you’re trespassing. Get permission from the Hamilton County Park District before going in.


Take US 27 (at Colerain Ave. exit) north from I-275 to the Kemper road exit, and turn right onto Kemper. Go up a few blocks, and turn left onto Lick Road, it’s the 3rd road you will come to on the left.


32 thoughts on “Lick Road, The Legend of Amy, and The Linda Dyer Connection

  1. Me and my friends went last night and we saw the woman in white in the bushes to the right when you first walk through the fence, but for only a split second before it faded away, well we heard if you say ” I have/killed your baby” stuff happens so one of my friends thought it was funny to YELL “I killed your baby bitch!” right after that we heard the scream, idk how to explain it, it was like a man and woman scream put together, and it was loud! And long, it lasted a good 25-30 seconds, no words on the car, but the couple of friends that walked farther along the path saw shadows. It has an evil feeling and its scary as hell.

    1. Me and my friend Katie went down there the other day, and about the stop that says “Amy” I guess it was replaced and someone wrote “Amy” again because we saw it still there and it was pretty damn creepy.

    2. Amy was never her name It’s Linda Dyer my sis and her body was dumped there!if people are going too write this shit try to get it right !👿😡😞

  2. Some of my friends went down there looking for the ghost, and instead found a bunch of parked cars full of people making out. Whoops!

  3. I had been several times with friends and never had anything happen. Then one night I spoke to another friend who told me she had an experience there and told me what she did to have that experience, so we went out there. Instead of flashing my headlights three times each time, I would flash them once, then three times, then once, then three times. Now, I don’t take much stock in urban legends (although they are fun) but I did hear what sounded like an old train whistle. We all heard it. I then heard what sounded like hooves stepping on the pavement very near my car. She got freaked out and told me to leave, so I did. I’ve tried it since and never had anything happen.

    1. Amy was never her name It’s Linda Dyer my sis and her body was dumped there!if people are going too write this shit try to get it right !👿😡😞No it’s not true till they get the name right

  4. my girlfriend and i have been there during the day…. you walk around the gate to get across the bridge
    they have hunters hunt there for deer, took a walk back there saw some cars scouting for places to hunt
    you have to register at winto woods for a lottery ticket to hunt there they give you a combonation number to use to unlock the pad lock

    1. I actually grew up on bank road. Amy is a made up name of another girl that was actually murdered on what is now my property on bank road. Yes i have seen her many times. She’s not scary or harmful. What you should be afraid of is the native Americans. That mound of trees that blocks your view is an Indian burial ground. That’s why it’s still there untouched. All of the woods in that area are very haunted.

      1. The mound of trees that blocks your view of where? I am interested in mounds and Indian stories.

  5. Ok, I know Urban Legends are fun but I have to comment on this one. I’m a retired Hamilton County Ranger and I patrolled this location probably a few thousand times during my 34 years on the department. Never once saw Amy’s ghost. No bigfoot, and no Indians. The only things I encountered here at night involved sex, alcohol, drugs, poachers, or somebody dumping a huge pile of trash. And this area is actually in Colerain Township, not in the city of Cincinnati. Just a word of advice, the township has a juvenile curfew so if you are under 18 you are subject to arrest if you are there after 11PM. And please don’t go through the park during the day without getting permission form Park District headquarters first. The area is a nature preserve and not open to the public. There are endangered species there which could be destroyed if you don’t stay out of certain locations in the park. While I personally never cited or arrested anybody if all they were doing was looking for Amy’s ghost and not doing anything else illegal, but that’s not to say it couldn’t happen to you if you go there at night.

  6. Hello, I don’t usually reply to things like this. Me and a group of friends have gone here many times and nothing happens. One night though… we were sitting before the gate all having a smoke, and we heard a loud crashing sound. After this all 6 of us were pushed up from the ground 3 times. Picture yourself on the second story of a building and somebody hit the first flora ceiling with enough force to push you from the ground. This happened as I mistakenly joked of amys death.Needless to say I, nor my group of friends return. If you go out here don’t be daft, there are forces in this world and the next.

    1. Thanks! That’s what I thought you meant. That would be a huge mound yet I can’t find any mention of it anywhere else.

  7. I know a teacher that taught the girl that this myth is about. He remembers the girl and what really happened. Her name was not Amy and and she was killed by her boyfriend that day but her body was not found on lick road. It was found near by maybe 8 minutes down the road, in a creek that goes under a small bridge much like the one on the “Amy trail”. He actually took my sister and i to the real spot of her death. He says that cops police/detective debated rather or not she was killed on the “amy trail” or not at first and the rumors began there because before finding her body they found her clothing articles on the amy trail but later discovered her body. So, its thought they she may have actually been killed on lick road and then dumped in the area they found her in so it would not be on record as her death spot.

  8. I used to live on lick rd for bout ten yrs and I still visit my old home and I’ve never heard if any murders down there. I’ve spent many yrs in all of the woods there and have never had anything happen to me

  9. I just went there last night. If you go through the bigger, more open path and go right up a hill there is a massive area of white, chalky rock. My friends call it the moon.

  10. My sis is being haunted by nobody finding her killer.Than being called a name that’s not hers.Wish someone could fix it.Police have not done anything.It would be nice if she could pass on😞To heaven❤️

  11. WAS there with a few friend’s last night nifht and there’s was nothing to see. Some people who we were with said that they kept seeing like lights but all they were were bugs. One of them said the two were caught by a farmer with a shotgun and his dog but that’s not believable because it’s a forest reserve or park, something like that. We got goofed a few times by sounds in the woods but after leaving and coming back we saw a deer and an owl in the road so it’s pretty obvious there’s plenty of animals around.

  12. Well of course they are going to say that was no record of it. There would be too many people flaunting to area and alot of people could get injured or worse. But there is a ghostly presence located at the spot. It stretching from the bridge up to the loop. Just wish I still had the Nokia that captured the lady in white. Of course it was from the waist down but I also captured her arms from the elbow down.

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