In the days after Crystal vanished, searches conducted by the authorities with the help of volunteers and family didnt turn up anything. They had taken over the investigation into Crystals disappearance once the human remains were found. It wasnt uncommon for someone to stop by during the day with sandwiches, Gatorade and other offerings for Nelson County sheriffs deputies and FBI investigators. Her family tried to contact Crystal for two days via text and calling but they were not able to reach her. Seeing how important it is to get answers to the family of Crystal Rogers made it equally important to McAlister to help get those answers. Compartilhar isto . 2. It was women like Sherry Ballard," she admitted. Tommy was the second of Till and Betty Ballards children to be murdered. Officials said Brooks Houck, Crystals boyfriend, was the last person to see her alive when they were at his family farm the night of July 3. Its so hard.. She said people began to tell her that things might be connected, that this might be a series of crimes. The young woman was living with her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who was the father of her youngest child. All of my efforts in searching for her have been done behind the scenes with the Nelson County sheriffs office, Houck said on Nancy Graces show. Speaking in the wake of the Ballard shooting, longtime Bardstown resident Betty Greenwell told WDRB, All these killings and murders and things going on here it makes you nervous. In October, they were still waiting for a judge to decide their case and Sherry spoke to the media Today is Elis birthday; his third birthday,. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the death of Bardstown, Kentucky Police Officer Jason Ellis. Around July 5 or 6 (again, this varies depending on which article you read), police held a press conference about the case. This HAD to be Crystal. Its mind blowing, Unseld said. She grew up moving around a lot as a child thanks to her father's business career. Tears welled up in Crystal Rogers grandfathers eyes as he stood around the corner from a team of FBI agents who searched a property this week for evidence in Rogers disappearance. In Bardstown, the FBI has stepped in to help with the Crystal Rogers case and McAlister would like to think that the attention the murders received from the Bardstown podcast along with the determination of Crystal Rogers' family is to credit. If you have information concerning this case, please call 1-800-CALLFBI. In 1997, Erica Lee Fraysure's car was found in a remote area of Brooksville, Kentucky. Best known for the 2012 Sandy Hook school shootings, a perfectly solved crime, but there's also the subsequent disappearance of Robert Hoagland, and the prior Newtown Wives trilogy: the Helle Craft woodchipper murders, the other woman whose husband wasn't prosecuted until they found her body a few years ago, and Regina Brown, still . In the beginning of her career she didn't necessarily understand that. The fifth was with Brooks Houck. He walked a million miles, looking and searching, Till Ballard said. Police began their investigation after the vehicle was found. 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He was a K-9 handler (narcotics dog) for the police department in addition to his patrol duties. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules. The following day, there was no trace of her. He pleaded not guilty to a handful of felony theft charges. They couldnt see what investigators were doing. Or Hospital Scapegoat? Who Killed Jason Ellis? Brooks Houck never participated in these searches for Crystal. When confronted with the results, Nick denied that he was lying, saying, I dont give a goddam what your fcking computer said Youre calling me a fcking liar [and] I dont like it when people call me a liar.. He took Exit 34, a narrow ramp bounded on either side by steep stone walls. But if there's anything positive that came from that tragedy, it is perhaps it has helped her investigate and report with even more compassion and empathy. In the interview, Houck said that Rogers, their 2-year-old son Eli and himself left the family farm around midnight the night of July 3. Cold and Calculating August 24, 2018 44min TV-14 Subtitles Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages Audio languages English The brother of Crystal's boyfriend, Nick Houck, a Bardstown Police Officer is grilled by the FBI. KSP still believes the person or persons inside a black Chevrolet Impala seen traveling north on U.S. 150 from Botland into Bardstown on the night of the murders knew of something or had something to do with the murders of the Netherlands. Kentucky State Police is still the lead in the investigation. On Nancy Graces show, Houck said he went to a July Fourth party without Rogers and was planning to check with others about Rogers if she remained absent for more than a day or a day-and-a-half. Till said it felt like theyre living that grief all over again. When he stopped to pick up debris in the road (that is said to have been intentionally put there,) a gunman shot and killed him. [] Its taking a lot of energy and effort. We dont have anything against the state police or the sheriffs department; theyve been good, too. Crystals family deny any involvement in the signs. And Ellis focus on drug users and dealers and domestic violence situations may reveal the kind of person authorities are looking for. The keys were in the ignition and her personal belongings (keys, cellphone and purse) were found inside and scattered around the vehicle. Brooks trial for the Lowes theft was held in 2019 and a jury found him not guilty. A little over seven years ago, Bardstown Police Officer Jason Ellis was killed just off the Bluegrass Parkway after finishing his shift for the night. He was usually unwilling to have his picture taken. Rogers had been datingBrooks Houck, an initial suspect, who is the father of one of her sons. Just last year, state police hired two retired officers to focus on the case full-time, as well as some other unsolved cases in the area. But Tommy never said what type of vehicle it was that had been tailing him. Discuss this case with us at TrueCrimeSociety.com. Investigators had conducted numerous searches on Houck family property, including the home of Anna Whitesides, the grandmother of Brooks Houck. New Details About The Murder Cold Case That May Be Solved After 45 Years. She was born and raised in Bardstown and was a very shy little girl when she was younger, Sherry said. Nov 2, 2018 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A three-judge panel of the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the 6-year-old son of Crystal Rogers, the Bardstown woman who disappeared in. On the 5 year anniversary of Crystals disappearance, one of her children spoke to the media. Ballard said she couldnt have asked for better than her late husband. Share on Facebook Facebook Get FBI email alerts Ballard reported Rogers missing on July 5, 2015. I believe Brooks and Crystal Lite are still together (based on her social media). Michael Wayne Unseld was shot and killed above what used to be the Broke Tee Nite Club in Bardstown in 2016. The remains were found very close to where she disappeared around 4 miles from the Houck Family Farm. Sherry said they have not seen Eli since Crystal vanished on July 3. McAlister, who continues to cover the Rogers' case and would later come to learn, investigate and follow all the unsolved cases in Bardstown, talked with the Times-Tribune about what it's been like trying to uncover the truth and juggling the lines between professional and personal as a journalist. Bourbon City Kitchen a hidden gem in NC. Brooks admitted he and Crystal had a stressed relationship at times, but he emphatically denied having anything to do with her disappearance. Kathy Netherland, 48, and her . Even though the father is a suspect in the case of Crystal going missing. Last year McAlister and a team of producers took a deep dive into the tragedies in Bardstown including Jason Ellis's death as they worked on a hit podcast centered around all five unsolved murders in Bardstown. His murder would be the first. Investigators showed up in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision in Bardstown on Aug. 24 and began looking for any evidence they could find. "What I feel like I've given to the community is so unmatched as to what they've given to me," said McAlister about Louisville and the surrounding communities. You can see Crystal Maupins Facebook here. Bauer and Stanton asked him why this information wasnt revealed soonerand he said the men involved were eliminated and someone had tied up loose ends to keep the investigation quiet. Both Bauer and Stanton were unable to verify the inmates claims. She had previously been seeing him every other weekend. March 9, 1997 Murderpedia Willa Jean Ferrier, Crystal Conaster, and Chris Boswell were shot and killed by John Roscoe Garland in McCreary Country, supposedly over jealousy. 4. In November 2017, on the one year anniversary of Tommy Ballards death, signs appeared around Bardstown, implicating Brooks in Crystals disappearance and death. Ballard said her daughter once took in a friend who didnt have anywhere to live. His family, our two sons, his wonderful friends and I cannot heal without knowing who and why he was taken from us by this senseless murder, she said. During Police Week, the FBI is intensifying its efforts to identify and arrest fugitives believed to be involved in the assault or murder of law enforcement officers. Bardstown today has more than doubled in population, and the shadows have grown deeper. Starting in August 2021, the authorities excavated a property in Bardstown built by Brooks around the time of Crystal's disappearance. Both are serving life sentences in prison, Till said. According to the show, Crystal mentioned to her friends about having a date night with Brooks, and after dinner, they drove to Brooks family farm in the area. Features. By KATELYN NORRIS knorris@kystandard.com. Rogers family members said Houck didnt help them try to search for her. The case, as of today, remains unsolved, and no arrests have been made. Theres never a minute Im not thinking about them, Ballard said. Her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who lived with her, claimed innocence and said he had no clue what happened to Crystal. The statement was released Tuesday in a tweet by the FBI in . On May 25, Ellis, a husband and father of two young boys, clocked out of his shift at 2 a.m. and started his normal, 15-mile drive home on the Bluegrass Parkway. Now into the month of October citizens and family members are still wondering and don't have answers that just a few months ago seemed so close. Weve had our share of bad luck.. He wasnt going to give up on Crystal, Till Ballard said, standing outside the FBIs search site on Monday. bardstown, ky. The FBI has concluded its latest search efforts related to the 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers in Nelson County. She's come to have passion for shining a light on areas that would probably prefer to be dark. 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Houck's brother, Nick, was a police officer with the Bardstown Police Department at the time and was fired after interfering in the investigation. In August 2021, the FBI initiated a new search in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision of Bardstown. Victims include a Bardstown police officer, an elementary school special education teacher, and her teenage daughter. Halfway around the ramp, someone had dragged a pile of branches into the roadway. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Sherry Ballard hasnt spent any time at the FBIs newest search site, she said. They have other people work for them, so they may never look at it., Things were pretty quiet until 2020 in this case. The Ballards are currently caring for Crystals four other children full-time. The person or persons who killed them is still on the loose. Theyve denied me visitation for the last two years based on something that didnt happen and I didnt get to defend myself.. emailStay Connected She sees it both ways but makes the comparison to teachers. Walden said the FBIs involvement brought hope again. Till Ballard echoed that confidence in the FBI. It was women from a million different parts of her life who came together and held her up, McAlister said. The Houck Family Farm was also searched in August 2016 The Nelson County Sheriffs Office, Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, FBI and Louisville Metro Police Department searched 300 acres with at least 14 cadaver dogs. She was an excellent mother, Ballard said. Vanished: Heidi Broussard (33) and Margot Carey (2wks). They dont seem to be in NAMUS as far as I can see oversight or have they been identified? Rogers was from the small, tight-knit town of Bardstown, about 40 miles south of Louisville. There has been a string of unsolved murders and an unsolved disappearance in Nelson County. Shes spent the night there on several occasions.. The FBI announced that they had uncovered multiple items of interest. Kentucky murders 1962 - 2008. Mostly cloudy. According to NBC News , Singleton is a close friend and longtime employee of Brooks Houck. Crystal's maroon 2007 four-door Chevrolet was . The Nelson County Sheriffs Office will continue to be the lead agency on the human remains case. Till and Sherry Ballard said they believe the cases are connected and Tommys death investigation will be solved quickly after Rogers case is solved. The Nelson County Sheriff released this statement: Today, we received word from the FBI that the human remains, which were located at the Washington County/Nelson County line were not those of Crystal Rogers. According to FBI Louisville, the discovery was made during day four of the search. Crystal Rogers was a 35-year-old mother of five who lived in Bardstown. Seeking Information in Murder of Police Officer, FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. So, if youre curious about what happened in this case, weve got you covered. A team of investigative journalists are sharing interviews and evidence related to unsolved cases in Bardstown, Kentucky. Our website services, content and products are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. tower cafe sacramento; galley pirate blox fruits. Why wouldnt the give us all the support? Residents on North and South Howard streets had to go through the checkpoint to get to their homes. They lost a brother too; the kids are having a real hard time with that. August 2015 and Crystal is still missing. | Photo contributed, Shay McAlister in front of the camera. Tommy Ballard, Tills son and Sherrys husband, had been relentlessly pursuing the truth. City officials held an administrative hearing on Nick Houck's actions and fired him a day later. You may also contact your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. In November 2018, a court ruled Sherry Ballard could no longer see her grandson, Eli. Hopefully theyll have enough to charge him soon even if they dont find her body. The same day she was reported missing, her car was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway near mile marker 14, roughly 6 miles from the Bardstown exit. Unseld said he has never heard of the two men charged in the case. Sheriff Ed Mattingly said at that time that Houck was fully cooperating with the investigation. Kentucky State Police took the lead on the investigation right away. The 19-year-old was over seven months pregnant at the time of her disappearance, and her remains werent found until August 1983. He stopped his police cruiser to clear the road and was gunned down by several shots from a 12-gauge shotgun. Team; Services. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Her mother reported her missing July 5 after she . On June 3, 2016, someone shot Unseld above what used to be the Broken Tee Nite Club on West Stephen Foster Avenue in Bardstown. Sherry Bradley said she drove six hours from Highland, Mich.,. @Nelson_Sheriff pic.twitter.com/ghzbYqZ6Mp. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Bardstown Fire Chief Billy Mattingly saidthe house may have been set on fire by disgruntled employees who worked for Brooks Houck. Rogers was the couples first living grandchild, she said. Learn how your comment data is processed. In 2019, we brought you the story of five unsolved murders in and around the small, tight-knit town of Bardstown, Kentucky. we arrested someone else, Hill said. The results on the human remains does not change their investigation or drive to bring closure and justice for the Ballard family and the citizens of Nelson County. 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