Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Detectives believe she was murdered. Its been a very hard week, Rogers mother, Sherry Ballard, told the paper Thursday. In August 2021, agents searched a subdivision where Houck owns properties. Nearly a year later, in April 2014, 48-year-old teacher Kathy Netherland and her 16-year-old daughter, Samantha, were found dead inside their home. She appealed the decision. Brooks Houck, an initial suspect and Crystal Rogers' then-boyfriend, has denied involvement in her disappearance. And the Nelson County Sheriff's Office named Brooks Houck the main suspect, but he wasn't arrested or charged. "He has not offered once to search or help or do anything for the family," she said. Brooks Houck, Rogers' [] On October 16, 2015, Brooks' brother Nick Houck was fired from the Bardstown Police Department for allegedly interfering with the investigation of Crystal Rogers disappearance. Now is the time to come forward.. I think the whole town wants it.. FBI Raids Bardstown, Kentucky Farm Owned by Family of Crystal Rogers Brooks Houck main suspect in Crystal Rogers case | BARDSTOWN, Four years after Crystal Rogerss disappearance, the investigation still focuses on one person: Brooks Houck. Download the ABC 36 News App on your smart phone or tablet device to receive breaking news and weather push notifications the minute it happens. After making it his lifes mission to find his daughter, Rogers' father, Tommy Ballard, was killed while hunting in November 2016. "I'll never think it was.". A look back: seven years since Crystal Rogers' disappearance - WLEX WAVE reported Kathy had been shot multiple times, while Samantha had been bludgeoned about the head, both women showing knife wounds to their necks. LMPD and other LE departments have helped them out on all of these cases too. The land, which sits on 30 acres, is owned by the mother of Brooks Houck, who was named a suspect in the case in 2017. "We've searched the rivers, we've searched farms, houses, sinkholes, wells, any place she might be," family member Sammy Johnson said. It's not the family farm that is located just off the Bluegrass Parkway exit where Ellis was killed, it was the family home. That poor, poor town. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Like, it's something we have to deal with every day, she said. He continued to deny his connection to the disappearance, saying, "My whole family's name is trashed for something completely not even tied to me. Her car was found two days later on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat. As CrimeOnline previously reported, FBI agents and cadaver dogs are at a subdivision in Bardstown, the town Rogers, then 35, was living in when she vanished in July 2015. I'm innocent. Crystal Rogers vanished in 2015 and is presumed dead. We appreciate the communitys support, particularly the residents of the Woodlawn Springs subdivision.. Ballard even harassed Houck's girlfriend, Crystal Maupin, and her family, to the point of following her into a restaurant (where E.P.H. Crystal Maupin pleaded guilty to theft charges in court Tuesday. Until the body is found, Nick and Brooks Houck will likely never be charged with her murder, or any others they've committed. According to WDRB, he owns 129 properties and 11 houses.. Until the body is found, Nick and Brooks Houck will likely never be charged with her murder, or any others they've committed. Police say he was the last person to see her. To have control of who will or will not be investigated? When nothing is being done and there is so much attention drawn to a case the FBI gets involved they dont always need authorization. Nick has never been charged or arrested in connection with Rogers' disappearance. Maybe it would look highly suspicious if they didnt call in the FBI, and if this as big as it seems, Brooks days might be numbered because he might know too much. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Houck and Rogers had previously dated and had a child together. Crystal Rogers: Where the investigation stands in 2022 Bourbon Town Mystery, produced by the HLN Investigations team, takes a deep dive into the disappearance of Rogers. March 13, 1939 - February 22, 2023. On Saturday FBI Louisville tweeted about its support from the Bardstown community over the past week..thanking them for donations of food and a flood of tips. Kentucky mom Crystal Rogers disappeared in 2015 Credit: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Beshear says 3 killed in Kentucky during severe storms Friday, Lawsuit claims Louisville pool company spent customer money on Vegas vacations and plastic surgery, Gov. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Again, the motive and perpetrator have never been determined. He is the father of Crystal Rogers' youngest child. Would love your thoughts, please comment. An FBI Louisville spokesman previously said all three locations hadalready been searched "to various degrees" over the years. The FBI and law enforcement will remain focused on bringing to justice the individual(s) responsible for Crystals disappearance. McCubbin said that Houcks conduct was unbecoming and showed poor ethics and integrity, WHAS-11 reported. He took Exit 34, a narrow ramp bounded on either side by steep stone walls. "The memory that will forever be in my heart is going to DQ and buying my momma lunch. That day in court was also the first time the Ballards saw Brooks Houck since Rogers was reported missing. Not at all!!!! Id be afraid to live in that area, This is so frightening. Rogers wasnot known to go anywhere without her kids, according to the FBI. His family believes the same person is responsible for both Tommys death and Rogers' disappearance. Nick and Brooks, along with their mother, have verbally, as well as physically, threatened the family of Crystal Rogers and those volunteering in the search for her, including my own immediate family. "And now my whole family's name is trashed for something that's not even tied to me," he said. "I think we're moving in the right direction. When I graduated high school, seeing all the kids with their moms and they were like so proud. And that's the day that if I ever have too much on my shoulders, that might be the day. widget: true, UPDATE: FBI concludes search of neighborhood in Crystal Rogers case Rogers' father was killed in an unsolved hunting accident. Brooks Houck was dating crystal rogers at the time she went missing, and they have a child together. While we do not have a timeline in regards to when the search will conclude, we will continue our efforts for as long as it takes, FBI Louisville tweeted Thursday. However, one person was always missing from the searches: Houck. In June, Whitesides was served with a subpoena to testify before a Nelson County Grand Jury, but she invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to talk. He later confessed to lying in the case and spent seven months in jail. Not unlike the mythic feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, which happened nearby, the search to find out what happened to Rogers soon led to acrimony between her family and the family of her boyfriend at the time. Now 19 years old, Kyleigh was just 14 at the time of her moms disappearance. ", "My mom is a very special woman," one of Rogers' daughterswrote on a website dedicated to the investigation. When confronted with the results, Nick denied that he was lying, saying, I dont give a goddam what your f*cking computer said Youre calling me a f*cking liar [and] I dont like it when people call me a liar.. Until justice is served, they have one simple request. Bourbon City Kitchen a hidden gem in NC. In an interview with Nancy Grace, Brooks admitted he and Rogers had a stressed relationship at times, but he emphatically denied having anything to do with her disappearance. Also, the farm isnt located right off the exit Ellis was shot from. But when you really get to know him? discovery: { All rights reserved. Sheriff Ed Mattingly said at that time that Houck was fully cooperating with the investigation. She will not spend time in jail, as long as she stays out of trouble. It is suspected That his brother Nick Houck, a local police officer was. Nestled between the post office and the Shell Gas Station, Bourbon City Kitchen and Trade Company is a hidden gem of Cox's Creek and Nelson Co. Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. Brooks was Crystal's boyfriend and was named as the prime suspect in her disappearance back in 2015. Disappearance of Crystal Rogers 105: The Inmate Letter, Disappearance of Crystal Rogers 105: Nobody Has a Clue, Disappearance of Crystal Rogers Bonus 105: Detective Jon Snow. According to her boyfriend Brooks Houck, Crystal Rogers was last seen on the night of July 3, 2015. To date, no one has been arrested for the disappearance of Crystal Rogers and the shooting death of Tommy Ballard. More than a year after Rogers disappeared, her father, 54-year-old Tommy Ballard, was fatally shot in November 2016 while huntingon family property in a rural area outside Bardstown. But his own investigation was cut short when he was shot and killed in November of 2016. A message seeking comment from an FBI spokesperson in Louisville was not immediately returned. It's very hard. Features. It's very, very hard, Ballard said. "That's my scary day," she said. Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. At the time of that call, Nick Houck himself was an officer with the Bardstown Police Department. The land, which sits on 30 acres, is owned by the mother of Brooks Houck, who was named a suspect in the case in. That very evening he sent a text out to a babysitter for he and Crystals date, date with death more like. 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Ballard told WDRB that she believes that Houck is guilty of something and that her daughter got mixed up with the wrong person when she started dating him. Halfway around the ramp, someone had dragged a pile of branches into the roadway. I'm connected to an individual that investigated these crimes, who relayed most of this information to me, and have personally heard many of the witness accounts of a lot of this information I've posted. A few reports revealed that a suspicious man had been watching Molly. Houck's brother, Nick, was a police officer with Bardstown Police at the time of Rogers' disappearance andwas fired after interfering in the investigation. More on Jason Ellis:Who killed Bardstown Officer? The six episodes in the entire "Real Life Nightmare" series, which focuses on other mysterious cases, will be available on-demand the day after the broadcast premiere via cable/satellite systems. Among the other past shows on the missing mother is"The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers," which premiered in 2018 onOxygen. }); Massachusetts : Molly Bish - Cults, Crimes & Cabernet - Podcast I don't need an attorney. Snow alerted Houck of gaps in his story, but Houck said he had nothing to do with Rogers' disappearance. 16th Update: Nov. 19, 2016: Something Rotten in Bardstown Agentsreportedlywere using a cadaver dog to search the subdivision and a Courier Journal photographer saw investigatorsusing a jackhammer on the driveway of a home. I agree with all of this I always knew the disappearance and the murder of Jason Ellis were connected.any connection to the women and her daughter who were murdered in their home before Jason Ellis was killed. Feb 21, 2023. Required fields are marked *, function evvntDiscoveryInit() { They were discovered on a farm close to where Rogers car was found. In one of WDRB last interviews with him, we asked if Rogers' body would ever be found. We are the most trusted source for local news. In 2019, ahome being builtby Brooks Houckwas burned down inwhat city officials said was anarson case. Have you ever been on the exit where Ofc Ellis was ambushed? In July of 2017, Brooks Houcks current girlfriend, Crystal Maupin, was arrested after she was allegedly caught on camera ripping up signs connected to the investigation. . In July of 2017, Brooks Houck's current girlfriend, Crystal Maupin, was arrested after she was allegedly caught on camera ripping up signs connected to the investigation. Brooks Houck is the father of the child and primary guardian - he is also the main suspect in Rogers' disappearance though no charges have been filed against him. "And I need closure. I dont think so. Houck is quite well-known in Bardstown, Kentucky. Home owned by Brooks Houck, suspect in Crystal Rogers disappearance "He made eye contact with me. According to the FBI, several items of interest have been sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, VA. Someone else asked the same question in another group and someone answered saying no. Brooks Houck was named as a suspect in the 2015 disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Crystal Rogers, who is presumed dead. Houck, who started mowing the lawn after agents left his home, has raised some eyebrows. BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WTVQ/WHAS) -The FBI is searching a Bardstown neighborhood for evidence in connection to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. No one has been charged,but Houck was named a suspect in 2015. Its closer to Bardstown, up the BG. Houck runs Houck Rentals, a business involving real estate holdings of more than 130 parcels in 2018, the Kentucky Standard reported. We are your neighbors. Ballard's grandson, who was with him during the trip,was not responsible for Ballard's death, Kentucky State Police detectives later said. [] It's taking a lot of energy and effort. pic.twitter.com/fg7nhk25jc, Fallon Glick (@FallonGlick) August 2, 2018. Did confirm federal warrants being served at both locations. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Brooks' friend was arrested for lying to police. "We love her and we're trying to find her and we just want her to come home," Sherry Ballard said through tear-filled eyes. According to Dun & Bradstreet, the company has four employees and made nearly $330,000 in sales. From the day the case started over a Fourth of July weekend to the FBI taking the case this week, we take a look back at all the major moments. Last year a new detective, Joedy Gilliland, took over Crystal's case after Detective John Snow retired. Ajudge ruled in February of 2019 that Rogers 6-year-old son could not sit with Ballard until the custody case was complete, WDRB reported. Over the years, family raised money for information leading to an arrest in Rogers' and Tommy Ballard's cases. He pleaded not guilty to a handful of felony theft charges. Brooks is interviewed about the disappearance of his girlfriend Crystal Rogers. Nick Houck was also questioned by investigators in Rogers' disappearance. Her disappearance has garnered national attention, but there are still no answers and no signs of her. When you first meet him, everyone just thinks hes the perfect gentleman. I'm sorry for my actions,'" Sherry Ballard said of the letter. I don't know who. Detectives believe she was murdered. Mobile App | WEATHER App | WTVQ Email Sign Up. According to NBC News, Singleton is a close friend and longtime employee of Brooks Houck. At the VERY LEAST -crystal and her fathers murder isnt connected. Really???? What a bunch of corruption. Officer Ellis was shot and killed at the exit off the Bluegrass Parkway near Bardstown. As the years have come and gone, there's been a yearning for justice. Over the ensuing three years, the drama around her disappearance would include accusations of police interference, the still unsolved shooting death of her father and a sign campaign straight out of the movie Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.. Your email address will not be published. News outlets report the home owned by Brooks Houck burned down in Bardstown on Sunday night. Tommy was killed by Nick Houck, in retaliation for trespassing onto a property that was most likely used to hide Crystal's body, or evidence of her murder, before it could be destroyed. The motive and person behind his murder remain a mystery to this day. number: 3, The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. Brooks has never been charged or arrested in connection with Rogers' disappearance. evvnt_require("evvnt/discovery_plugin").init({ This, to me, is starting to get silly.". @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/od79fazgyo, Travis Ragsdale (@TravisRagsdale) August 6, 2020, Grass has to get cut, federal investigation be damned! one person tweeted, while another tweeted, Gotta get it done before he heads off to jail and has to sell it! Crystal's mother, Sherry Ballard, filed a missing person's report with law enforcement on July 5. In 2017, Kentucky State Police hired former troopers to investigate the cases of both Rogers andJason Ellis, aBardstown police officerwho wasambushed in 2013and killedby at least two people. Nick then failed a polygraph test conducted by an examiner from the FBI when questioned about the case. In 1979, Crystal Rogers Aunt, Freda Sharene Sherry Ballard, went missing from Bardstown, according to The Kentucky Standard. Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five children, was reported missing on July 3, 2015, from Bardstown. Rogers first disappeared back in 2015her boyfriend Brooks Hauck. Rogers has been missing since July 3. As FBI searches Bardstown subdivision, Sherry Ballard hopes for 'answers this time', one of Rogers' daughterswrote on a website dedicated to the investigation, using a cadaver dog to search the subdivision, 150 federal agentsservingsearch warrants, HLN airs docu-series investigation on missing Kentucky mom Crystal Rogers, The Vanishing of Crystal Rogers Not Another True Crime Podcast, Rogers was datingBrooks Houck, an initial suspect, who is the father of one of her sons, FBI Louisville, other federal agencies search for Crystal Rogers with new warrants, Ballard told The Courier Journal she has "a lot of hope", fired after interfering in the investigation, ahome being builtby Brooks Houckwas burned, 54-year-old Tommy Ballard, was fatally shot in November 2016, Ballard's grandson, who was with him during the trip,was not responsible for Ballard's death, Kentucky State Police hired former troopers to investigate the cases, Jason Ellis, aBardstown police officerwho wasambushed in 2013, theslaying of teacher Kathy Netherland and her teenage daughter Samantha, Who killed Bardstown Officer? in the chest by an unknown person while waiting in a field for his grandson to go hunting. Brooks Houck is a businessman who is also the former boyfriend and main suspect in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five who went missing under suspicious circumstances on July 3, 2015. Missing: Crystal Rogers | Bardstown, KY | Uncovered that detectives planned to interview him and advised him not to speak with them. A memorial service for Crystal will be held Wednesday outside St. Thomas Catholic Church in Bardstown at 7:30 p.m. We've received your submission. Sherry believes Tommy was getting close to finding out what happened to Rogers before he was killed. went missing over Fourth of July weekend in 2015. Disappearance of Crystal Rogers - Wikipedia what happened to archie in monarch of the glen; funeral poem our father kept a garden. The sheriff's office has been the lead investigating agency in Rogers' disappearance. She confided in a friend that if she were to ever go missing, or turn up dead, that she had a manilla envelope with evidence against Brooks. that he only contacted his brother to tell him that "they might be trying to trip him up" and "he should protect himself.". That's the type of person she was. He said when they got home, he went straight to bed, and Rogers stayed up playing games on her phone. submission: { That August, Whitesides home was searched, as were the homes of Nick Houck and his mother Rosemary Houck, where several pieces of farm equipment were seized, according to WLKY. She was a very good daughter," Ballard told The Courier Journal. Crystal Rogers' mom speaks out:As FBI searches Bardstown subdivision, Sherry Ballard hopes for 'answers this time'. from Lowes. he wasnt initially worried about her absence since she often went out with friends and stayed out late, sometimes not coming home until the next morning. He certainly didn't own up to any knowledge in the Oxygen documentary series. I always wonder what my life would be like if she and my papaw was still here.". The mother of five went missing on July 3, 2015, and she hasn't been found to this day. Who is Brooks Houck? On November 19, 2016, Crystal Rogers' 54-year-old father Tommy Ballard was fatally shot in the chest by an unknown person while waiting in a field for his grandson to go hunting. You hope it gets solved, Bardstown resident Paul Monin told the station of the six-year missing-person probe. "prerollTemplate":"https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x480&iu=/132916964,1079947/wtvq.com/featured&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&vpos=preroll&unviewed_position_start=1&correlator=1677885517&cust_params=category=Featured%2CLocal%20News%2CNews%2CState%20News&video_position=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wtvq.com%2Ffbi-searching-bardstown-neighborhood-for-evidence-in-the-disappearance-of-crystal-rogers%2F&post=757748" On July 5, police find Rogers' maroon Chevy Impala abandoned with a flat tire on the shoulder of the Bluegrass Parkway. He was shot from in front, by someone he knew; a fellow police officer, Nick Houck. Nelson County Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa told WHAS-11 that Houck is the main suspect in the case of Rogers disappearance, even though he was never charged. (WDRB Photo). Brooks Houck FULL Police Interrogation - Did He Do It? - YouTube partner_name: "ABC36NEWS", An item of interest has been discovered in the search for a missing Kentucky mother last seen six years ago, FBI officials said. Crystal Rogers: Federal agents dig up concrete driveway on Day 3 - WKYT These charges do not appear to be connected to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers in any way. For the first time, one of Crystals five children sits down with WDRB and talks about what life has been like without their mom. So to think that it's been five years has been very, very hard, Ballard said. He made bond and was ordered to have no contact with Lowes. Houck has denied involvement with Rogers'disappearance and has never been charged. According to WKLY, one of Houcks employees, Danny Singleton, pleaded guilty to false swearing after he initially faced 38 counts of perjury for lying to detectives. PREVIOUS STORIES ON WAVE3.COM+KSP search Brooks Houck's grandmother's home in Bardstown+Father of Crystal Rogers shot and killed in hunting incident+Lead suspect in Crystal Rogers disappearance appears in court+Nelson Co. sheriff: One Houck brother a suspect in Crystal Rogers' disappearance, likely death. BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) This week marks five years since Crystal Rogers was last seen in Bardstown. In an interview with Nancy Grace, he said she stayed up late playing games on her phone and was gone the next morning from the house where they lived with their 2-year-old son, Eli, and other children. Brooks Houck. map: false, The 35-year-old went missing on July 3, 2015. "I just want to see my grandson. On Thursday, the FBI searched the homes of Brooks, his brother. Police say he was the last person to see her. Is that why Brooks ran for sheriff? I do remember during one of the searches, the Houcks had to leave the property and they only allowed Brooks on with a police escort to feed the cattle. Nearly every day since Rogers went missing, her father, Tommy Ballard, searched for her and even started his own investigation. Going over to mamaw Martins and playing phase 10 and aggravation over and over while eating snacks. ", "I just hope that I can handle that, when they come to me with that news, even though Ive waited for six years," shesaid. The FBI has not released more details on the "items of interest" that were sent to the Virginia lab for testing. This is starting to get silly. Houck was named as a suspect in the 2015 disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Crystal Rogers, who is . On Monday, a search was being conducted at a farm at 345 Paschal Ballard Lane. Over 70 warrants have been issued and a few different Houck properties have been searched numerous times. Are there or were there pigs on the Houck family farm?? Warren County Jail "The stories just don't add up. He is also the father of Rogers youngest child. Their mother lived there at the time of Ellis' death but they sold the place shortly after Ellis died and she moved to the family farm which is off of Highway 49 between Bardstown and Holy Cross. The community also stepped up in a big way with family and strangers from all over setting out to search every inch of Nelson County and the surrounding area. The boyfriend of a missing Kentucky woman owns multiple rental properties at a subdivision that is the site of an FBI search Tuesday. The home of Nick Houck Brooks' brother, who was fired by Bardstown police in 2015 for allegedly interfering with the investigation into Rogers' disappearance was also searched, FBI. When he answered it, it was his brother, Nick Houck, telling him not to talk to investigators. Days earlier, FBI Louisville announced that investigators were led to the subdivision based on information gathered in the past year. Brooks has never been charged or arrested, Nick later told the Kentucky State Police, the Kentucky House of Representatives and State Senate passed a resolution. People say it gets easier. Just a few days before the fifth anniversary of Rogers' disappearance, one of her daughters spoke publicly for the first time with WDRB News. Days after Crystal Rogers was reported missing, her boyfriend Brooks Houck sat inside the Nelson County Sheriff's Office, answering Detective Jon Snow's questions. His family believes the same person is responsible for both Tommys death and Rogers' disappearance.