Rogers, a mother of five children, wasnot known to go anywhere without her kids, according to the FBI. It is thought to be cyanobacteria, which is a gelatin-like substance. Tommy didnt like being in photos, Ballard said. On the days that are the best, with the best news and on the days with the worst news of their lives, I'm there.". On May 25, 2013, Bardstown police officer Jason Ellis was ambushed and killed on his way home after signing off for the night by someone lying in wait for him near Exit 34 at 2 a.m. 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.. michael lombard actor obituary; justinas duknauskas biography; organic valley grassmilk yogurt discontinued I cannot find any further updates on the human remains found in Nelson County. 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. Tommy, a skilled handyman from the age of 15, once put up a dog fence for a woman battling cancer and didnt charge her anything for it, Till Ballard said. It never gets easier, she said. We thought this was the break! "For those individuals who have information about this incident but who have not yet spoken to law enforcement for whatever reason, please contact us.". Sherry denies the allegation and says she was always careful not to speak about Brooks in front of Eli. Vanished: Heidi Broussard (33) and Margot Carey (2wks). Sheriff Ed Mattingly said at that time that Houck was fully cooperating with the investigation. After a week, the only people going through the checkpoint were local residents and members of the community who wanted to show their support for investigators. August 2015 and Crystal is still missing. Ive never made that a secret, Sherry Ballard said of her suspicion that Houck was involved in Rogers disappearance and Tommys death. She also spoke about the day that her mother went missing: I was calling and texting and she wasnt answering, she said. I know Im not the mother, but the mothers not here and the fathers the number one suspect.. A lie detector test turned out to be inconclusive, but he maintained he had no involvement in the disappearance, saying, Im 100 percent completely innocent in this. Crystals sister thought there was more to it than what was apparent, adding, The stories just dont add up. NELSON COUNTY, Ky. (WAVE) - It has been seven years since mother and daughter were brutally murdered in Nelson County in the small community of Botland. You have permission to edit this article. The Ballards are currently caring for Crystals four other children full-time. She said people began to tell her that things might be connected, that this might be a series of crimes. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. In the summer of 2018, Brooks Houck was arrested for stealing more than 200 bundles of shingles from Lowes during four separate visits during an 11-day period. High near 50F. In November 2017, on the one year anniversary of Tommy Ballards death, signs appeared around Bardstown, implicating Brooks in Crystals disappearance and death. who owns 10711 strait lane dallas, tx; thames valley police firearms department kidlington From day one, I never thought my daughter was coming home, Ballard said. Brooks was questioned early on by Nelson County Sheriffs Office Lead Detective Jon Snow. Multiple items of interest potentially relevant to Rogers disappearance, Coroner: Suspect in murders of three Kentucky police officers died by suicide, New faces joining WKYT, The CW Lexington at anchor, weather desks, Lexington police officer arrested, charged with abusing a child, Man charged in murders of Kentucky police officers kills himself in jail, officials say. Theyve denied me visitation for the last two years based on something that didnt happen and I didnt get to defend myself.. There are always flowers at the exit ramp, laminated photos of Ellis on the front doors of the Bardstown Police Department, his uniform lays on a black bourbon barrel, and a long corridor wall was dedicated to him, which includes photos. Im 100 percent, completely innocent in this, he said. In the beginning of her career she didn't necessarily understand that. Ive been there before, and its hard. 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. This is starting to get silly. He was a K-9 handler (narcotics dog) for the police department in addition to his patrol duties. He joined the paper in 2020, and is originally from Erlanger, Ky. 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. But it would help the family to know where she is. RELATED: 2016: Three year anniversary of Officer Jason Ellis' murder marked with candlelight vigil True Crime Society - True Crime Society Podcast Episode Its always the husband (allegedly! He said when they got home, he went straight to bed, and Rogers stayed up playing games on her phone. The 19-year-old was over seven months pregnant at the time of her disappearance, and her remains werent found until August 1983. She doesnt want to be in the way. Kentucky wont get an elite NCAA Tournament seed. The FBI is continuing to investigate the Crystal Rogers case. Till and his wife, Betty Ballard, sat outside the checkpoint for hours every day. There were a dozen. (Family Photo) She also said that Tommy believed he was being followed in the days before his death. Nelson County Sheriffs detectives arrested Crystal Maupin on Friday. We will continue to work with the FBI and assist with anything that is needed. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. But the two still showed up daily, staying well into the evening and waving at workers as they drove excavators, trucks full of dirt and evidence trailers in and out of the otherwise quiet Kentucky neighborhood. Around July 5 or 6 (again, this varies depending on which article you read), police held a press conference about the case. I will never lose hope though in finding my daughter pic.twitter.com/cSnw6Zv8gb. There has been a string of unsolved murders and an unsolved disappearance in Nelson County. McAlister goes on to list names including Tiny, Tammy and Rose, women that she'd gotten to know in one way or another through her reporting. Just four days after Tates arrest, on Tuesday Aug. 20, Bardstown police arrested Evan Lyons, 25, for conspiracy to murder in the case. Investigative journalist Shay McAlister moved to Louisville a little over five years ago fresh out of college. "I ask that members of the community think back to July 3rd and 4th of 2015," Brown said in the release. You can read a timeline of Crystals case from WDRB here. The keys were in the ignition and her personal belongings (keys, cellphone and purse) were found inside and scattered around the vehicle. 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. You just dont go to bed one night and not know shes gone and then not worry when she left the baby.. She's come to have passion for shining a light on areas that would probably prefer to be dark. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Mostly cloudy. But the Ballards repeatedly said he was the last person to see Rogers alive, and the Nelson County sheriffs office identified him as a suspect. The little things really matter more than the big huge things,. On May252013, Officer Jason Ellis waskilledafter finishing his shift for the Bardstown, Kentucky Police Department. It was Crystals mother, Sherry, who went to the authorities. We want to thank the FBI for their assistance and teamwork over the last 18 plus months. Did you make him suffer? Unseld said. But he was unrelenting in his efforts to find his daughter. After more than five years of waiting for answers in the 2015 disappearance of Rogers, Ballard finally saw action over the summer. Small town secrets The case of missing woman Crystal Rogers, A few days later on July 15, Brooke Ballard, Crystals sister, spoke to WHAS11 saying boyfriend Brooks Houcks story, Nick later told the Kentucky State Police. Crystal Rogers was a 35-year-old mother of five who lived in Bardstown. The statement was released Tuesday in a tweet by the FBI in . It did not take them long to become worried. She would do anything she wasnt the type to look at people different.. Crystal Lite had been going around Bardstown ripping down signs that Crystal Rogers had put up. Hill and Unseld are both processing the new development. I know remains were found near to were Crystal went missing, but they were found not to be hers. And it. The Bardstown community started up a big search for Crystal. George Weir was also found guilty. 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. In the middle of the interview, Brooks phone rang. Its something that they dont get over. BARDSTOWN, Ken. Nelson County has been good to McAlister. Just like our community we were hopeful it would assist in answers and closure in Crystal Rogers case. The Bardstown people continued their attempts to help. 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. Mother of five, Crystal Rogers has been missing from Bardstown, KY since July 3, 2015. He helped form Team Crystal, according to the FBI. Precautionary boil advisory issued for water customers in east Jefferson County, Police: Woman accused of buying nearly $9K in clothes with stolen credit card, WAVE Weather Now Syncbak Channel Embed for PBE Page, Christina Applegate attends last awards show as an actress, 15-year-old shot, killed in Smoketown neighborhood identified, LMPD: Man in hospital after shooting in St. Denis nieghborhood, Man in hospital after shooting in Russell neighborhood. Sherry Bradley said she drove six hours from Highland, Mich.,. Rogers'car was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkwaywith her keys, phone and purse still inside. - The FBI has found an "item of interest" during a property search for missing Bardstown mother Crystal Rogers. Like graduation. Tommy Ballard, Tills son and Sherrys husband, had been relentlessly pursuing the truth. Kathy and Samantha Netherland (d: April 21st, 2014) - mother and daughter were horrifically beat and murdered in their home. Her mother reported her missing July 5 after she . Hill and her brother Michael Unseld have waited and wondered for three years who killed their father and why. She was Rebecca Coriam who worked on the Disney Wonder which was one of Disney's many cruise ships. I just want to see my grandson. She had previously been seeing him every other weekend. Investigators had wanted to ask her about a white car of hers they believed was connected to Rogers disappearance. Updated: Lexington woman charged with murder 1 year after investigators find body wrapped in plastic, Officers at Kentucky prison admit to assaulting inmates, lying about the attacks, Juvenile injured in shooting outside Lexington store, Updated: 1 man convicted of murder in trial for suspects accused of Lexington killing. They focused on multiple houses before they eventually dug up a front yard and driveway at one property on North Howard Street. Cold and Calculating August 24, 2018 44min TV-14 Subtitles Subtitles English [CC] Audio languages Audio languages English The FBI announced that they had uncovered multiple items of interest. McAlister said her involvement with the Rogers case poured the foundation for the work she's gone on to do and the work she continues to do in journalism and beyond. The Nelson County Coroner's Office said he was shot once in the chest, with the bullet entering his chest and exiting his back,according to WHAS-11. A Dead Cop Was The First Unsolved Murder. Mother of five, Crystal Rogers has been missing from Bardstown, KY since July 3, 2015. And while she thought she knew what grief was like, she had no idea. Fort Valley State University student Missing Where is Anitra Gunn? Copyright 2019 WAVE 3 News. Investigators showed up in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision in Bardstown on Aug. 24 and began looking for any evidence they could find. She grew up moving around a lot as a child thanks to her father's business career. wrote on a new website dedicated to the investigation. "It's definitely put me in a different position to cover tragedy - I think in a way with more empathy and compassion.". The FBI is investigating Rogers' disappearance and four unsolved Bardstown murders, including the shooting of Tommy Ballard. She said Brooks has been uncooperative with the investigation. The person or persons who killed them is still on the loose. Was it quick?, I kind of thought at some point in time maybe people had forgotten and maybe we were the only ones still out there wanting answers, Hill said. and Tommy's death investigation will be solved quickly after Rogers' case is . Ballard plans to have Rogers buried next to Tommy if her remains are found, she said. Starting in August 2021, the authorities excavated a property in Bardstown built by Brooks around the time of Crystals disappearance. The brother of Crystal's boyfriend, Nick Houck, a Bardstown Police Officer is grilled by the FBI. Thats the question weve got.. She sees it both ways but makes the comparison to teachers. 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. More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. 2023byTango Publishing Corporation All Rights Reserved. He told Snow that when he woke up on the morning of July 4, Rogers wasnt there. Police say the debris was deliberately placed there, and that 33-year-old Ellis may have been a planned target. Over the past five years, McAlister has spent dozens of hours investigating these cases and part of that includes getting to know friends and families of the victims. 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. A juror spoke after the verdict was handed down: It was his mistake and their mistake but 80 percent theirs, because the workers, every one of them, has only been there one or 2 months, and that one girl that came up said she lied so she wouldnt have to be a witness on the case, said Peyton Gentry, a juror in the case. With a new crew asking different questions that she hadn't thought of, it set forth the perfect combination for a podcast to really work. I know crystals mother cannot see the grandson that lives with his father. It was really rough. Police Chief Kim Kraeszig also remembers getting a call that night about the murder. We want closure., RELATED: Who Killed Lonnie Lard Anthony? We want to solve this case for them and bring this person to justice and find out why they did this. Since McAlister's first weeks at WHAS 11, she's put together an unsolved series covering missing and murdered loved ones from around Kentucky. Sherry Ballard took care of four of her daughters children on her own after Rogers went missing and Tommy died. On the day after Easter 2014, 48-year-old Kathy Netherland and her 16-year-old daughter, Samantha, were brutally murdered inside their home in Botland, just outside the Bardstown city limits.. At the time of that call, Nick Houck himself was an officer with the Bardstown Police Department. He met the love of his life while in Williamsburg, married her and moved back to her hometown in Nelson County where he started a career with the Bardstown Police Department. SPONSORED LINKS The sudden disappearance of Crystal Rogers, a young mother, in July 2015 had the small town of Bardstown, Kentucky, on edge. NELSON COUNTY, Ky. (WAVE) - It has been seven years since mother and daughter were brutally murdered in Nelson County in the small community of Botland. Searches have still been undertaken the Louisville Metro Police searched several waterways to no avail. The boy allegedly asked his father, what did you do to my mommy, and added that everyone wants to know.'. Share on Facebook Facebook In 2019, we brought you the story of five unsolved murders in and around the small, tight-knit town of Bardstown, Kentucky. Team Crystal was a group of family members and other local residents willing to do anything for Sherry and Tommy to help them determine what happened to Rogers. Im not worried about nobody but my grandson and my daughter., This was a fight that would be drawn out for years. Lucy Letby- Killer Nurse? The second search took place in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision, where Brooks Houck's construction company built several houses shortly after the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Police haven't released a motive in the shooting. Possible human remains were discovered two weeks ago near where Rogers was last seen, theNelson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, leading to a swirl of rumors that the remains could belong to Rogers. Her father Tommy Ballard was shot in the chest and killed. There is a great post on reddit about Crystals case and this information comes from there: You can see Crystal Maupins Facebook here. "As humans we don't have enough kindness and compassion for strangers," added McAlister. Who Killed Jason Ellis? I knew my mom was proud, but like just wanting her to be there physically, it was very hard to see other moms there, Fenwick said. Her family tried to contact Crystal for two days via text and calling but they were not able to reach her. I want to get my hopes up, Ballard said of the FBIs latest search. The checkpoint was staffed around the clock by the Nelson County sheriffs office during the day and by Kentucky State Police at night. Winds light and variable.. Showers early, becoming a steady rain late. Introducing herself and asking questions of others made journalism a natural fit. Captain Brandon Bryan is the lead investigator on the case. This story was originally published September 1, 2021, 12:19 PM. Ive never denied the animosity but I know people who go through a divorce and they still get to see their children. Till and Sherry Ballard are adamant that Tommy was killed because of how hard he was working to find Rogers. Toensurethe safety of the public, he got out of his vehicle to clear the branches. There is no sibling rights so they cant do anything about not seeing their brother. They havent seen their brother. The content produced by YourTango is for informational and educational purposes only. Weve had our share of bad luck.. All previous homicides of Kentucky law enforcement officers in the decade before Ellis' killing were solved within 24 hours, according to a Courier-Journal review of cases. In November 2016, 16 months after Crystal disappeared, tragedy struck her family again.