The Nelson County Sheriffs Office confirmed in a statement Sunday that human remains had been recovered in a rural part of the county. and Tommy's death investigation will be solved quickly after Rogers' case is . Unseld said he has never heard of the two men charged in the case. The Bardstown, Kentucky, woman's maroon Chevrolet Impala was later found on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire. Investigative journalist Shay McAlister moved to Louisville a little over five years ago fresh out of college. | Photo contributed, Shay McAlister in front of the camera. 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. Since my moms been missing, life has been really hard. 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. Kathy Netherland, 48, and her daughter, Samantha, 16, were killed inside their home on April 21, 2014. He later died at the hospital. tower cafe sacramento; galley pirate blox fruits. Rogers was from the small, tight-knit town of Bardstown, about 40 miles south of Louisville. He didnt mind doing that. Since McAlister's first weeks at WHAS 11, she's put together an unsolved series covering missing and murdered loved ones from around Kentucky. Properties searched Thursday morning included homes belonging to BrooksHouck, his brother and their mother, Rosemary Houck, the FBI confirmed to USA TODAY. Team; Services. The Nelson County Sheriffs Office will continue to be the lead agency on the human remains case. She had no idea what would be ahead of her during those first couple weeks in Louisville at WHAS 11, where she continues to work today, or the path it would forge ahead of her. But Brooks Houck, Rogers boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and a suspect in the case, owns multiple homes in the neighborhood. We dont have anything against the state police or the sheriffs department; theyve been good, too. Second arrest made in 2016 Bardstown murder. Crystal Lite had been going around Bardstown ripping down signs that Crystal Rogers had put up. The first murder occurred in 2013, when Ellis, a 33-year-old husband . The young woman was living with her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who was the father of her youngest child. No immediate answers came out of the searches as Rogers family dealt with the six-year anniversary of her disappearance. I don't know which one was worse: not knowing who it was or having suspects and not knowing why or any other answers, Hill said. But he never reported her missing. He made eye contact with me. Crystal Rogers disappeared on July 3, 2015 and weeks later McAlister would begin to cover the case. More than a year after Rogers disappeared, her father, Tommy Ballard, 54, was fatally shot while hunting on family property in a rural area outside Bardstown. The case remains open as the human remains are unidentified at time. Hopefully theyll have enough to charge him soon even if they dont find her body. Kathy Netherland, 48, and her daughter, Samantha, 16, were killed inside their home on April 21, 2014. Nick later told the Kentucky State Police that he only contacted his brother to tell him that they might be trying to trip him up and he should protect himself. Nick then failed a polygraph test conducted by an examiner from the FBI when questioned about the case. Like graduation. Back then, Sherry. Sherry said they have not seen Eli since Crystal vanished on July 3. He was a K-9 handler (narcotics dog) for the police department in addition to his patrol duties. Bardstown is at the center of five unsolved deaths and disappearances, including that of Crystal Rogers, and they continue to inspire speculation, gossip and intrigue far beyond the county line. Her family, including her grandfather, Till Ballard, and her mother, Sherry Ballard, at least wants to know what happened to her. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Large trucks were seen hauling dirt and mud away day after day. KSP said detectives are still actively working on the case and following leads, which come in periodically, according to KSP. 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. Police offered $200,000 in reward money and made a video asking for the publics help. She was born and raised in Bardstown and was a very shy little girl when she was younger, Sherry said. One year ago in the middle of recording the Bardstown podcast, McAlister lost her partner. 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. By Benjamin H. Smith Bardstown Murders and Mysteries: Brookelyn Farthing 1:09 Preview The Bardstown people continued their attempts to help. 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. 3. In the middle of the interview, Brooks phone rang. They cant hold it against me that my daughter was murdered and just assume that Im going to speak badly of the father. Its something that they dont get over. Ellis was hit multiple times, and died on the side of the road. But there are still unanswered questions. According to an anonymous inmate, who spoke with reporter Stephanie Bauer and retired homicide detective Dwayne Stanton about Crystal Rogers disappearance, revealed that he knew something about Ellis murder. The FBI has conducted two searches in Bardstown; the first search occurred during August of 2020 and the second was in August of 2021. Houck said Rogers was still up on the night of July 3 when he went to bed. Or Hospital Scapegoat? I know Im not the mother, but the mothers not here and the fathers the number one suspect.. Walden said the FBIs involvement brought hope again. Till Ballard echoed that confidence in the FBI. Buy HD $2.99 More purchase options 3. The search has focused on homes built and previously owned by Brooks. He was pronounced dead at the scene on a farm located on Ed Brent Lane. A massive search for her turned up more questions than answers, frustrating the authorities and loved ones alike. A few days later on July 15, Brooke Ballard, Crystals sister, spoke to WHAS11 saying boyfriend Brooks Houcks story doesnt add up. Her car was found on the side of a busy parkway with a flat tire, keys, wallet and phone still inside. You hope this is the year, and then you get no answers.. Waking up every day and not being able to wake up and be like Hey mom and What are you going to do today? Just like normal little things. 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. A security checkpoint was set up on Freeman Avenue, the only way to access North and South Howard streets, which are both dead-end roads. On May 25 2013, Officer Jason Ellis was killed after finishing his shift for the Bardstown, Kentucky Police Department. Season 2 brings us to a bayou community in Louisiana Lacombe where the wife of a local fire chief is missing the day a mysterious fire rips through her house. 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. Till and his wife, Betty Ballard, sat outside the checkpoint for hours every day. Starting in August 2021, the authorities excavated a property in Bardstown built by Brooks around the time of Crystal's disappearance. Theres never a minute Im not thinking about them, Ballard said. Whitesides lawyer said, There are lots of things, particularly in a high-profile case, where there is as frenzied an investigation as there is here that could ensnare an 82-year-old woman. Annas home was searched again in August 2016. On June 3, 2016, someone shot Unseld above what used to be the Broken Tee Nite Club on West Stephen Foster Avenue in Bardstown. Days after Rogers disappearance, he told Nancy Grace in a television interview that he was not in the least little bit alarmed when he woke up on July 4 to find Rogers wasnt home. Ive never made that a secret, Sherry Ballard said of her suspicion that Houck was involved in Rogers disappearance and Tommys death. Ive been there before, and its hard. It was found with a flat tyre near mile marker 14 on the Bluegrass parkway. WAVE reported Kathy had been shot multiple times, while Samantha had been bludgeoned about the head, both women showing knife wounds to their necks. He said when they got home, he went straight to bed, and Rogers stayed up playing games on her phone. It's unclear if Unseld knew Tate or Lyons. "It's definitely put me in a different position to cover tragedy - I think in a way with more empathy and compassion.". Till and Sherry Ballard are adamant that Tommy was killed because of how hard he was working to find Rogers. She lived in multiple states and even called Europe home for a bit. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. The FBI are in charge of her case and they are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for her disappearance. Tommys murder is still unsolved to this day and the FBI are involved in his death: After his daughter, Crystal Rogers, disappeared in July 2015, Tommy Ballard created Team Crystal, a group of Bardstown, Kentucky, community members dedicated to finding Crystal and bringing her home. 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. When murders go unsolved for long periods of time months, years, sometimes even decades it leaves communities in shambles, particularly investigators and the family of the victim. From day one, I never thought my daughter was coming home, Ballard said. She was Rebecca Coriam who worked on the Disney Wonder which was one of Disney's many cruise ships. It's something you really learn in this business, she said. Investigation Discoverys Still a Mystery: She Gave No Warning shines a light on Crystals puzzling vanishing and the events leading up to it. The FBI said it would keep searching as long as it takes to find evidence. New Details About The Murder Cold Case That May Be Solved After 45 Years. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to anidentification, arrest or conviction in the Rogers case. New Details On The Unsolved Murder Of The Buffalo Man Who Was Shot Dead In His Car, Woman Gets 'Hate' For Sharing How Her Current Husband Is Supporting Her Ex After He Served 7 Years In Prison, Man Shares Bizarre Story Of Touring A House While The Owner Was 'Tied Up In A CarpetIn the Basement', How The Brutal Murder Of My Father-In-Law Saved My Husband's Life, Who Is Carla Walker? The Ballard family has more than one victim for whom they want answers. "I think the whole town wants it." No arrests have been announced in the case as. Toensurethe safety of the public, he got out of his vehicle to clear the branches. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. BARDSTOWN, Ky. - This week marks six months since a mother and her teenage daughter were murdered in their Kentucky home and still, police are no closer to solving the case than they were on. "The memory that will forever be in my heart is going to DQ and buying my momma lunch. We are now at 2021 and Crystal will have been missing for 6 years this July. Im innocent. Ballard said her daughter once took in a friend who didnt have anywhere to live. Brandon Lawson The 911 call that led to a mysterious disappearance. Samantha Netherland was a sophomore at Bardstown High School. So, if youre curious about what happened in this case, weve got you covered. The place where dreams are made takes a dark turn when a young crew member was reported missing. They're reportedly searching three properties owned by Rogers' ex-boyfriend, Brooks Houck, in addition to properties owned by his brother, former Bardstown police officer Nick Houck, and their mother, Rosemary Houck. Sherry denies the allegation and says she was always careful not to speak about Brooks in front of Eli. Shes spent the night there on several occasions.. Until then she challenges people to think about the impact they want to leave on the world. Police say the debris was deliberately placed there, and that 33-year-old Ellis may have been a planned target. Hill and her brother Michael Unseld have waited and wondered for three years who killed their father and why. The FBI started its investigation into Rogers disappearance by sending 150 law enforcement officers into Bardstown last year to conduct interviews and execute search warrants. New Details On Unsolved Murder Of Kentucky Police Officer, Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango, who focuses on writing trending news and entertainmentpieces, Who Killed Cordy Simmons? Outside of work, he was heavily involved in the community including coaching youth baseball. 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They dont seem to be in NAMUS as far as I can see oversight or have they been identified? He took Exit 34, a narrow ramp bounded on either side by steep stone walls. 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 . Her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who lived with her, claimed innocence and said he had no clue what happened to Crystal. Till Ballard told the Herald-Leader that Tommy believed someone was following him that week. Starting in August 2021, the authorities excavated a property in Bardstown built by Brooks around the time of Crystals disappearance. My Theories on the Bardstown Murders and the Disappearance of Crystal Rogers I used to believe that the murder of police officer Jason Ellis on May 25, 2013, the Netherland Murders on April 21, 2014, the disappearance of Crystal Rogers on July 3, 2015, and the murder of Tommy Ballard on November 19, 2016 in Bardstown, Kentucky we're all related. The remains were found very close to where she disappeared around 4 miles from the Houck Family Farm. They lost a brother too; the kids are having a real hard time with that. Investigators had conducted numerous searches on Houck family property, including the home of Anna Whitesides, the grandmother of Brooks Houck. Sherry Ballard took care of four of her daughters children on her own after Rogers went missing and Tommy died. Nobody could get a hold of her.. Shell never get total closure because she doesnt believe shell see her daughter alive again. 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. I made eye contact with him, Tommy Ballard said after the court hearing. . Rogers was the first of Sherry and Tommy Ballards children. But it would help the family to know where she is. Ellis stopped, turned on his blue lights and got out of his cruiser to clear them. She is presumed dead. His wife spoke at the dedication, saying, I have spent the last five years trying to find myself again, trying to climb out of the fog of grief and PTSD that comes with having your husband murdered, trying to raise two boys the best that I can.. Though his case remains unsolved, his community continues to carry on his memory. She would attend her childrens school parties and make efforts to help their teachers, Ballard said. On July 23, 2020, Nelson County Sheriffs Office investigators became aware of the existence of human remains in a remote area near the Washington County line. Tommy Ballard, Tills son and Sherrys husband, had been relentlessly pursuing the truth. At first, he thought the radio had picked up a signal from a neighboring townbut eventually realized it was closeby. The boy allegedly asked his father, what did you do to my mommy, and added that everyone wants to know.'. was fired after interfering in the investigation. @Nelson_Sheriff pic.twitter.com/ghzbYqZ6Mp. She went missing over Fourth of July weekend in 2015. Searches and interrogations by those agencies didnt lead to the discovery of Rogers body or any arrests. Crystals car was found abandoned by the side of a highway on the afternoon of July 5. Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTangowho focuses on writing trending news and entertainmentpieces. All of us went to the police station and reported her missing, Till Ballard said. "A hallmark of the FBI is we never give up," FBI Louisville Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown said in the release. In November 2018, a court ruled Sherry Ballard could no longer see her grandson, Eli. You may also contact your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. By KATELYN NORRIS knorris@kystandard.com. A part of me wants to hold back on that because I dont know Im scared of the let down. On the morning of November 19, 2016, sixteen months after Crystal's disappearance, Ballard was preparing for a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson on family property next to Bluegrass. The Bardstown community started up a big search for Crystal. 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. 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. But as the years rolled on, the case didnt see a lot of developments. An arrest slip says an eye witness said Lyons acted with Zachary Tate in the murder.. 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. You can see Crystal Maupins Facebook here. Mcalister moved to Louisville a little over five years ago fresh out of his to! South of Louisville Lite had been going around Bardstown ripping down signs that Crystal had. 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