Agents returned to the Woodlawn Springs neighborhood in Bardstown as they continue to search for clues in the case of missing mother Crystal Rogers. Large construction equipment could be seen tearing up the driveway of the home and hauling large piles of dirt and concrete slabs away from the search. Searches and interrogations by those agencies didnt lead to the discovery of Rogers body or any arrests. But Brooks Houck, Rogers boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and a suspect in the case, owns multiple homes in the neighborhood. A massive search for her turned up more questions than answers, frustrating the authorities and loved ones alike. Like graduation. Bardstown Police Department Officer Jason Ellis was headed home to Bloomfield around 2 a.m. after his shift on May 25, 2013. Her estranged husband, Edsel Barnes, was found guilty of murder by a jury, according to court records. Jeremy Chisenhall covers criminal justice and breaking news for the Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com. 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. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. According to an arrest warrant, the video shows Maupin getting out of her car and taking the sign., Why wouldnt she help us? KSP said detectives are still actively working on the case and following leads, which come in periodically, according to KSP. In 1997, Erica Lee Fraysure's car was found in a remote area of Brooksville, Kentucky. The FBI said Rogerss mother, Sherry Ballard, consented to the search. She knows now that just because someone is smiling doesn't mean there's not tragedy or grief just beneath that smile. On the 5 year anniversary of Crystals disappearance, one of her children spoke to the media. Ellis funeral was attended by more than 1,000 law enforcement members and people in the community. Crystals mother Sherry Ballard said at the time We love her and were trying to find her and we just want her to come home.. "For those individuals who have information about this incident but who have not yet spoken to law enforcement for whatever reason, please contact us.". His murder would be the first. "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. On May252013, Officer Jason Ellis waskilledafter finishing his shift for the Bardstown, Kentucky Police Department. Compartilhar isto . 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.". And the stories and memories she's made will hold a special place in heart long after justice prevails. In February, a Nelson County judge denied Ballard the right to visit Eli, citing animosity between families that could pose a significant risk of emotional harm to the child. By Benjamin H. Smith Bardstown Murders and Mysteries: Brookelyn Farthing 1:09 Preview Starting in August 2021, the authorities excavated a property in Bardstown built by Brooks around the time of Crystals disappearance. If a teacher sees something concerning going on with one of their students, they naturally want to get involved for the wellbeing of that child. Learn how your comment data is processed. David Bard sanctioned and obtained this area while William Bard surveyed and planned the city. 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. In 2020, more than 150 state and federal law enforcement officers were deployed to Bardstown and on the first day, they executed at least nine federal search warrants and conducted more than 50. 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. She also spoke about the day that her mother went missing: I was calling and texting and she wasnt answering, she said. I believe Brooks and Crystal Lite are still together (based on her social media). It cost him his life. Shell never get total closure because she doesnt believe shell see her daughter alive again. Email Email. August 2015 and Crystal is still missing. Michael Medley, its a night that continues to haunt him. James and Michelle Butler: The Senseless Murder of 21-Year-Navy Veteran and Wife. Residents on North and South Howard streets had to go through the checkpoint to get to their homes. The statement was released Tuesday in a tweet by the FBI in . Houck said that he had been 100 percent completely honest with everyone and cooperative. The custody dispute between Sherry and Brooks over Eli is still ongoing. New Details On Unsolved Murder Of Kentucky Police Officer By Samantha Maffucci Written on May 29, 2019 Photo: bardstown police department When murders go unsolved for long periods of time. A few days later on July 15, Brooke Ballard, Crystals sister, spoke to WHAS11 saying boyfriend Brooks Houcks story doesnt add up. After Tommy Ballard was killed people started to wonder if the unsolved cases of Jason Ellis, Kathy and Samantha Netherland and Crystal Rogers along with Tommy Ballard were all somehow connected. Murder VictimBardstown, KentuckyMay 25, 2013, Share on Twitter Twitter Sherry spoke to Oxygen in March 2021 and said that shes been denied visitation rights based on a claim made by Houcks camp that the child once heard something negative being said about Houck while visiting Ballard. At that time, he did not have his canine partner with him. London, KY (40741) Today. Ive never made that a secret, Sherry Ballard said of her suspicion that Houck was involved in Rogers disappearance and Tommys death. In November 2017, on the one year anniversary of Tommy Ballards death, signs appeared around Bardstown, implicating Brooks in Crystals disappearance and death. The brutal killings of a Nelson County mother and daughter have not been solved after almost five years, but Kentucky State Police and family members cling to hope. My whole familys name is trashed for something completely not even tied to me. Back then, Sherry. Mother of five, Crystal Rogers has been missing from Bardstown, KY since July 3, 2015. On July 9, Brooks did an interview with Nancy Grace. Two years after the murder, Ellis wife, Amy, made a second video, pleading for answers. 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. @Nelson_Sheriff pic.twitter.com/ghzbYqZ6Mp. This is starting to get silly. They cant hold it against me that my daughter was murdered and just assume that Im going to speak badly of the father. Rogers had five children. Kathy and Samantha Netherland (d: April 21st, 2014) - mother and daughter were horrifically beat and murdered in their home. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. She went missing over Fourth of July weekend in 2015. After family members tried and failed to reach her, she was reported missing on July 5, 2015. Walden said the FBIs involvement brought hope again. Till Ballard echoed that confidence in the FBI. "I ask that members of the community think back to July 3rd and 4th of 2015," Brown said in the release. Weve searched the rivers, weve searched farms, houses, sinkholes, wells, any place she might be, family member Sammy Johnson said. Hill and Unseld are both processing the new development. According to Medley, It was a hard time there for about a year, year and a half. 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. Theres never a minute Im not thinking about them, Ballard said. I have eight pages of circumstances that lead me to look in their direction, Mattingly said. It was with an army of other women behind her including her mother and best friends that she got through the grieving process. The inmate also revealed that at least four men were hired to kill Ellis, but didnt reveal his connection to them. Their daughter, Freda Sharene Sherry Ballard was killed in 1979 and her car was submerged in the Ohio River, according to multiple reports. Ive never denied the animosity but I know people who go through a divorce and they still get to see their children. 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. He also volunteered to finish contracting work for a woman whose workers failed to finish the job after she already paid them. But one thing is for sure: the person who killed Ellis seemed to know the route he took home and when hed be traveling on it. Till said it felt like theyre living that grief all over again. On May 25, 2013, after a late arrest and having put a prisoner in the Bardstown jail, Ellis called off his shift and headed home. All rights reserved. About a year later, his grandmother refused to testify in relation to a vehicle that the authorities believed was hers and may have been used to dispose of a body. 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. He pleaded not guilty to a handful of felony theft charges. Kentucky murders 1962 - 2008. Although detectives considered Houck a suspect, he was never charged in connection with Crystal's disappearance. Someone, perched on top of the stone cliff above him, fired a shotgun. 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. The agents went through boxes of belongings at the storage unit, piling items outside, including clothes, toys, diapers, TVs and furniture. >> PREVIOUS STORY: Arrest made 3 years after Bardstown nightclub homicide, Thats when we were kind of like oh my gosh really? Heather Hill, Unselds daughter said. There is a great post on reddit about Crystals case and this information comes from there:In December 2015, Louisvilles WDRB reported the arrest of Danny Singleton on 38 counts of false swearing after he allegedly lied under oath to a grand jury in relation to the investigation of Crystal Rogers disappearance. Every year, it gets harder and harder, said Dana Walden, one of Rogers cousins and a lifetime Bardstown resident. Features. Crystal Rogers disappeared on July 3, 2015 and weeks later McAlister would begin to cover the case. Sixteen months after Rogers disappearance in July 2015, her father was killed while he was hunting with his 12-year-old grandson. Her mother reported her missing July 5 after she hadn't heard from her daughter in two days. Crystals belongings, including her cellphone and purse, were still inside, and so was the key in the ignition. I want to get my hopes up, Ballard said of the FBIs latest search. Officer Jason Ellis (d: May 25th, 2013) - ambushed and shot to death while returning home from duty. The two met when Rogers was renting a home owned by Houck after she separated from her husband, Sherry told the Herald-Leader. 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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. If you have information related to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, you can visit the website, call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or contact your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. And it kind of gave us hope that okay they hadn't forgotten and we're heading in the right direction now.. Tommy didnt like to be in the public eye, Ballard said. On July 2, 2015, Crystal Rogers, 35, vanished from her Bardstown home off of Glenview Drive. [] Its taking a lot of energy and effort. 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. The Ballard family has more than one victim for whom they want answers. 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. RELATED: Who Killed Cordy Simmons? Houck's brother, Nick, was a police officer with the Bardstown Police Department at the time and was fired after interfering in the investigation. Police say the debris was deliberately placed there, and that 33-year-old Ellis may have been a planned target. Cloudy skies. She was trying to make a life for her and her kids, and she looked out for her children number one, Ballard said. Investigators showed up in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision in Bardstown on Aug. 24 and began looking for any evidence they could find. I just want to see my grandson. 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.. Bardstown today has more than doubled in population, and the shadows have grown deeper. Her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who lived with her, claimed innocence and said he had no clue what happened to Crystal. 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. 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. I know crystals mother cannot see the grandson that lives with his father. The day I reported her missing, I knew that minute that something bad was wrong.. I feel awful for her mother dealing with losing her child, husband and having to fight for custody with that horrible man! Houck has full custody of the child he had with Rogers. We are at the top of the list, he said. . So, if youre curious about what happened in this case, weve got you covered. February 14, 2014 Yahoo Kevin, Sarah (parents) and Grace (daughter age 12) Hendrix of Corbin Kentucky were shot and killed by Jason Hendrix, their son and Grace's brother. The sheriff's office did not immediately say who discovered the possible remains, or how. It did not take them long to become worried. He drove to the Exit 24 ramp and was one of the first responding officers to see Ellis lying dead in the road. Crystals family also announced a $25,000 reward for information leading to her. Rogers was from the small, tight-knit town of Bardstown, about 40 miles south of Louisville. Weve had our share of bad luck.. Brandon Lawson The 911 call that led to a mysterious disappearance. And interestingly, Crystals aunt went missing from the area in 1979.Freda Sharene Sherry Ballard, went missing from Bardstown, according to The Kentucky Standard. Discuss this case with us at TrueCrimeSociety.com. They found her car with her purse, cell phone, scattered on the ground around the car but no sign of her. Reporter Shay McAllister spoke to Sherry Ballard once this news broke: Just received this text from Sherry Ballard on news of the human remains: In my heart I truly never felt like this was my daughter. 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. People say it gets easier. In May 2013, Officer Jason Ellis was ambushed on his way home from work, and shot multiple times. Around July 5 or 6 (again, this varies depending on which article you read), police held a press conference about the case. The remains were processed through CODIS, which stands for the Combined DNA Index System. She grew up moving around a lot as a child thanks to her father's business career. Outside of work, he was heavily involved in the community including coaching youth baseball. 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