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, according to NBC affiliate WLEX. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved. Speaking a month after Ballards death,Trooper Jeff Gregory told WDRB News, It doesn't mean we can't change that title later. His family believes the same person is responsible for both Tommys death and Rogers' disappearance. REPORTER: IT IS WHY TALKING ABOUT HER HUSBAND IS SO DIFFICULT FOR SHERRY BALLARD. In August 2021, the FBI said it was conducting new searches for evidence. Brooks has never been charged or arrested in connection with Rogers' disappearance. 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. Tommy Ballard was a devoted husband, a father of three grown children, and a grandpa to eight little ones. McCubbin said that Houcks conduct was unbecoming and showed poor ethics and integrity, WHAS-11 reported. , refusing to testify for the fear she might incriminate herself. Known as the Bourbon Capital of the World, Bardstown, Kentucky, is a small town with a population of just below 14,000, but it also has an unsettling number of high-profile, unsolved murders and disappearances. In July 2015, she suddenly went missing, shocking the entire small town. That day, her dad, Tommy Ballard, found Rogers' keys, purse, uncharged cell phone, and a diaper bag inside her maroon Chevy sedan which had a flat tire on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway. Spalding (@spaldinghurst) September 8, 2018. Anna Marie was a retiree of. 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. 39.13 + 9.17 P&P . Rogers family, however, was immediately concerned. We would always get the chicken strip basket with the toast and gravy to go with it. Ballards husband Tommy was shot and killed in November 2016. BARDSTOWN on WHAS11: bit.ly/35hUbnH Listen to the BARDSTOWN podcast: whas11.com/article/news/local/bardstownpodcast/417-5362a934-5231-4a40-ad27-3b91c21cb8cb Follow WHAS11 Facebook: bit.ly/2qrsERY Twitter: bit.ly/35iHicO Instagram: bit.ly/35gV0wU, Rogers family in courtroom with Brooks Houck, Brooks Houck spent Thursday morning in a courtroom, but not for anything connected to his former girlfriend, Crystal Rogers of Nelson County. She was spotted by her cousin walking out of Walmart the day before the Fourth of July celebrations in 2015. Your IP: Rogers was last seen alive on July 3, 2015.Her cousin said she saw Rogers walking out of Walmart earlier in the day. TORNADO DRILL: What Time Sirens Go Off In Kentucky 6th graders at Noe Middle School stage protest over Kentucky 'pronoun' bill, WDRB FCC Applications & Related Materials. In July of 2017, Brooks Houcks current girlfriend, Crystal Maupin. Todays efforts by our stalwart FBI, IRS, and KSP partners is a major step in honoring that promise.. Police have been tight-lipped about Ballards death, which has not been classified as a homicide. The same day Rogers was reported missing, her car . Agents announced their search Monday morning. Her purse, keys, and uncharged phone remained inside the unlocked vehicle, Before she went missing, Rogers sent a friend a message saying she and Houck hired a babysitter for their two-year-old son that evening, and planning to go on a date. Again, the motive and perpetrator have never been determined. A message seeking comment from an FBI spokesperson in Louisville was not immediately returned. The site features a quote from one of Rogers daughters. 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. 'I just pray this is it': Crystal Rogers' mother feeling encouraged as FBI search continues. Authorities reportedly believe Rogers' ex-boyfriend was the last person to see her alive. According to radio station WBKR, Brooks did not report her missing for two days, and ultimately it was her own family that went to police. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a162139496eef10 Ballard has maintained that she will always believe Houck did something to hurt her daughter. 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. Tragically, in 2016 Tommy went out hunting on his property with his grandson when he was shot . Nick Houck was a Bardstown police officer at the time of Rogers' disappearance and the older brother of Crystal's boyfriend, Brooks. Some of those properties Houck sold represented properties he had owned for many years, some as far back as 2005. Other members of the Houck family were caught up in the investigation. BARDSTOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) Today marks seven years since the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, a Bardstown mother of five. The special prosecutor will also assist in the 2013 murder case of Bardstown Police Officer Jason Ellis who was ambushed while removing debris from an exit off the Bluegrass Parkway. Crystal lived with her boyfriend Brooks Houck, their two-year-old son, and her other kid. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. 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. Her body was returned to Illinois. This is starting to get silly. Sherry Ballard hopeful for justice 5 years after husband's murder, CASE BALLARD IS HOPING IT WILL ME JUSTI FCEOR HER DAUGHTER AND HUSBAND. >> EVERYDAY SOMEBODY IS LOOKING AT THIS CASE THERE INOTS IT DAY GOES BY THAT SOMEONE IS NOT LOOKING AT IT. The 35-year-old mother of five was last seen by her . On October 16, 2015, Nick was fired from the Bardstown Police Department and Brooks was officially named a suspect in the case. were later convicted and sentencedto life in prison for her murder, Tommy Ballard tirelessly led search efforts to find her, Nelson County Coroner Rayfield Houghlin later said. This story has been shared 104,539 times. Crystal Rogers is a woman about 34-35 years old who disappeared for nearly seven years. According to her boyfriend Brooks Houck, Crystal Rogers was last seen on the night of July 3, 2015. 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. #Bardstown #CrystalRogers https://t.co/dguQlsLZxp pic.twitter.com/NJz6DIetlQ, Hayley Minogue (@HayleyMinogueTV) August 6, 2020. "My husband and daughter did not deserve what . The FBI launched an information website about Crystals casecrystalrogerstaskforce.com to share any relevant information relating to her disappearance. In 2019, a partially-built home on Wheeling Avenue was destroyed in a fire and according to what Fire Chief Billy Mattingly told the Lexington Herald-Leader, the fire was being investigated as arson. Nelson County Coroner Rayfield Houghlin later saidBallard died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, which exited through his back. . According to Brooks Houck, her boyfriend at the time, she was last seen at home on the night of July 3, where they lived with their 2-year-old son Eli and other children. "Tommy always said 'I'll spend my last dime trying to find Crystal, the elder Ballard told WDRB. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. "Jacques and I sleep on the patio or on the lawn by the pool," she said. Barnes' husband, Edsel "Eddie" Barnes, was arrested and ultimately convicted in 1984 of hiring a man to kill his . In 2018, he sold 24 properties that he called old and depreciated for more than $1.8 million, the Kentucky Standard reported. Brooks Houck. Crystal Rogers Crystal Marie Rogers, second from left, is pictured with her parents and her siblings. In an interview, Crystals sister said, [Brooks] has not offered once to search, or help, or do anything for the family.[4] On July 8, Houck was brought in by the Nelson County Sheriffs Office for questioning. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Last month, a judge issued an order denying . [2] The keys were still in the ignition and her purse and cellphone were also found inside. Houcks attorneys had the trial held in Bowling Green out of concerns that Houck would be unable to get an impartial jury in Nelson County due to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, WDRB reported; after less than two hours deliberating, the jury acquitted him. She bought food items, a T-ball plate, a junior sniper air rifle, a bucket and two boys T-shirts, the publication noted. Crystal Lynn Rogers. 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It's our first time being kid-free for awhile. But on November 19, 2016, he was fatally shot while preparing for a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson. [11], The FBI has conducted two searches in Bardstown; the first search occurred during August of 2020 and the second was in August of 2021. You just don't go to bed one night and not know she's gone and then not worry when she left the baby," Rogers sister Brooke Ballard told ABC News. However, he described his business as thriving and reportedly planned to replace his older property with new properties. 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. In October 2015, Sheriff Ed Mattingly announced Rogers was officially presumed dead, her boyfriend was the prime suspect, and Houck's brother was fired from the Bardstown Police Department for failing a polygraph and interrupting Brooks' interview. State police had been getting about two dozen tips a year but recent developments in the Rogers case generated new interest. According to WDRB, Houck said that when his son would return from visiting the Ballards, his son would be sullen and uncooperative, extremely accusatory and demanding to know, what did you do to my mommy.'. The 19-year-old was over seven months pregnant at the time of her disappearance, and her remains weren't found until August 1983. She was gone the next morning when he woke up, and her car was not in the driveway. 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. Obituary. Sixteen months after his daughter disappeared, Tommy Ballard was fatally shot while preparing for a hunting trip. The motive and person behind his murder remain a mystery to this day. They were discovered on a farm close to where Rogers car was found. He didnt help build the homes he built them, Ballard told Dailymail.com. Long before his death and the loss of his daughter, Tommy Ballard was no stranger to murder and mystery.