Crystal Rogerss family has already been afflicted with too much tragedy. Here's how to watch, Courtesy of CNN Headline News (HLN), Louisville Courier Journal, 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? Paying a little homage to the Baard and his, "Something is rotten in Denmark." One reads: "Detectives say Brooks Houck killed Rogers". Michael Wayne Unseld was shot and killed above what used to be the Broke Tee Nite Club in Bardstown in 2016. Bardstown isnt as small as people think, there are 3 different high schools. Trees crowd both sides of the road, lush green walls that grow denser as you go. A bullet hit Ballard in his chest while he was out hunting. In May 2017, the Kentucky State Police hired two retired troopers, specifically to aid in the investigations of the Bardstown killings. I say the police are involved. ", "I just hope that I can handle that, when they come to me with that news, even though Ive waited for six years," shesaid. Any nightmares I had in Bardstown were just inside my head, not hovering in the shadows under the trees crowding the highway. In the four years following the Netherland murders, Kentucky State Police have identified no suspects or possible motive, but during the season finale of Oxygen's docu-series "The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers," reporter Stephanie Bauerspoke with ananonymous prison inmatewho claimed Kathy and Samantha were killed during a gang initiation. A massive search for her turned up more questions than answers, frustrating the authorities and loved ones alike. FBI spokeswoman Katie Anderson told The Courier Journal in October 2021 the agency had "nothing new to share on the Crystal Rogers investigation.". Something a lot of the podcasts and articles and shows dont tell you is that Jason Ellis wife is also a teacher and she worked closely with Kathy and Crystals boyfriends brother worked closely with Jason as well and their family was always known to sell drugs, it is a small enough town to know that. With a population of just over 14,000, it was voted The Most Beautiful Small Town In America and also boasts of being the Bourbon Capital of the World, due to the presence of six major whiskey distilleries in town. In the case of Officer Ellis (one of my pet cases) I rather doubt that his killer(s) would've jumped immediately onto the BG Parkway to egress the site or at least they wouldn't have if they were smart. One of the only clues released was a blurry gas station surveillance photo of a black Chevrolet Impala. They also examine how the brutal, unsolved murders have impacted the small town, population 13,165. Bardstown Fire Chief Billy Mattingly saidthe house may have been set on fire by disgruntled employees who worked for Brooks Houck. You may also contact your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. There were no witnesses, and no arrests have been made in connection with the fatal shooting. Some Doctors Are Now Making More Dubious Claims About Ivermectin. with the Bardstown Police. A seven-year veteran of the department and member of the K-9 unit, Ellis had just gotten off work and was driving home when he found a stack of freshly cut tree limbs blocking the road at his exit off the Bluegrass Parkway. Both had sustained knife wounds to their necks. FBI agents have conducted multiple searches in and near Bardstown since Rogers went missing. 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.. That disgraced Bardstown cop Nick Houck was on the same force as Ellis tickles the back of the brain; if he helped his brother cover up a murder, what else might he be responsible for? In 2019, ahome being builtby Brooks Houckwas burned down inwhat city officials said was anarson case. When a law enforcement officer is murdered other cops are galvanized. Everyone wants to know what the hell is going on. You can live there your whole life and not know anyone. None of their neighbors have subsequently been murdered but I wonder if any were involved in sketchy activity. Share Tommy Ballard's story with your own social network. Crystal disappeared from the home she shared with her boyfriend on Glenview Drive in Bardstown. Its a real place, sits between Lebanon and Danville. Our hope in telling their stories is that the right person hears it and is compelled to finally come forward., The community, the victims, the families deserve justice.. He is heard signing off for the evening over the radio. My opinion-I do believe this murder is connected to the disappearance of his daughter, Crystal Rogers. "And then I read it and me personally, I . How sad all of these cases are. That October, Nick Houck was fired from the police forceor allegedly interfering with the investigation of Crystal Rogers disappearance,according to NBC affiliate WLEX. That case was never solved. Agentsreportedlywere using a cadaver dog to search the subdivision and a Courier Journal photographer saw investigatorsusing a jackhammer on the driveway of a home. It's a relatively small town and to have so many deaths and a disappearance, I assumed they all had to be related, but I have recently started to look at other ideas. She was a very good daughter," Ballard told The Courier Journal. However, a few months before the shooting, Tommy told his wife, Sherry, that he felt like someone was following him. To. HLN Investigations is a news team that produces breaking news specials and HLN Original Series within the crime and justice genre. Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. The two had been beaten and killed. Police haven't ruled out any suspects as of now but, they are leaning towards the theory that multiple people may have been involved. ", None of her claims, however, have ever been substantiated. I did an in-depth multi-part series on the subject a few years ago. Mrs. Ellis was a substitute teacher in the area but that doesn't mean that her and Kathy knew each other than in passing. By 2013 Jason Ellis had been a police officer for about seven years. More telling than that: Investigators reportedly found a blanket with small traces of blood in the trunk of Nicks police cruiser. The FBI has been offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to arrests in Ellis' slaying. 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. In the fall of 2016, Tommy tells his wife Sherry that he believes he is being followed, but he is unsure of who is following him. Within a very few short minutes of his killing a couple of vehicles rolled up on the scene and both of them attempted to use the police radio to get help for him. Her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who lived with her, claimed innocence and said he had no clue what happened to Crystal. Bardstown Unsolved Murders. Jason Ellis. Crystal Rogers [Handout]On July 2, 2015, Crystal Rogers, 35, vanished from her Bardstown home off of Glenview Drive. 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 July. Anyone have any updates on the murders in Bardstown Kentucky. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. As the Kentucky Standard reported after she vanished, her aunt Sherry Ballard Barnes disappeared in January 1979. "There's people in the community that have information but they're afraid to come forward,", . Its striking to note that theres been so little progress in the investigation into the death of Officer Ellis. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! I agree it did seem personal but I also think that maybe she fought back more than the mother did and the killer(s) lost their cool. As an Eastern Kentuckian.. yeah. That's an important bit that is often overlooked! Plus, you could smell bourbon everywhere. Kathy and Samantha seemed to be lovely women who should still be living their lives today. 7:54 AM:Tommy Ballard is killed on family property. It's okay to have differing opinions, I just hope they all get a resolution. I'm innocent. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. But, theres also a dark side to the region. On February 25, 2023, at approximately 5:17 pm Deputies Jerry Meadows and Derek Dennis observed a vehicle making a traffic violation at the intersections of Barnes Drive and Rolling Hills . All towns and cities have shadows, but when I lived there from May to September 1990 as a cast member in The Stephen Foster Story, I didnt see many. And the efforts to figure out what happened to Crystal . A 35 year old woman named Crystal Rogers went missing from Bardstown, Kentucky back in 2015. Absolutely. On July 2, 2015, Crystal Rogers, 35, vanished from her Bardstown home off of Glenview Drive. It would be great if someone came forward and gave information to help solve these whether they're related or not and I hope someone does soon. 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 . A cop, Crystal Rogers, her father, and a school teacher and her daughter were all murdered and no one knows anything about it. My opinion: Crystals disappearance is that this was a domestic violence situation that turned into murder. A month later, new Bardstown Police Chief Kim Kraeszig announced the creation of a new anonymous tip line that she hopes will encourage those with information on the cases to come forward. According todeath certificates obtained byWAVE 3,Kathy had been shot multiple times, and Samantha had been bludgeoned in the head. While Holly was unable to confirm the inmate's claims, she said his theories about the gang initiation and trophies being taken from the crime scene were possible. The day Tommy was killed. Investigators seemed stumped from the beginning. Rogers' keys, phone, and purse were still inside her red Chevrolet Impala. On the morning of November 19, 2016, Tommy had plans to go hunting on his property with his grandson. I think that the murderer(s) believed that Tommy was bringing too much attention to them in their small town and wanted to shut him up. Rogers was last seen on July 3, at the home she shared with her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, their 2-year-old son and other children. Season two went beyond Bardstown, investigating a deadly fire in the bayou community of Lacombe, La. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The parkway would've been an otherwise very empty road that late at night and almost any vehicle seen on that road between Bardstown and, say Lawrenceburg could've been possibly considered suspect at the time. Law enforcement started swarming in on the area very quickly after that from multiple directions. The following is just my opinion and are my personal theories only. That same month his brother Nick Houck was fired from the Bardstown P.D. Bardstown PD, however, dismissed the groups claims, with then-police chief Rick McCubbin calling them a bunch of punks, and telling WAVE 3, They're trying to empower themselves by making that claim, intimidating people and using the fear factor that 'I'm so bad I killed a cop.. Still, it seems stalled. When pressed for details about how he knew it was gang initiation, he said, "Well, I know they was tortured.". Ballard was struck in the chest, and died on the spot. Were you traveling on Bluegrass Highway between mile markers 21 and 25 on November 19, 2016, before 7:30 am? Curious About J.Crews Viral Giant-Fit Chinos? Indiana true crime podcasters Ashley and Brit examine three mysterious murders and disappearances in Bardstown, Kentucky that they think may be related, including those of Crystal Rogers and her father. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The crimes left a long-lasting effect on Bardstown. I don't need an attorney. Kathy Netherland was older and does not appear to have been his type. Although detectives considered Houck a suspect, he was never charged in connection with Crystals disappearance. The cop was killed in an ambush, and Crystals ex-boyfriends (the one who we all know killed her, no proof yet) brother is a cop and he told the ex-boyfriend that they were going to raid his property before it happened. The HLN cable channel is a spinoff of CNN. The Police Chief at the time of the murders, who has since been fired, had a reputation as a ladies man who was rumored to have had affairs with local married women. Nick later told the Kentucky State Policethat he only contacted his brother to tell him that "they might be trying to trip him up" and "he should protect himself.". I mean, that would explain why they didn't get a call off because I know my mom always had a phone in her hand. Less than a year after Ellis's murder, there was a gruesome discovery at a home on Springfield Road in Bardstown. Brooks told police, "My whole family's name is trashed for something completely not even tied to me. Both women had their throats . The pair were probably in the lowest risk group for being murder victims. Vanished-Crystal Rogers - True Crimecast (October 2018) Two true crime podcasters, John and Jamie, theorize about the Crystal Rogers case. Then on November 19, while he was out hunting on his rural property very early in the morning, a shot rang out. I could see those being connected. Police have yet to classify Ballards death as a homicide. An FBI Louisville spokesman previously said all three locations hadalready been searched "to various degrees" over the years. I have also lived in Western KY, Northern KY, Central KY, and Eastern KY. Small town politics and the good ol boy system are very much in existence here in the smaller towns. Forward to Dateline, 48 Hours or some entity with the money and resources to dig further. I can't remember which pod I heard it on - it's been years. The Netherland murders appear to be unrelated but without a discernible motive, I wouldnt rule a connection out. There was also gossip that Kathy taught Jason Ellis son at Bardstown Elementary School. makes me wonder if someone or multiple someones werent using the parkway as their escape route in and out of town. Though all occurred in Nelson County, that doesnt mean there is a real connection, save the seemingly obvious one between the disappearance of Crystal Rogers and her fathers death. In the case of Kathy I'm wondering if her daughters boyfriend was looked into at all. Rogers was datingBrooks Houck, an initial suspect, who is the father of one of her sons. "I don't think they would just randomly pick a driveway unless they had a reason to do that," Ballardtold WHAS. 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