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Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 20, 2020 0:55:11 GMT -5
Storage Facility Searched, Still No Positive Identification of Remains
On Tuesday, FBI agents searched Susannah Storage located at 103 Susannah Avenue, where Crystal Rogers rented a unit. Witnesses observed stacks of boxes, as well as clothing, toys, diapers, TVs and household furnishings from multiple units outside the facility. It appeared many of the stored articles from the unit assigned to the missing woman consisted of children’s items.
Additionally, a forensic anthropologist has determined the remains found last month are likely those of a female between the ages of 24- and 82-years-old with a height between 5'2" and 5'9". The FBI is still awaiting DNA analysis in order to positively identify the bones as those of Crystal Rogers. “We have taken those remains and we have sent them to the FBI laboratory where they are working to identify those remains as quickly as they can,” Special Agent Brian Jones of the Louisville office said. “We want to get it right. We want to ensure that our part in this investigation, that we are doing everything we can to solve the case. Sometimes moving fast is not the best solution for any type of complex investigation like this.”
Jones also explained the FBI had been involved in the case for more than a year and it was pure “happenstance” the remains were found shortly before the search warrants were executed.
Sources: Crystal Rogers Taskforce; Shay McAlister and Taylor Weiter, WHAS, August 19, 2020; Gina Glaros, WDRB, August 19, 2020; and WLKY, August 19, 2020.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Nov 20, 2020 20:05:53 GMT -5
Remains Found in July Not Those of Crystal Rogers
Today the FBI announced that human remains found near the Nelson-Washington County border are not those of Crystal Rogers, the mother of five who has been missing since July 2015.
Following the announcement, Sherry Ballard, mother of Crystal Rogers, texted a message saying, “In my heart I truly never felt like this was my daughter. This was my hope though of finally bringing my daughter home and now i am back to square one. I will never lose hope though in finding my daughter.”
Of interest, yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of the shooting death of Tommy Ballard, Sherry’s husband and Crystal’s father. Since his daughter went missing, Mr. Ballard had spent much of his time searching for her remains and evidence of what happened.
Sources: Conner Farrell, WHAS, November 20, 2020; and Deborah Harbsmeier, WBKI, November 20, 2020.
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Post by Sam on Nov 21, 2020 20:02:33 GMT -5
From what I've heard, not everyone believed the remains were those of Crystal Rogers from the beginning. A lot of people think that if her remains are ever found, it won't be anywhere near Nelson County.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 24, 2021 11:36:17 GMT -5
FBI Searches Woodlawn Springs Subdivision in Bardstown
The FBI has resumed its search for evidence in the 2015 disappearance of 35-year-old Crystal Rogers, this time in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision. Timothy Beam, FBI spokesman, declined to disclose the specific addresses being searched, however, it is known that approximately 15 of the 290 homes were constructed by Houck Rentals, LLC, a company owned by Brooks Houck, the primary suspect in the case.
In August of last year, the FBI searched several locations in Bardstown and it is information gathered during those searches that has led to the present search.
“I’m praying that they will find my daughter this morning,” Sherry Ballard, mother of the missing woman commented when she learned of the new search.
Source: Jeffrey Chisenhall, The Lexington Herald-Ledger, August 24, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 27, 2021 11:50:16 GMT -5
FBI Claims to Have Recovered ‘Item of Interest’
Following four days of searching in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision of Bardstown, an FBI spokesperson announced “an item of interest” in the Crystal Rogers case had been found and that additional information would be released as it becomes available.
Additionally, the agency issued a statement saying, “We know there are individuals in the community who have information on Crystal’s disappearance. Now is the time to come forward.” Those with information are encouraged to report such to the FBI at CrystalRogersTaskForce.com/tips or by calling (502) 263-6000.
The FBI also claimed to have found several items of interest during the various searches conducted in August 2020, but has declined to reveal any particulars.
Source: WDRB, August 27, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 3, 2021 14:54:15 GMT -5
‘Potentially Relevant’ Material Found FBI Says
The FBI investigation in Bardstown, which was halted as the remnants of Hurricane Ida passed through the area, has resumed.
On Monday (August 30), an agency spokesperson confirmed that “multiple items of interest” were recovered that are “potentially relevant to the investigation into the disappearance of Crystal Rogers.” The locations searched are in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision, where some of the homes were built by Houck Rentals, LLC, a company owned by Brooks Houck, the primary suspect in the case.
In an update yesterday (September 2), the FBI announced that teams would be working off-site “conducting a search of the materials” recovered, but emphasized this did not necessarily mean the investigation in the subdivision had been concluded. “That is still a day-by-day decision,” the agent said.
Source: WLKY, September 2, 2021.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jan 21, 2023 15:31:58 GMT -5
Special Prosecutor Appointed to Investigate Unsolved Cases
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has appointed Shane Young special prosecutor to investigate three unsolved cases in Nelson County: the murders of Jason Ellis and Tommy Ballard, and the 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Ellis, a police officer, was shot and killed in May 2013, and Ballard, the father of Crystal Rogers, was shot and killed while hunting in November 2016.
In addition to the Office of the Attorney General, Young, Commonwealth attorney in Hardin County, will be working with the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky on these cases.
Many in Bardstown feel these three crimes and others in the area are connected in some way and since Crystal Rogers vanished, her family and that of Brooks Hauck, her former boyfriend and the chief suspect in her disappearance, have been involved in a feud. Additionally, in October 2022, a memorial in honor of Officer Jason Ellis was vandalized.
A third high-profile case, the murders of Kathy Netherland and her 16-year-old daughter in April 2014, is not included in the investigation.
Anyone with information pertaining to these crimes is asked to call the FBI at (502) 263-6000 or email tips.fbi.gov.
Sources: Matthew Keck, WLKY, January 20, 2023; WDRB, January 21, 2023, and WAVE, October 15, 2022.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 9, 2023 9:58:28 GMT -5
Arrest in Crystal Rogers DisappearanceJoseph Lawson, 32, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, who vanished eight years ago. The Nelson county man was named in sealed indictments handed down in June and July by the grand jury. However, his arraignment was delayed until September 7, during which he pled not guilty. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.
While Lawson isn’t charged with killing Ms. Rogers, prosecutors believe he was somehow involved with the individual responsible for the woman’s presumed death. According to the indictment, he “agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commissions of the crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit the crime, when he, and/or a co-conspirator, intentionally caused the death of another.”
Lawson has a long history of criminal activity, and his past convictions include fourth-degree assault, facilitation to strangulation and facilitation to unlawful imprisonment.
Sources: Tom Latek, Kentucky Today, September 8, 2023; Christopher Leach, The Lexington Herald-Leader, September 8, 2023; Travis Breese, WHAS, September 8, 2023, and Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Joseph L. Lawson, Case No. 23-CR-0239.
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Post by kitty on Sept 9, 2023 17:11:35 GMT -5
This doesn't make any sense. If there's not enough evidence to charge the person who actually committed the murder, how can this man be charged for conspiring with him to commit murder?
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 16, 2023 16:56:40 GMT -5
Some Hopeful Lawson’s Arrest Will Provide Answers in Other Local MurdersSeveral Bardstown families have been waiting for years for answers in local unsolved cases, and the recent arrest of Joseph L. Lawson in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers is giving them hope. One such family is that of Officer Jason Ellis, 33, who was shot and killed on his way home in May 2013. “It’s reassurance that they are working the cases. It’s reassurance that they still care,” his sister, Lacey Young, said. “I think it’s hope for the other cases because it’s saying that they’re working it.”
Although the authorities have never linked the Ellis case with the disappearance of the 35-year-old mother of five, during an interview three years ago, FBI Assistant Special Agent Brian Jones said he believed answers to one Bardstown case could lead to answers in others.
Many in and around Bardstown are convinced there’s a connection between the Ellis and Rogers cases, as well as other unsolved murders in the area, including the brutal and seemingly senseless killing of Kathy Netherland and her teenage daughter in April 2014.
Rick McCubbin, who recently retired as police chief in Shepherdsville, a city 22 miles northwest, was Bardstown’s chief of police when most of the murders occurred, and he feels the charges against Lawson is a breakthrough to unlocking the mystery, not only of the woman’s disappearance, but also the shootings of Officer Ellis and Tommy Ballard, the father of Crystal Rogers. “I’m very relieved that after all this time there’s some action. It took the stars and the moon to be aligned,” he quipped. “I’m very hopeful. The Ballards are long overdue for closure.” Plus, he added, “There’s hope they can move forward and delve into (the Ellis case) a little closer.”
Some are hopeful Lawson’s arrest is the first step in clearing the air in Bardstwon. “There’s been a black cloud over us over these murders,” Jimmy Gartlick, owner of a downtown art store, observed. “It’s time to have some sort of closure for the community and for the Ballards. It’s long overdue.”
Kentucky state senator Jimmy Higdon, whose district includes Nelson County, gets a lot of questions about the Bardstown murders. “I think the community really wants closure on these, and justice for Crystal – that’s the bottom line,” Higdon told reporters. “The concern of ‘Can this happen again?’ and ‘Who’s out there lurking that we need to be aware of?’ And from the outside looking in, the concern of ‘Is it safe to go to Bardstown? Is it safe to go to Nelson County?’ That’s something that bothers a lot of local people, too, that people would think it’s unsafe to come here.”
The people to whom Higdon is referring have expressed doubts that Lawson’s arrest will lead to solving the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, let alone any of the other open cases. These people contend Bardstown is just as rotten as ever, and nothing is going to change any time soon.Sources: Peter W. Zubaty Paxton, The Elizabethtown News-Enterprise, September 16, 2023, and WHAS, September 14, 2023.
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Post by Sam on Sept 16, 2023 23:11:31 GMT -5
I know some folks in Bardstown and they're all in this group. They say the arrest won't amount to anything and nothing is going to change.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 27, 2023 10:40:51 GMT -5
Brooks Houck ArrestedBrooks Houck (above), 41, boyfriend of Crystal Rogers at the time of her 2015 disappearance, has been arrested. He is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence.
According to the indictment, Houck, “acting alone or in complicity with another, committed the offense of murder by intentionally or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life wantonly causing the death of Crystal Rogers.” It also is alleged he “destroyed, mutilated, concealed, removed or altered the physical evidence which he believed was about to be produced or used in such official proceeding, with the intent to impair its verity or availability in the official proceeding.”
A grand jury handed down the indictment September 20 after hearing the testimony of Detective Bryan Luckett and FBI Agent Steve Kearny. Until that time, he is being held at the Nelson County Jail under a $10,000,000 cash bond.Sources: Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Brooks William Houck, Case No. 23-CR-00309; Christopher Leach, The Lexington Herald-Leader, September 27, 2023; Curadhan Powell, WLKY, September 27, 2023; Sarah Magden, WHAS, September 27, 2023, and WKYT, September 27, 2023.
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Post by jason on Sept 27, 2023 15:08:26 GMT -5
Exorbitant bail violates the 8th Amendment of the US Constitution, and a $10 million cash bail for this man is exorbitant. If he has a good lawyer, his bail will be reduced to a reasonable amount.
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Post by catherine on Sept 28, 2023 16:29:00 GMT -5
Exorbitant bail violates the 8th Amendment of the US Constitution, and a $10 million cash bail for this man is exorbitant. If he has a good lawyer, his bail will be reduced to a reasonable amount. |
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Post by Sam on Oct 1, 2023 4:08:41 GMT -5
These people are all white trash but even if Houck killed her, it probably wasn't intentional, which would make it involuntary manslaughter and improper disposal of a body, or some nonsense like that. I think the FBI swooped in after the body that wasn't that of Crystal Rogers was found, and Houck and the other man were arrested on flimsy evidence. It's kind of strange that you say that because I know people in Bardstown and they're all saying basically the same thing. They think if she was killed by Brooks Houck that it was accidental. Like the original article in this thread says, the people of Bardstown are divided on what happened. From what I hear, the folks there are all very gossipy and quarrelsome and they just can't seem to get along. The people I know say there's always something going on that has everyone arguing and feuding. It really is a rotten place.
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