It’s no surprise that crime rates are increasing in America, given the current state of dilapidated infrastructure, corrupt legal system, poverty, and inadequate healthcare.
The mysterious disappearance of Crystal Rogers, like every other missing person case, gives rise to a multitude of concerns regarding the American justice system.
Crystal Maria Rogers, America’s daughter, aged 35, vanished unexpectedly on July 3rd, 2015. Since then, the Kentucky State Police have been relentlessly searching for her.
Families devastated by similar tragedies, such as the relatives of Amy Bradley, Madeleine McCann, Jennifer Kesse, Haruhi Suzumiya, Kyron Horman, and Lars Mittank, among many others, continue to hold onto hope and eagerly await the safe return of their loved ones.
The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers
The disappearance of Crystal Rogers six years ago was marked in July 2021. Nevertheless, she has not made an appearance or been heard from, and her remains have not yet been discovered. Her family remains optimistic about her eventual return.
For the last five years, there has been an ongoing investigation into her disappearance, but her mother, Sherry Ballard, still yearns for answers and justice.
“It has been an exceedingly long six years, and we have nowhere to go to pay respects to my daughter, and we are clueless about her whereabouts. This is something that never leaves your mind, not for a single minute,” said Sherry Ballard.
A mother of five, Crystal Rogers vanished from Bardstown, KY. Her mobile phone, keys, and purse were found inside her car, which was discovered abandoned with a flat tire on the Bluegrass Parkway. According to the FBI, Rogers had never been known to leave her children unattended.
The last person seen with Rogers was her longtime boyfriend, Brooks Houck. Houck was identified as a prime suspect in the case by the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, although he was never prosecuted and found not guilty of any charges.
The Primary Suspect and The Search
Crystal Rogers has five children, one of whom was fathered by Houck. Despite being the sole person of interest since her disappearance, he has never been formally charged.
Early on in the case, the Ballard family openly expressed their suspicions regarding Brooks Houck’s involvement in Rogers’ disappearance.
Crystal’s sister stated in a previous interview that “Brooks has never offered to assist, support, or do anything for the family.” This raised significant concerns for the police at that time.
The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office summoned Houck for questioning on July 8. During the interview, Brooks’ brother, Nick Houck, a Bardstown Police officer, contacted him and advised him against cooperating with the authorities.
Subsequently, Nick was asked to appear before a grand jury the following day, leading the authorities to believe he was also implicated in the disappearance. At this point, Nick ceased cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office, but after being interrogated by the Kentucky State Police, he agreed to undergo a polygraph test.
Following contact from the FBI, Nick consented to a polygraph exam on July 20. Alongside Bardstown Police Chief McCubbin, the examiner expressed “grave concerns” regarding the results.
Nick was dismissed from the Bardstown Police Department on October 16, 2015, and Brooks was identified as a suspect in the investigation.
When the FBI initiated an investigation in 2020, his residence was raided. They also examined the residence of his brother, Nick Houck. Investigators also focused on Houck’s grandmother, Anna Whitesides, at one point.
According to the FBI, it was believed that Rogers’ remains may have been disposed of in her vehicle. When asked to provide testimony, Whitesides, who had previously spoken with investigators, invoked her Fifth Amendment right and declined to testify.
In 2020, around 150 state and federal law enforcement officials initiated nine federal search warrants and conducted over 50 interviews in Bardstown, Kentucky.
In August 2020, the FBI took over primary investigative responsibilities from the Kentucky State Police and the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office. Over 150 federal authorities executed search warrants at three properties owned by Houck and his family.
A spokesperson from the FBI in Louisville previously stated that all three sites had been searched “to varying degrees” over the years, but to no avail.
Crystal Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard
Tommy Ballard, Crystal Rogers’ father, was tragically shot and killed by an unidentified assailant while hunting on his own property 16 months after Rogers’ disappearance in 2015.
Tommy was hunting with Rogers’ 12-year-old son. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest. The grandson was cleared of any suspicion, and investigators ruled out homicide as no shots were fired from Tommy’s weapon.
Ballard believes her husband was murdered because the perpetrators knew that they would never give up hope and would spare no effort in finding their daughter, but the police have yet to find any leads.
The Investigation Resumed
When the FBI launched a renewed investigation last year, officials disclosed that human remains had been discovered along the Washington-Nelson county border.
The FBI later confirmed that the recovered remains did not belong to Rogers, and their investigation remained relatively quiet until the surge of activity starting in September.
The most significant search operations were focused around the Woodlawn Springs neighborhood in Bardstown, which is approximately 40 miles south of Louisville in Nelson County. The search concluded on September 7th, 2021.
During the investigation, only a few vehicles were allowed into the area, and the media were kept at a distance. Federal agents concentrated on driveways and removed sections of concrete and debris from outside a residence with the assistance of Nelson County highway department trucks.
What did FBI officials discover?
Months earlier, FBI Louisville had indicated that the search was based on information obtained over the previous year. During the search, an unidentified object was discovered in the Woodlawn Springs community in Bardstown, according to the FBI in Louisville.
In a statement released on September 7, the FBI confirmed the conclusion of their latest search, with several “items of interest” found in Bardstown during the investigation being transferred to a Virginia lab for analysis.
A $25,000 reward has been established for any information leading to the exact whereabouts of Crystal. Anyone providing information to resolve this mysterious disappearance would be eligible for the prize. Now, all law enforcement agencies are tirelessly working to gather maximum information.
The announcement came a day after the FBI claimed that they had found an “item of interest” in the investigation during a search in the Bardstown area.
The FBI urged anyone with information about missing Crystal Rogers to come forward. This initiative aims to provide the most comprehensive information and serve as the authoritative source of updates from law enforcement.
By utilizing federal resources, the persons responsible for Crystal Rogers’ disappearance will be brought to justice, and this initiative will provide a unique mechanism to combat crime and potentially lead to a breakthrough in the case.
