Even though countless crimes have been happening in the world, a few can be considered resolved while the rest stay in the cabinets of investigators as they either couldn’t get enough evidence to arrest the suspects or simply couldn’t find a lead.
One such case in Kentucky, the United States, has remained a mystery for the past eight years, even with the suspects roaming free without a care in the world.
Crystal Rogers is a Bardstown resident who disappeared on July 3, 2015, without leaving a trail, and despite searching for many clues over the years, the FBI couldn’t locate her.
So, how could Crystal Rogers have gone missing? Is there any kind of mystery behind this incident? Read on to find out the answers to your questions.
Who Is Crystal Rogers, and How Did She Disappear?
Crystal Maria Rogers is a woman from Bardstown, Kentucky, and in 2015, she was thirty-five, living with five children and her boyfriend, Brooks Houck. She was born in 1980 and had a reasonably normal life with her loving parents and a sister who always looked after her.
However, everything changed when she unexpectedly vanished one day, and her family, even after contacting her multiple times for two days, couldn’t get a hold of her. On July 5, 2015, they found Crystal’s car, a 2007 Chevrolet Impala, at the Bluegrass Passway with a flat tire and the keys still in the ignition.
Furthermore, they also found her purse and cell phone inside, and eventually, a missing report was filed by her mother, Sherry Ballard, the same day. To this day, there is no sight of Crystal Rogers, and the FBI has been constantly looking for any clues that may lead them to her.
How Did the Investigation Go?
Immediately after they filed a missing person’s report, The Ballard family informed the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office that Brooks Houck may have something to do with her disappearance.
Following their complaint, he was brought in for questioning, but his brother, Nick Houck, a Bardstown Police officer, told Brooks not to speak with the police. When Nick was questioned by the jury, police believed that he had something to do with the case.
Later, when Nick stopped cooperating with the Sheriff’s office, he eventually agreed to a polygraph test, which resulted in Nick getting fired from the Bardstown Police Department and officially becoming a suspect along with his brother, Brooks.
Apparently, a private investigator has found a crucial piece of evidence (a white Buick) at the Houck Brothers’ farm after the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. However, their grandmother, Anna Whitesides, sold the Buick after a few days, leading the authorities to issue a subpoena (a written order to summon a person to the court).
However, Whitesides didn’t testify in front of the jury, and in August of 2016, they searched Whistesides’ whole residence but couldn’t find any evidence.
While they reached a dead end once again, on November 19, 2016, Crystal Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, was shot to death when he was hunting alongside his twelve-year-old grandson. It was confirmed that the bullet didn’t come from his own gun, so it was considered a murder.
Despite another round of thorough investigations, Tommy Ballard’s murder was still a mystery. On July 3, 2023, the FBI released a notice asking for cooperation from the townspeople, even though the previous notices didn’t fare well.
So, what are your thoughts on Crystal Rogers’ disappearance? Do you think the Houck family did it?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
