Long Time Coming: The Tragic Betrayal and Disappearance of Crystal Rogers
In 2015, beloved mother of five Crystal Rogers vanished. Disturbing clues indicate that she met with foul play. Nearly a decade after her disappearance, Crystal's family may finally see justice
Background
Bardstown, Kentucky, is an idyllic town nestled in the heart of the Bluegrass state, a mere hour away from the hustle and bustle of Lexington. Bardstown is known for being a bourbon powerhouse, with many of the state’s most prestigious distilleries located in and around the city. One local resident, Crystal Rogers, had called Bardstown home for her entire life.
Crystal was a 35-year-old mother of five who was very family-oriented and rarely seen without at least one of her children. Crystal lived in a home with her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, who was the father of her youngest son, 2-year-old Eli.
Crystal was described as a caring person, always willing to help a friend in any way she could. She loved being a mother more than anything, and her children were her world.
Missing
On July 3rd, 2015, Crystal was seen spending time with her boyfriend. According to Brooks Houck’s later testimony, he, Crystal, and Eli had visited the Houck’s family farm that evening before returning home. Nothing is known of Crystal’s whereabouts on July 4th.
Then, on July 5th, everything turned upside down.
Sherry Ballard, Crystal’s mother, had been trying to contact her daughter and was unable to reach her. Crystal’s daughter had also attempted to call her and informed her grandmother, Sherry, when she could not reach her mother.
This was unlike Crystal, who was very family-centered and would never intentionally ignore calls from her mother or daughter. Concerned, Sherry went to the local police station to file a missing person’s report.
On her way, she encountered Brooks and asked him if he knew where Crystal was. Brooks said that Crystal had left during the night, and he hadn’t heard from her since.
Disturbing Discovery
The same day, just after Sherry reported Crystal missing, Crystal’s father and Sherry’s husband, Tommy Ballard, made a chilling discovery. While driving along the Bluegrass Parkway, he noticed a car with a flat tire parked along the roadside. He immediately recognized the red Chevrolet Impala as his daughter’s car and pulled over to investigate.
Tommy promptly called the police, and they joined him near mile marker 14 to search the vehicle for clues.
As they searched the car, the circumstances of Crystal’s disappearance rapidly became more puzzling. Her keys were still in the ignition, and her phone and purse had been left behind. At first glance, it appeared Crystal had gotten a flat tire, pulled over, exited her vehicle, and either been picked up or wandered into the woods.
With the 48-hour mark rapidly approaching since Crystal had last been seen alive, authorities, along with her family, scrambled to make progress as quickly as possible before all hope of solving the case disappeared.
Interviewing Brooks
Naturally, authorities turned their suspicion to Brooks, as he was Crystal’s boyfriend and the last known person to have seen Crystal alive. On July 8th, 2015, Brooks was asked to come to the Bardstown Police Department for questioning. Detective Jon Snow interviewed Brooks, and the interview only raised further questions.