TRY
TRY AND
TRY AND GET MY HANDS ON THE WARRANTS THEY ARE SERVING. WARRANTS
CONTAIN
PROBABLY CAUSE... THE
INFORMATION THAT
POINTS TO WHY THE POLICE ARE
SEARCHING
AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE THEY'LL
FIND.
BUT THE WARRANTS IN THIS CASE...
ARE
ARE
ARE SEALED. SO WE WON'T BE ABLE TO OBTAIN
THEM.
OBTAIN THEM.
THEM.
THEM. AND
THEM. AND FROM OUR SKY 11 DRONE...
FEDERAL AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ALSO SEARCHED THE
HOUCK FAMILY FARM...
LOCATED OUT ON PASCHAL BALLARD
LANE.
YOU CAN SEE THE DOZENS OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES PARKED ON
THE PROPERTY..
A MYSTERY THAT'S BEEN UNSOLVED
FOR FIVE YEARS... THE FARM PLAYS
AN IMPORTANT
PART OF THE STORY BECAUSE BROOKS
HOUCK TOLD POLICE... HE AND
CRYSTAL
CRYSTAL WERE AT THE FARM THE NIGHT BEFORE HE REALIZED SHE WAS
MISSING.
MISSING.
MISSING. THIS FBI INVESTIGATION COMES
JUST TWO WEEKS AFTER POSSIBLE HUMAN REMAINS WERE DISCOVERED IN
NELSON
NELSON
NELSON COUNTY. THIS IS DRONE FOOTAGE OF THE
SPOT
THE FBI EVIDENCE TEAM FOUND
THOSE
REMAINS...
THOSE REMAINS... BUT SINCE THEN-- THERE HAS BEEN
NO WORD ON THE IDENTITY OF THE
REMAINS. THE BALLARD FAMILY TELLS US THEY
HAVE RECEIVED NO INFORMATION
SINCE THEN.
SINCE THEN. SHAY MCALISTER CONTINUES OUR
TEAM
COVERAGE.. WITH WHAT THIS
INVESTIGATION
MEANS TO CRYSTAL'S FAMILY.
FOR
FOR THIS
FOR THIS FAMILY ITS BEEN A LONG FIVE YEARS -- I SPENT SOME TIME
WITH CRYSTAL'S MOTHER-- SHERRY
BALLARD-- THIS
MORNING AND SHE SAYS WHILE SHE
ISN'T
READY TO TALK ON CAMERA SHE
WANTS
THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW JUST HOW
THANKFUL SHE IS FOR THEIR
CONTINUED
PRAYERS AND SUPPORT. SHE SAYS
SHE FEELS LIKE TODAY THEY ARE
CLOSER
CLOSER TO
CLOSER TO JUSTICE THAN THEY EVER HAVE BEEN BEFORE.
AND SHE IS NOT ALONE IN THAT THOUGHT-- MEMBERS OF TEAM
CRYSTAL--
THE GROUP THAT HAS SEARCHED
TIRELESSLY
TIRELESSLY
FOR
FOR THE
FOR THE MISSING MOTHER-- SAY FINDING CRYSTAL WOULD BRING MUCH
NEEDED PEACE.
NEEDED PEACE. PATRICIA JOHNSON 311
"ITS NOT ONLY NELSON COUNTY
THAT'S GOING TO GET JUSTICE
TODAY- IT
WOULD BE AROUND THE WORLD." THE
BALLARD FAMILY SAYS THEY ARE
TIRED-- AND UNDERSTANDABLY SO-- ITS BEEN
TWO WEEKS SINCE THEY
WERE
NOTIFIED OF THE DISCOVERY
OF
HUMAN REMAINS NEARBY-- BUT THOSE
REMAINS HAVE NOT YET BEEN
IDENTIFIED. IN BARDSTOWN-- SHAY MCALISTER-
WHAS11 NEWS.
WHAS11 NEWS.
SHAY
SHAY HAS
SHAY HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS CASE SINCE ROGERS WENT MISSING IN
JULY OF
2015.
EARLY ON-- THERE WERE SEVERAL
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASE.
BUT FOUR MONTHS INTO THE
INVESTIGATION, NEW INFORMATION
SEEM TO SLOW.
HERE IS SHAY MCALISTER WITH A
LOOK BACK OF THOSE FIRST CRUCIAL
MONTHS.
MONTHS.
MONTHS. FOR FIVE YEARS HER FAMILY HAS
SEARCHED, PRAYED, FOUGHT FOR ANSWERS.
SHERRY BALLARD
"I'M GOING TO GET THOSE ANSWERS
ONE
ONE
ONE DAY."
ONE DAY." LAST SEEN ALIVE ON JULY 3RD OF
2015.
FAMILY SAYS ROGERS' COUSIN SAW
HER
WALKING OUT OF WALMART-- AND
THEN
SHE SPENT THE NIGHT WITH HER
BOYFRIEND BROOKS HOUCK.
HOUCK TOLD POLICE THE WERE AT
HIS MOM'S
FARM, FEEDING THE COWS, AND THEN
THEY
WENT HOME-- AND HE SAYS HE WENT
TO BED.
DETECTIVE
JON SNOW
"SO YOU GO TO BED. WHAT'S SHE
DOING?"
BROOKS HOUCK
"SHE'S JUST ON HER PHONE,
PLAYING A
GAME. I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE."
JULY 4TH-- ONE DAY AFTER SHE IS
LAST
LAST
LAST SEEN
LAST SEEN ALIVE-- HER FAMILY STARTS TO
WORRY-- THEY SAY THEY COULDN'T
GET
AHOLD OF HER.
HER MOM-- SHERRY BALLARD-- FILES
A
MISSING PERSONS REPORT AT THE
NELSON
COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. AND ON
JULY 5TH-- THE FIRST BIG
DEVELOPMENT-- SOMEONE SPOT'S CRYSTAL'S MAROON CHEVY SEDAN ON
THE
THE
THE SIDE
THE SIDE OF THE BLUEGRASS PARKWAY--
WHEN HER DAD TOMMY BALLARD GOES
OUT TO
OUT TO
OUT TO SEE FOR HIMSELF HE FINDS HER KEYS,
PHONE AND PURSE INSIDE. TOMMY
BALLARD
"IF CRYSTAL'S OUT THERE AND CAN
SEE
SEE
SEE US-
SEE US- WE'RE HUNTING FOR YOU." DOZENS OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY
SPENT THE
REST OF THE DAY AND NIGHT
SEARCHING THE
HIGHWAY AND RURAL AREAS
SURROUNDING
IT.
SURROUNDING IT. BUT FAMILY SAYS HOUCK NEVER
FERED TO HELP.
TOMMY BALLARD
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU LIVE
WITH
WITH
WITH THE
WITH THE MOTHER OF YOUR BABY FOR THREE AND A
HALF YEARS AND YOU DON'T REPORT
HER MISSING."
HER MISSING." JULY 6TH-- FAMILY ANNOUNCE A 25-
25-
THOUSAND
THOUSAND DOLLAR REWARD IN HER CASE. THE NEXT DAY-- JULY 7TH--
BROOKS HOUCK IS BROUGHT INTO AN
INTERROGATION ROOM
INTERROGATION ROOM AT THE NELSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT WHERE HE SITS DOWN
WITH
WITH DET.
WITH DET. JON SNOW-- AND EXPLAINS WHEN HE WOKE UP BABY ELI WAS IN BED NEXT TO HIM--
AND
AND CRYSTAL WAS GONE. DETECTIVE JON SNOW
JON SNOW
JON SNOW "SO YOU WAKE UP AND HE'S THERE BUT
CRYSTAL NOT?"
BROOKS
"I CALLED HER AT SOME POINT THAT
MORNING." THAT INTERVIEW WAS
INTERRUPTED BY
HOUCK'S OLDER BROTHER-- WHO AT
THE
THE TIME
THE TIME WAS A BARDSTOWN POLICE OFFICER- NICK HOUCK TELLING
BROOKS HE SHOULD LEAVE THE INTERVIEW. AND
BROOKS DID.
BROOKS DID. ON JULY 10TH-- THE NELSON COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE EXECUTES A
SEARCH WARRANT AT THE HOUCK FAMILY
FARM--
THE LAST PLACE CRYSTAL WAS SAID
TO
TO
TO BE
TO BE ALIVE. JON SNOW
"THIS PROPERTY IS THE LAST
PROPERTY SHE'S
BEEN SEEN AT AS FAR AS WE'VE
BEEN TOLD" SHERRY BALLARD
"WHETHER THEY FIND SOMETHING ON
THE
THE
THE FARM
THE FARM OR THEY DON'T, I FEEL THAT'S WHERE IT
HAPPENED. THAT'S JUST HOW I'LL
ALWAYS FEEL."
LATER THAT WEEK-- ON JULY 15TH--
BROOKS BROTHER NICK IS
INTERVIEWED BY KENTUCKY STATE POLICE DETECTIVES-- THEY TELL
HIM THEY FOUND BODILY FLUIDS IN
HIS VEHICLE-- HE SAYS HE CAN'T
EXPLAIN WHY. FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS-- THE
FAMILY CONTINUES TO SEARCH--
WALKING
WALKING THROUGH WOODS, WADING THROUGH WATER-- DETERMINED TO FIND THE
MISSING
MOTHER OF FIVE-- AND WAITING FOR
WORD
FROM POLICE.
MID-OCTOBER-- LOCAL AUTHORITIES
DROP
DROP
DROP THREE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE
CASE.
CASE.
CASE. FIRST-- THEN SHERIFF ED MATTINGLY
ANNOUNCING CRYSTAL IS OFFICIALLY
PRESUMED DEAD.
PRESUMED DEAD. SHERIFF ED MATTINGLY "THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT
PEOPLE
DO WHEN THEY'RE ON THIS EARTH
AND SHE
HAS VANISHED FROM EARTH. I THINK
ITS SAFE TO SAY THAT SHE'S
DEAD." THEN-- WE LEARN NICK HOUCK HAD
BEEN FIRED
BEEN FIRED
FROM
FROM HIS
FROM HIS JOB AS A BARDSTOWN POLICE OFFICER-- AFTER INTERFERING WITH
HIS
BROTHER'S POLICE INTERVIEW AND
THEN
FAILING A POLYGRAPH HIMSELF.
RICK MCCUBBIN
"NICK INJECTED HIMSELF IF A WAY
I
I
I DIDN'T
I DIDN'T LIKE- ETHICS AND INTEGRITY SOMETIME
INTEGRITY SOMETIME
ARE
ARE ALL
ARE ALL WE HAVE AND I DIDN'T THINK HE DISPLAYED A GOOD EXAMPLE OF
EITHER." LATER THAT SAME DAY IN
OCTOBER OF 2015-- THE SHERIFF
DECLARES HE HAS HIS EYE ON ONE MAN IN THE CASE.
SHAY MCALISTER
"THEY ARE LOOKING AT ONE SUSPECT
AND ONE
AND ONE
AND ONE SUSPECT ONLY- THAT'S ROGERS' LIVE IN BOYFRIEND- BROOKS HOUCK"
BUT BROOKS HOUCK IS NOT
ARRESTED. HE IS NOT CHARGED.
THESE DEVELOPMENTS-- IN THE
FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THE CASE--
WOULD BE THE MOST TANGIBLE AS
THE WAIT CONTINUED FOR FIVE MORE YEARS.
NELSON COUNTY SHERIFF
RAMON PINEIROA SENT OUT A
STATEMENT
STATEMENT EARLIER, SAYING IN PART... "I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE TIME
TODAY TO THANK OUR TEAM AT THE
NELSON COUNTY
SHERIFFS OFFICE FOR ALL THE WORK
THAT
THEY HAVE PUT INTO THE CRYSTAL
ROGERS
CASE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFFICE, WE
BEGAN WORKING WITH THE FBI FOR
SUPPORT IN THIS CASE. WE HAVE WORKED IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM FOR THE
LAST
NINETEEN MONTHS. THE FBI SIMPLY
HAS
HAS
HAS RESOURCES THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE
TO US."
TO US."
THE
THE FBI
THE FBI SAYS YOU CAN HELP THEM SOLVE THIS CASE. LOUISVILLE SPECIAL AGENT ROBERT
BROWN
WANTS THE COMMUNITY TO THINK
BACK TO JULY
3RD AND 4TH OF 2015.
ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ON THE
CASE.. NO MATTER HOW SMALL.. CAN
CONTACT
CONTACT THE FBI. THEY HAVE CREATED A 25 THOUSAND
DOLLAR
DOLLAR
DOLLAR REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO CRYSTAL.
YOU CAN CALL THEM AT 1-800-
CALL- FBI
AGAIN THAT'S 1-800 - 225-5324
THE
THE FBI
THE FBI ALSO CREATED A WEBSITE YOU CAN ANONYMOUSLY POST A TIP.
THE WEBSITE WILL ALSO BE UPDATED
WITH
WITH
WITH THE
WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM THEIR INVESTIGATION.
YOU CAN FIND A LINK TO THAT
SITE.. IN THIS
STORY ON WHAS11 DOT COM.
AND YOU CAN GET A LINK TO THAT
STORY SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR PHONE-- JUST
TEXT US.
TEXT US THE WORD BARDSTOWN TO
502 -
582 - 7290
WE'LL SEND YOU BACK A LINK TO
OUR STORIES
SURROUNDING THE BARDSTOWN CASES.