BARDSTOWN, Ky. — It’s been eight years since Tommy Ballard was fatally shot while on a hunting trip with his grandson.
While there have been little developments in his unsolved case, authorities have made some progress in the investigation.
Ballard, the father of missing Bardstown mother Crystal Rogers, had led the search for his daughter in the months after her disappearance. He would help organize search parties and spend hours researching and investigating leads of his own.
On Nov. 19, 2016, Ballad took his grandson out on an early morning hunting trip on their family property where he was later shot in the chest and died.
Sherry Ballard, his wife, believes someone killed the determined father to shut down his investigation into their daughter’s disappearance.
"I think he would not have given up. He would not have given up, and certain people knew he would not give up,” she told WHAS11 last November. “I think everyone has been working very, very hard on his investigation and I think things are coming together."
WATCH BELOW: Sherry Ballard's full interview with Shay McAlister last year
Three men have been charged in Rogers’ death, including her ex-boyfriend Brooks Houck, and all three are set to stand trial next year.
During a court hearing for Houck last October, prosecutors confirmed they are still investigating Ballard’s death and waiting for test results on a firearm they believe was used to kill him.
Special Prosecutor Shane Young said the gun was purchased from Nick Houck, Brooks Houck’s brother, who used a fake name to sell the firearm. No one has been charged in Ballard’s death, however.
"I feel like I haven't had him for a lifetime," Sherry Ballard told WHAS11 last year, remembering her husband. "I don't have him, but I have those memories and that's something no one can take away from me."