BARDSTOWN, Ky. — There has been a major breakthrough in one of the four unsolved Bardstown, Kentucky cases that left four people murdered in less than four years.
Jason Ellis, Kathy and Samantha Netherland, Crystal Rogers and Tommy Ballard each went missing or were murdered in the small Kentucky town. Their cases remain unsolved and continue to plague "The Most Beautiful Small Town in America."
Many people have questioned whether or not some of these cases are connected. In January 2023, a special prosecutor was assigned to assist in the prosecution of criminal charges related to the deaths of Ellis, Rogers and Ballard. Notably, the Netherlands case was not included.
"It is very rare to have all these cases, that are potentially connected, in a small community like Nelson County," Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Jones said in a 2020 interview. "I think that potentially solving any of these cases could bring resolution to the other ones."
The Crystal Rogers Investigation
Crystal Rogers, 35, vanished on Fourth of July weekend in 2015. Her car, with her belongings still inside, was discovered with a flat tire along the Bluegrass Parkway.
The mother-of-five from Bardstown has never been found. However, there has been a major breakthrough in her case.
This year, police have made two major arrests. The men arrested are facing charges "stemming from the Crystal Rogers investigation," according to an FBI Louisville news release.
Most notably, her boyfriend at the time of her murder, Brooks Houck, was arrested on Sept. 27 and charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence.
RELATED: Who is Brooks Houck, the man arrested in connection to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers?
Houck has been considered the main suspect in her case since the beginning. His property has been searched multiple times.
Houck's bond is set at $10 million cash and his arraignment is scheduled on Oct. 5 in the Nelson County Circuit Court.
He was also ordered to not have contact with the Roger's family.
RELATED: Sherry Ballard fighting for emergency custody after Brooks Houck arrested in Crystal Rogers case
Just weeks before Houck's arrest, Joseph Lawson of Nelson County was arrested in connection to Crystal Rogers' disappearance. He was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence.
Soon after Lawson was arrested, WHAS11 Investigative Journalist Shay McAlister released a story on a possible link between Joseph Lawson and Brooks Houck.
The Tommy Ballard Mystery
After more than a year of searching for Crystal Rogers, her father Tommy Ballard, 54, was also killed under mysterious circumstances.
Tommy was shot and killed while hunting with his grandson Nov. 19, 2016, just days before Thanksgiving. His wife and Crystal's mother, Sherry Ballard, said she got a call from her grandson, giving her the tragic news.
"He was so upset and he's like, 'Memaw, Papaw has been shot,'" she said in a 2019 interview with WHAS11's Shay McAlister.
Tommy was shot once in the chest. Police originally called it a hunting accident, and Ballard said the reason was so they wouldn't get sued if it was an accidental shooting.
She said she was furious with police originally.
"This is my husband, and this is a murder and you know it," Sherry said. "And you're saying it's a hunting accident? No, I'm not okay with that."
Kentucky State Police said they were investigating Tommy's death as a murder, but in the six years since he was shot and killed, police have shared no updates.
"We treat Tommy Ballard's case as a murder, and that's the way we investigate it," Scotty Sharp with KSP said in 2019. "You know, I'd like to think that every day we get up and we're working on all of these cases that we're one days closer. We're one step closer."
Now, the FBI confirms they are actively working leads and tips on Ballard's case. They are the 'lead' investigating agency on Crystal Rogers' case but have said they believe solving one case could solve others.
The Jason Ellis Murder
Jason Ellis, 33, was shot and killed on May 25, 2013. Ellis has just finished working a shift with the Bardstown Police Department and was on his way home when he saw something unusual: branches blocking an exit ramp off the Bluegrass Parkway.
It was nearly 3 a.m., and despite having just signed off for the night, Ellis pulled over to clear the debris and ensure future drivers were safe.
As he worked to remove the branches, someone shot the Bardstown officer several times, fatally wounding him. Investigators have since called it an ambush, the tree debris luring him from his car, so they could kill him.
His murder has never been solved. Ellis' two sisters and his mother, Pam Dearwester, follow developments from Cincinnati, Ellis’ hometown. Ellis’ widow and two children now live in Louisville.
His mother said they do still visit Bardstown occasionally. She described one recent experience as loving, and said they are always greeted with open arms. However, there is also an eerie feeling which can be attributed to lingering questions about who might be behind Ellis' death.
Investigators have never fully linked the Ellis case to Rogers’ case. But in a 2020 interview with the FBI, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Jones said he believed answers in one Bardstown case could lead to answers in others. The Ellis family agrees.
Kelly Eastman, Ellis’ sister, said, "It’s hard to not go there, too. Because there seem to be similar people connected to each case, in some ways, without saying too much.”
The Netherlands Case
In 2014, Kathy Netherland, 48, and her 16-year-old daughter Samantha were found brutally murdered inside their home just outside Bardstown city limits.
After Kathy didn't show up to work, police executed a wellness check and found the school teacher and teenager dead in their home. They had both been tortured and killed.
There were few clues, but surveillance footage did catch a black car near the home that night.
“Whoever was in that car was in that house during the time this crime was committed,” Jeremy Thompson of KSP said.
Police were never able to find the car—or a suspect—in their case. People speculated that the two might have been connected to Jason Ellis or that a family member might have killed them.
Still, no connections or rumors were enough for an arrest.
In January 2023, the Kentucky Attorney General appointed a special prosecutor to assist in the prosecution of criminal charges related to the deaths of Jason Ellis, Crystal Rogers and Tommy Ballard. Notably, the Netherlands case is not included.
When asked why the Netherlands were not mentioned in the letter, the Attorney General's Office said they were not asked to intervene in the Netherlands case.
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