BARDSTOWN, Ky. — After an entire day's worth of searching by a team from FBI Louisville, it's still unclear what -- if anything -- was found relating to Crystal Rogers' whereabouts.
FBI agents searched a Bardstown neighborhood with cadaver dogs Tuesday in connection to the disappearance of Rogers.
“Based on information gathered by the federal investigation over the last year, FBI Louisville is now conducting several searches in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision," FBI Louisville said in a statement.
Special agents closed one street in the 250-acre residential community near Dean Watts Park as FBI Louisville conducted searches at specific addresses. Agents were seen pulling out tarp and digging. The FBI said the residents are not considered suspects in the Rogers case.
Investigators worked while the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office turned nearly 90 cars away from the blocked road, people Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa said showed up curious to see what was going on.
"We were requested to guard the road -- limited action to the residents [only]," Sheriff Pineiroa said.
Both FBI officials and Nelson County deputies left at around 9 p.m., without revealing any new details.
"Hopeful, but just nervous. I’m nervous. I’ve just been praying so hard," said Sherry Ballard, Crystal's mother, just hours after agents started searching Woodlawn Springs.
Rogers, a mother of five, went missing over the Fourth of July weekend in 2015. Though still considered a missing person case, officials are working under the assumption Rogers is dead.
Brooks Houck, Rogers' boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, was named a main suspect in her case. Documents from the Nelson County PVA show that Houck Rentals LLC owns three homes in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision. Houck is listed as the registered agent for Houck Rentals.
Neighbors heard the work unfolding early on.
“A bit of an alarming thing to happen. We certainly weren’t expecting that today," said Holly Walker, who lives in the subdivision. "My 18-year-old daughter goes to ECTC, and she let us know there was something going on in the street and that you couldn't get in without your driver’s license.”
FBI Louisville announced it would be the lead investigative agency on the case in 2020, working with several state and federal partners. Law enforcement agents began executing search warrants at the homes of Brooks and Nick Houck, Rogers' storage unit and the Houck family farm.
The discovery of human remains in July 2020 renewed hope for Rogers' family, but after months of waiting, investigators ultimately determined that the remains did not belong to Crystal Rogers. They still have not been identified.
As Sheriff Pineiroa and his deputies turned non-residents away from the closed roads, he's preaching patience from the community -- as hard as it may be six years later.
"The investigation is more important than somebody driving by posting information, and things that they’re doing on Facebook," Sheriff Pineiroa said.
FBI Louisville confirmed that crews were returning to the area Wednesday to resume the search.
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