BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Bardstown, the podcast, launches August 28, 2019. It dives into five unsolved cases from Bardstown, Ky.
Jason Ellis, 33
May 25, 2013
Officer Jason Ellis signed off duty and took his normal route home using Exit 34 off the Bluegrass Parkway around 2 a.m. The exit was blocked by branches which had purposefully been placed there. Once he got out of his cruiser to move the branches, he was shot multiple times with at least one shotgun.
Investigators believe the killer or killers knew Ellis’ route and were lying in wait.
Ellis died at the scene and was discovered within minutes by passersby.
In the days following his death, the community and law enforcement rallied around Ellis’ family. He left behind two young sons and a wife, Amy Ellis, who spoke publicly after his death to encourage those with information.
If you have any information in this case, send your tips to EllisCaseEtips@ky.gov.
Kathy Netherland, 48, Samantha, 16
April 21, 2014
Special education teacher, Kathy Netherland, and her teenage daughter, Samantha, failed to show up to school the morning of April 22, 2014. A family member went to check on them and found they had been tied up, tortured and murdered in their home.
Investigators say much of the violence was directed towards Samantha. Police and family say they had no enemies and there was no reason anyone should want to hurt them.
One clue has been released in the case. It is video of a black Chevy Impala which was captured on surveillance at a business near the Netherlands’ home around the time of the murders. According to investigators, this type of car is particularly common in the area.
If you have any information in this case, send your tips to Kentucky State Police at (270) 766-5078.
Crystal Rogers, 35
July 3, 2015
Crystal Rogers was last seen alive on July 3, 2015. In the days following her disappearance, her family located her car on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with her phone, keys and purse inside.
Though her body has never been found, she is presumed dead.
Rogers has five children, including one son with her former boyfriend, Brooks Houck. In the days, months and years since she vanished, family says Houck never helped search for her. He has been named the main suspect in the case.
If you have any information in the case, send your tips to the Nelson County Sheriff at 502-348-1840.
Tommy Ballard, 54
November 19, 2016
Tommy Ballard led the search for answers in his daughter Crystal’s case, but 16 months after her disappearance, he was killed.
Ballard was hunting with his grandson on family property on November 19, 2016, when he was shot. He died at the scene.
Because of his close ties to Crystal’s case, the Kentucky State Police took over the investigation early on and have released few details since.
Sherry Ballard, Tommy’s widow and Crystal’s mother, believes the two cases are connected. She thinks her husband was close to finding their daughter.
If you have any information in this case, send your tips to Kentucky State Police at (270) 766-5078.