Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. Kentucky State Police took the lead on the investigation right away. "I don't think they would just randomly pick a driveway unless they had a reason to do that," Ballardtold WHAS. It was related to the still-unsolved murder of her father. Kathy Netherland, a special education teacher, and her 16 year old daughter Samantha are brutally murdered in their own home. Learn all about the latest and greatest spirits. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The first killing to send shock waves through the community was. This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Her kids need closure, but to physically hear it, its going to be so hard on us.". This, to me, is starting to get silly.". Officer Ellis was driving home late that night in his cruiser when he stopped on Exit 34 of the Bluegrass Parkway to clear brush from the road. Kentucky State Police believe the person or persons inside a black Chevrolet Impala seen traveling north on U.S. 150 from Botland into Bardstown on the night of the murders are responsible for the crimes. Is Tommys murder connected to the other Bardstown unsolved cases? That led to the police theory that he killed her and disposed of her body, possibly with the help of his police office brother. On the morning of April 22, 2014, Kentucky State Troopers found the mother and daughter dead at their home. Could a fellow student have killed her? This new information has not been confirmed by law enforcement, but the Kentucky State Police say they are investigating the inmates claims. Curious About J.Crews Viral Giant-Fit Chinos? Crystal Rogers' disappearance featured on HLN Investigations, The 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers of Bardstown is the topic of the season premiere of HLN's "Real Life Nightmare." Rogers was last seen on July 3, at the home she shared with her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, their 2-year-old son and other children. Otherwise, it remains unsolved as of January 2018. My Theories on the Bardstown Murders and the Disappearance of Crystal Rogers I used to believe that the murder of police officer Jason Ellis on May 25, 2013, the Netherland Murders on April 21, 2014, the disappearance of Crystal Rogers on July 3, 2015, and the murder of Tommy Ballard on November 19, 2016 in Bardstown, Kentucky we're all related. BARDSTOWN, KY (WAVE) - Graphic details of how a Nelson County mother and her teenage daughter were killed inside their home in April are now public. "There's people in the community that have information but they're afraid to come forward," she told CBS affiliate WLKY. While attempting to remove the debris, he was shot several times and died shortly after. Bardstown Fire Chief Billy Mattingly saidthe house may have been set on fire by disgruntled employees who worked for Brooks Houck. Small towns where everybody knows each others business are notorious hotbeds of gossip. "And I need closure. That was an excellent article. Season two went beyond Bardstown, investigating a deadly fire in the bayou community of Lacombe, La. As he approaches exit 34 of the Bluegrass Parkway he notices a blockage in the road. "This is one of those things that I'm not comfortable talking about. However i noticed one major difference in these murders. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Complicating the investigation was that fact that Houcks brother Nick was an officer with the Bardstown Police. To. Bardstown today has more than doubled in population, and the shadows have grown deeper. Could I be wrong? To kill a man in front of his young grandson, you must be an evil, cold-hearted person and I hope you burn for eternity in your own personal hell. BARDSTOWN, Ky. . Published: Feb. 27, 2023 at 7:24 PM PST. [Feature Photo: Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin via AP/Timothy D. Easley], WATCH LIVE: Murdaugh Family Murders Day 25: Closing Arguments, Murdaugh Family Murders: Jury Heads to Moselle, the Scene of the Crimes, Ghislaine Maxwells New Attorneys File Appeal of Sex Trafficking Conviction. She went on to say her husband Tommy "was never going to give up for my daughter, and he was going to push, and I think people knew that. There were about 6600 residents then, and even if the county seat for Nelson County sometimes felt for just a moment like the setting for a folksy episode of the Twilight Zoneone where all the good townsfolk are revealed as malevolent robots in the final act, or cultists searching for a sacrificethere was no real sense of danger. There is a lot of shady shit going on. As if something unpleasant was going on with them in their lives and no one knew about it. FBI agents were searching a farm Monday morning connected to the man. Though just an hour south of the major metropolitan hub of Louisville, Bardstown, Kentucky, is a world away. I hope for the sake of Crystal Rogers' children, that she will be properly laid to rest in the future. Join Nancy Grace and a team of world-class experts for the online course Justice Nation: Crime Stops Here. The Rogers and Ballard cases are even moving forward as of January 2018, as investigators have been searching the farm where they believe Crystal was killed. As the Kentucky Standard reported after she vanished, her aunt Sherry Ballard Barnes disappeared in January 1979. BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WKYT) -The bourbon industry in Kentucky has led to great financial gains for the Commonwealth, especially in areas where there are . Beaten, stabbed, slitted throat, gunshot ? The parkway would've been an otherwise very empty road that late at night and almost any vehicle seen on that road between Bardstown and, say Lawrenceburg could've been possibly considered suspect at the time. But, theres also a dark side to the region. ", None of her claims, however, have ever been substantiated. -, Press J to jump to the feed. There wasn't a robbery, a sex assault and the mother showed signs of overkill which to me seems personal. Do You Have Any? The sudden disappearance of Crystal Rogers, a young mother, in July 2015 had the small town of Bardstown, Kentucky, on edge. She was a widow and in photos she looked younger than her reported age of 48. Jason Ellis and his wife Amy settled in Bardstown, Kentucky and started a family after his career as a minor league baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds. And awesome. The next mystery to befall Bardstown was the 2015 disappearance of 35-year-old Crystal Rogers. . Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The still-unsolved 2016 shooting death of 54-year-old Tommy Ballard is the most recent of four killings and a disappearance that have haunted the picturesque small town of Bardstown, Kentucky. While removing the branches he is shot several times and dies shortly afterward. Bourbon Town Mystery, produced by the HLN Investigations team, takes a deep dive into the disappearance of Rogers. The 35-year-olds car was later found on the Bluegrass Parkway, not far from mile marker 14. Tommy had been shot in the chest from behind. By 2013 Jason Ellis had been a police officer for about seven years. He is heard signing off for the evening over the radio. The FBI has been offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to arrests in Ellis' slaying. The pair were probably in the lowest risk group for being murder victims. Tommy was married to Sherry and they had eight grandchildren. Samantha had been bludgeoned with her throat slit, while Kathy was shot numerous times. Samantha, a young, hopeful teenager, had been stabbedher throat cut. My opinion-Is it possible that the person who committed this awful crime wanted to kill someone, anyone and it didn't matter who it was? Some Doctors Are Now Making More Dubious Claims About Ivermectin. The crimes left a long-lasting effect on Bardstown. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. In May 2013, Officer Jason Ellis with the Bardstown Police Department was on his way home when someone attacked and killed him off of Exit 34 at around 2 a.m. Ellis noticed the road was blocked by several freshly-cut trees, and when he got out his car to investigate, someone shot and killed him with a 12-gauge shotgun. There has been a string of unsolved murders and an unsolved disappearance in Nelson County. Anyone have any updates on the murders in Bardstown Kentucky. They need the FBI to get involved. 6 years later: Anniversary of Tommy Ballard's death follows 2nd FBI search in Crystal Rogers disa 6 years has passed since mysterious death of Crystal Rogers father, Tommy Ballard, 6 years later, Tommy Ballard's murder remains unsolved | whas11.com, 'Pushing for justice' | 6 years later, circumstances surrounding Tommy Ballard's death remain a mystery | News | wdrb.com, A move in the right direction: Sherry Ballard reacts to special prosecutor appointment to Nelson County cases, Special prosecutor investigating three Nelson County deaths, Signs speculating about suspect in disappearance of Crystal Rogers appear on anniversary of her father's death, Family still searching for answers in death of missing woman's father, Police investigating shooting death of Tommy Ballard, KSP clears victim's grandson in Nelson County shooting death, Sherry Ballard says her husband was being followed leading up to his death, Search continues for Ky. mom part 2 (Rogers), Witness Says She Saw Suspicious Car The Morning Tommy Ballard Was Shot, KSP seeks public's help in investigation of Tommy Ballard shooting death, Grandson cleared in missing woman's dad's death, TIMELINE: Crystal Rogers disappearance & Investigation, Autopsy scheduled in Tommy Ballard death, investigation continues, The Complete Timeline of Crystal Rogers' Disappearance, Family offers $20,000 for information on fatal shooting, Bardstown family longs for answers 6 months after Tommy Ballard was killed, WHAS11 Journalist Shay McAlister visits EKU at "A Night of True Crime" Event, FBI conducting new search in Crystal Rogers case, Family of Crystal Rogers hopes for answers during FBI search of Bardstown farm - ABC 36 News, Timeline: A look at the Crystal Rogers case since 2015, including FBI involvement, FBI begins fourth day of search for Crystal Rogers on Houck farm - YouTube. It appears as though this murder was covered up by family members of the murderer. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Thats how I remember Bardstown. My opinion-I do believe this murder is connected to the disappearance of his daughter, Crystal Rogers. There has been gossip about the surviving daughter being involved, but I see no actual evidence of that. Police haven't ruled out any suspects as of now but, they are leaning towards the theory that multiple people may have been involved. The missing mother's case has gained national attention, with it being featured on HLN's "Real Life Nightmare" docu-series. Unfortunately, the Ballard family went through a similar situation in 1982, when Tommys sister, Sherry Ballard, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was murdered by her then-husband, Edsel Eddie Barnes because he didnt want to pay child support. Indiana true crime podcasters Ashley and Brit examine three mysterious murders and disappearances in Bardstown, Kentucky that they think may be related, including those of Crystal Rogers and her father. According to death certificates obtained by WAVE 3 News, 48-year-old Kathy Netherland was shot multiple times. LOUISVILLE, KY. Another search is underway relating to the 2015 disappearance of Crystal Rogers in Bardstown, Kentucky. In the absence of any arrests, Bardstowns bars and backstreets have pulsed with conspiracy theories trying to connect the dots between Bardstowns mysterious unsolved crimes. 5 years later, nobody knows. Absolutely. During the summer of 2020, the FBI took over from Kentucky State Police and the Nelson County Sheriff's Office as the lead investigator inthe case, with over 150 federal agentsservingsearch warrants in August 2020 atthree sites owned by Houck and his family members. In 2014, the brutal double-homicide of 48-year-old Kathy Netherland and her 16-year-old daughter, Samantha, rocked the town of Bardstown, Kentucky. Though all occurred in Nelson County, that doesnt mean there is a real connection, save the seemingly obvious one between the disappearance of Crystal Rogers and her fathers death. Year after year, tragedies struck this small town, Jessica Noll, investigate journalist and host of the hit podcast, Bardstown, told Nancy Grace during the latest Crime Stories episode. I don't need an attorney. He believed he was being followed prior to his death, and even installed a camera in his truck to catch anyone on his tail. Get InsideHook in your inbox. Still, it seems stalled. I'm innocent. Police said the Netherlands were murdered around 8 p.m. on the evening of Monday, April 21 at their home in Nelson County's Botland community. So, my best friend is from the area and I lived there a couple of years. While Holly was unable to confirm the inmate's claims, she said his theories about the gang initiation and trophies being taken from the crime scene were possible. "Crystal was a very good girl. One reads: "Detectives say Brooks Houck killed Rogers". He was the owner of T.M.B. She didn't receive an inheritance when her mother and sister were killed and the idea that she killed her remaining family (her father recently passed from cancer) because they supposedly didnt like her boyfriend doesnt seem like a real motive. Lots of corruption. The similarities between his murder and the murder of Jason have been noted. The utterly brutal murder the Netherlands on a pleasant country road is as strange as Elliss murder. FBI agents have conducted multiple searches in and near Bardstown since Rogers went missing. The cut brush that Jason Ellis stopped to remove was not actually blocking traffic and other vehicles had driven right on past as I would have done that time of night. 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