Crystal Rogers case: What to know after third arrest

Eight years after Bardstown mom Crystal Rogers disappeared, three men have been charged.

Brooks Houck, Rogers' boyfriend at the time and father to one of her children, was charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence. A few weeks earlier, Joseph Lawson was arrested in Nelson County and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the case.

Then last week, Steven Lawson was charged with tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to murder. The charges are reported to be related to Roger's disappearance. The Courier Journal has not been able to confirm any relation between the two Lawsons.

Here's everything we know so far about the case.

Crystal Rogers: Bardstown mother of five goes missing

Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five children, went missing around July 3, 2015, from Bardstown. Her car was soon found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside.

Rogers was not known to go anywhere without her kids, according to the FBI.

"My mom is a very special woman," one of Rogers' daughters wrote on a website dedicated to the investigation. "The memory that will forever be in my heart is going to DQ and buying my momma lunch. We would always get the chicken strip basket with the toast and gravy to go with it. Going over to mamaw Martins and playing Phase 10 and Aggravation over and over while eating snacks. Since my mom’s been missing, life has been really hard. I always wonder what my life would be like if she and my papaw was still here."

Her body has not been recovered, but she is presumed dead.

Crystal Rogers' father shot and killed in Bardstown

On the morning of Nov. 19, 2016, just 16 months after his daughter's disappearance, Tommy Ballard was preparing for a hunting trip with his 12-year-old grandson on family property next to Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown. An unknown person fired one shot and hit Ballard in the chest, instantly killing him, according to the FBI.

Kentucky State Police issued a news release that said they do not believe Ballard's grandson was at fault in his grandfather's death, as previously reported by The Courier Journal.

Ballard, 54, had created Team Crystal, a group of Bardstown community members dedicated to finding Rogers shortly after she went missing.

At Houck's arraignment, prosecutor Shane Young said investigators had recovered a gun sold by Houck's brother under an assumed name that could be a match for the murder weapon in the killing of Ballard.

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of those responsible for Ballard's murder.

Brooks Houck charged with murder in Crystal Rogers case

Brooks Houck told officers he'd last seen Rogers alive when they visited his family's farm the night before she disappeared. He was named a suspect early in the investigation, but criminal charges were not filed against him in the case until September 2023.

Houck has denied involvement in Rogers' disappearance.

He has been charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to court documents. In the indictment, Houck is charged with murder "by intentionally or under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life wantonly causing the death of Crystal Rogers."

His bond is set at $10 million. He has also been ordered to not have any contact with Rogers' family.

What did Crystal Rogers' family say about Brooks Houck's arrest?

Shortly after charges were filed against Houck, Team Crystal released a statement from Rogers' family via social media. Referencing how Houck has been named as a suspect since 2015, the family thanked lead investigators for their work and requested privacy at this time.

The family continues to "pray that justice is served and we bring Crystal home."

Did the Houck family interfere with the investigation?

Houck's brother, Nick, was a police officer with Bardstown Police at the time of Rogers' disappearance and was fired after interfering in the investigation.

The mayor of Bardstown said Nick Houck phoned his brother when he knew Brooks was being interviewed by detectives, warning that his brother "should protect himself," and that investigators "might be trying to trip him up," the Kentucky Standard reported in 2015.

City officials held an administrative hearing on Nick Houck's actions and fired him a day later.

In 2019, a home being built by Brooks Houck was burned down in what city officials said was an arson case. Billy Mattingly, who was then Bardstown's fire chief, said the house may have been set on fire by disgruntled employees who worked for Brooks Houck.

During Houck's arraignment, Young said that Houck had family members record secret grand jury proceedings in 2015.

Who is Joseph Lawson?

Joseph Lawson was arrested in Nelson County and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence, in connection with the disappearance of Rogers. Lawson's attorney, Kevin Coleman, confirmed his arrest with The Courier Journal but declined to offer any further comment.

Lawson's name had not surfaced publicly in the investigation before his arrest.

Joseph Lawson's next appearance in court is scheduled for Jan. 5.

Who is Steven Lawson?

Steven Lawson, 53, was charged with tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to murder. The charges are reported to be related to Roger's disappearance. He was indicted Dec. 6.

WHAS reported that Houck made reference to an employee named Steve Lawson previously when interrogated by the Nelson County Sheriff's Office.

Multiple searches in, around Bardstown recover 'evidence' in case

FBI agents, who took over the case from the Kentucky State Police and the Nelson County Sheriff's Office in 2020, have conducted multiple searches in and near Bardstown.

In August 2020, more than 150 federal agents served search warrants at three sites owned by Houck and his family members. An FBI spokesman said all three locations had been searched "to various degrees" over the years.

In August 2021, agents searched a subdivision where Houck owns properties. Agents reportedly were using a cadaver dog to search the subdivision and a Courier Journal photographer saw investigators using a jackhammer on the driveway of a home. The driveway was dug up, and large chunks of it were hauled out of the neighborhood in construction trucks.

On Sept. 7, 2021, the FBI announced that the search in Bardstown had ended, with several "items of interest" sent to a lab in Virginia for testing.

Over the past eight years, the Bardstown farm where Rogers was last seen has been a focal point of the investigation, with the most recent search being conducted in late 2022. The land, which sits on 30 acres, is owned by Brooks Houck's mouther.

"We hope that the evidence collected will move our investigation one step closer to holding accountable the individual(s) responsible for Crystal Rogers’ disappearance," the agency wrote in an October 2022 tweet. "FBI Louisville, and all of our law enforcement partners, are committed to successfully resolving this case and giving Crystal’s family peace, and more importantly justice."

No further information has been released on the evidence collected from these searches.

How can I watch documentaries about Crystal Rogers?

Rogers' case has spawned documentaries and podcasts and plenty of news coverage.

“Bourbon Town Mystery,” produced by the HLN Investigations team, takes a deep dive into the disappearance of Rogers.

HLN Investigations is a news team that produces breaking news specials and HLN Original Series within the crime and justice genre. The HLN cable channel is a spinoff of CNN.

How to watch: HLN airs docu-series investigation on missing Kentucky mom Crystal Rogers

Among the other past shows on the missing mother is "The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers," which premiered in 2018 on Oxygen.

To watch the 2018 series, visit Oxygen's site.

Where can I find podcasts on the Crystal Rogers case?

Numerous podcasts have focused on the Crystal Rogers case, including:

• The Vanishing of Crystal Rogers — Not Another True Crime Podcast (May 2021): "Sara and Danny are back this week to bring us all the details about the disappearance of Crystal Rogers from a small town in Kentucky. They go through her last sightings and all the particulars of the case, including the discovery of her car and the puzzling delay in her being reported missing. Next, they turn to the likeliest suspect in this case, and what the police investigations so far have revealed. They also go into a few recent updates on the case, and what we can expect to find out in the coming months."

• Bardstown (2019-20): "It's been two years since Officer Jason Ellis was killed in a deadly ambush and fifteen months since Kathy and Samantha Netherland were found murdered in their home.  And another tragedy is about to hit Bardstown."

• CONSPIRACY: Bardstown, Kentucky — Crime Junkie (February 2018): "A 35-year-old woman named Crystal Rogers went missing from Bardstown, Kentucky back in 2015. Her car was found on the side of a busy parkway with a flat tire, keys, wallet and phone still inside. Just 16 months later, while searching for answers, Crystal’s father is murdered in cold blood. Now, people are wondering if these two crimes are connected to a bigger conspiracy that started with the murder of a police officer in 2013. Could all of these seemingly different attacks be related?"

• Vanished-Crystal Rogers — True Crimecast (October 2018): "Just outside of Louisville, Bardstown, Kentucky, is the epitome of a small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business, both good and bad. So how is it that Crystal Rogers could disappear without a trace? Is her disappearance linked to other murders in the area around that same time? And what about that boyfriend and his brother? So much conspiracy, so few answers. This is True Crimecast."

• Crystal Rogers — The mHERder Podcast (January 2020): "Missing Bardstown Mom: Crystal Rogers."

How to submit a tip in Crystal Rogers case

If you have information related to the disappearance of Crystal Rogers, you can visit crystalrogerstaskforce.com, call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI, contact your local FBI office or get in touch with the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

The FBI said it is "offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible" for Rogers' disappearance.

Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter. Billy Kobin contributed to this reporting.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Steven Lawson arrested: Update from Crystal Rogers Bardstown, KY case