Crystal Rogers case on Dateline season 34 - A complete timeline of events

On July 3, 2015, 35-year-old Crystal Rogers disappeared from Bardstown, Kentucky, leaving behind her five children. Rogers, her boyfriend Brooks Houck, and their young son were last spotted at the Houck family farm. A thorough search was conducted after her abandoned car was discovered two days later with a flat tire, keys, and purse inside, but it turned up no evidence of her.

What followed was a decade of investigation into her presumed murder, marked by circumstantial clues like phone records and inconsistent alibis. The case is intertwined with Bardstown's string of unsolved killings, including the 2013 ambush of police officer Jason Ellis and the 2016 shooting of Rogers' father, Tommy Ballard.

Dateline NBC's season 34, episode 7, titled The Trouble in Bardstown, was released on November 7, 2025, on NBC.

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Dateline: Background and disappearance of Crystal Rogers (July 2015)

Dateline: season 34, episode 7 (Image via Unsplash/@Campbell Jensen)

Crystal Rogers was a resident of Bardstown and a mother of five. She was living with her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, and their two-year-old son at the time she went missing. On July 3, 2015, the family spent the day at the Houck family farm. Houck later told police that they walked the fields for hours, despite the rain, as reported by NBC.

He claimed he went to sleep while Crystal Rogers stayed up and that she was gone the next morning when he got up. She had told the family of a possible surprise date with Houck that evening. On July 4, Houck did not report her missing, saying it was not out of the ordinary for her to leave. By July 5, Rogers' mother, Sherry Ballard, filed a missing person's report.

On the same day, Rogers' maroon Chevrolet Impala was found abandoned on the Bluegrass Parkway, approximately 15 miles from Bardstown, with a flat tire. But her keys, cellphone, and purse were still inside. No signs of a struggle were evident, but the tire puncture proved to be a key clue in later investigations.

Searches by family and volunteers continued, but Houck was not part of it, according to NBC News.

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Initial investigation and early suspicions (July-October 2015)

Crystal Rogers' remains were never found (Image via Unsplash/@Volodymyr Hryshchenko)

The Nelson County Sheriff's Office quickly focused on Brooks Houck as the last person to see Crystal Rogers alive. As per WHAS 11, on July 8, 2015, Detective Jon Snow interviewed Houck, who described a rainy farm outing. During the interview, he received two calls: one from his friend, Steve Lawson, and another from his brother, Bardstown officer Nick Houck, advising him to end the interview.

Nick Houck was questioned on July 15 and agreed to a polygraph, which he failed by July 24. Searches of the farm and the surrounding areas turned up nothing. By October 16, Sheriff Ed Mattingly presumed Crystal Rogers dead and named Brooks the prime suspect, though no charges followed due to a lack of physical evidence, reported WHAS 11. Nick was fired from the police department for failing to cooperate with the investigation.

The investigation stalled amid community shock, with Rogers' family holding vigils and pleading for tips. Houck maintained that Rogers left voluntarily, but inconsistencies in his timeline raised doubts among detectives, according to NBC News.

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The murder of Tommy Ballard and rising tensions (2016)

Tommy Ballard was shot dead (Image via Unsplash/@Maxim Hopman)

Tommy Ballard, Crystal Rogers' father, who had spearheaded searches, was shot dead on November 19, 2016, while he and his three-year-old grandson were deer hunting on family land. A $10,000 reward was offered, but no suspect was found despite the gunshot coming from an unidentified direction.

Later, prosecutors connected Crystal Rogers' case to a gun that Nick Houck sold under the false name Nick Ballard, which was tested for Ballard's murder. Because Ballard had accused Houck in public, the murder increased the family's grief and stoked fears of reprisal.

Bardstown gained a reputation for unsolved violence after Officer Jason Ellis was killed in 2013 in an ambush on the same parkway where Rogers' car was found.

Although the two cases put a strain on local law enforcement resources, Rogers' family increased rewards and continued advocacy. Ballard's death is still unsolved, and no arrests have been made, as NBC News reported.

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Stalled probe and FBI takeover (2017-2021)

From 2017 to 2021, the Crystal Rogers investigation stalled, with no major breakthroughs despite tips and farm searches. In August 2020, the FBI assumed lead, executing warrants at Houck properties, Rogers' storage unit, and the 245-acre family farm. Agents found "items of interest" in August 2021 under a driveway in Woodlawn Springs, a subdivision tied to Houck Rentals, as per WHAS 11.

After a five-day search of the farm in October 2022, the FBI sent evidence to Quantico labs, including potential DNA from hair in Crystal Rogers' car. The focus shifted to digital forensics, like phone pings placing Steve and son Joey Lawson near the Impala on July 5, 2015.

Joey had driven the car to the point of abandonment but got a flat tire; Steve helped and called Houck at midnight, as reported by NBC News. These small details built the circumstantial case, as no body or weapon was ever found.

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Arrests and grand jury indictments (2022-2023)

Brooks was arrested for the murder of Crystal Rogers(Image via Unsplash/ @ niu niu)

In January 2023, Attorney General Daniel Cameron named Shane Young a special prosecutor for Crystal Rogers', Ballard's, and Ellis' cases. On June 21, 2023, a grand jury indicted Joey Lawson, 32, for conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence related to the 2015 Fourth of July weekend. He was arrested on August 15.

On September 27, Brooks Houck faced the same charges plus murder, held on $10 million bond. Arraignment on October 5 revealed prosecutors had a firearm linked to Ballard's killing. Steve Lawson was arrested on December 8 for similar counts.

Steve and Joey's bonds were reduced to $250,000 in January and February 2024, respectively. A massive December 2023 dig on Thompson Hill Road targeted potential burial sites based on Lawson's reports of digging and burning. All suspects sought to change the trial location due to publicity; trials were set for 2025, according to WHAS 11.

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Pre-Trial developments and delays (2024)

Throughout 2024, legal battles delayed proceedings. In February, the three suspects appeared together; prosecutors pushed joint trials, but the defense objected. Motions to dismiss charges against Steve Lawson cited immunity deals and coercion claims. Houck's bond appeal failed in March.

Venue shifts were also debated: Christian County proposed in April 2024, but Judge Charles Simms selected Warren County in October of the same year. Steve Lawson's trial was set for February 2025, while the others were scheduled for June.

In September 2024, an FBI search of a former Houck family property sought Crystal Rogers' remains. Debates over the DNA testing of hair from the Impala arose in March and April 2025, but Simms denied it in April, calling it a delay tactic.

Electronics were banned from courtrooms ahead of the trial in May 2025. Attorneys cited the volume of evidence for delays, including unsealed interviews. The family raised Ballard's reward to $50,000 in July, as per WHAS 11.

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Trials, convictions, and sentencing (2025)

Brooks was sentenced to life in prison without parole(Image via Unsplash/@Larry Farr)

Steve Lawson's trial began May 27, 2025, in Warren County. On May 30, the jury convicted him of conspiracy and tampering, recommending 17 years in prison. He was sentenced on August 6. He appealed in September, claiming that he had been coerced.

Jury selection for Houck and Joey Lawson took place on June 24, and their joint trial commenced on June 25. Testimony highlighted the flat tire, the midnight call, and Houck's motive, which centered on custody fears. On July 8, both were convicted: Houck of murder and tampering, and Joey of conspiracy and tampering.

Sentencing was delayed to September 17 due to one of the suspects' health issues. Houck received life, and Joey was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Both appealed, citing weak evidence. Trial videos were unsealed on July 11.

Houck was barred from selling assets amid a pending wrongful death suit in Crystal Rogers' murder. The convictions relied on phone data and statements, with no physical proof, according to NBC News.

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Dateline season 34, episode 7 is streaming on NBC.

Edited by Riya Peter