Some hoped remains found last summer would offer answers in Crystal Rogers case. They didn’t.
Human remains that were found in Central Kentucky last summer were not those of Crystal Rogers, a mother of five who has been missing from Bardstown for five years.
The FBI announced Friday that it had examined the remains found July 24 near the Washington and Nelson County lines over the past few months using the the Combined DNA Index System to try to find a match to the remains. The remains are still unidentified.
“The FBI and our law enforcement partners understand that many in the community were hopeful that these remains would bring answers to the Crystal Rogers case,” the FBI said in a statement Friday. “This latest development most certainly does not affect the unwavering resolve of the FBI personnel assigned to investigate the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. Bringing justice to the community of Bardstown remains a top priority of FBI Louisville.”
The FBI took over last summer as the lead agency investigating Rogers’ disappearance.
“We will continue to work with the FBI and assist with anything that is needed,” the Nelson County sheriff’s office said.
The FBI has occasionally provided updates on the case through a website focused on Rogers’ disappearance, as well as several unsolved Nelson County murders, including that of Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, who was shot and killed the year after his daughter went missing.
The Nelson County sheriff’s office is the lead investigating agency in the case involving the unidentified remains.
Rogers has not been seen since July 3, 2015. Her car was found with a flat tire on Bluegrass Parkway two days later, with her purse, keys and phone still inside.
Her boyfriend at the time, Brooks Houck, was previously named as a suspect in the case, and last summer, the FBI searched three properties associated with him and his family.
There have been no arrests.
The FBI has offered a $25,000 reward in the case.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 5:21 PM.
