FBI finds ‘item of interest’ during evidence search in Crystal Rogers’ disappearance
The FBI has discovered an “item of interest” during its fourth day of searching a Bardstown neighborhood for evidence in Crystal Rogers’ disappearance.
Rogers, a mother of five children, has been missing since July 2015 and is presumed dead. The FBI took the lead on the years-long investigation last August and has since executed search warrants at several locations in Nelson County. Brooks Houck, Rogers’ boyfriend when she disappeared, was named a suspect in the case. But he’s never been charged in connection to her disappearance.
The most recent series of searches started Tuesday when the FBI began hunting for evidence in the Woodlawn Springs subdivision. Agents were seen digging in the driveway area of at least one property before the item of interest was found Friday.
“This item is being further evaluated, and we will release additional information as it becomes available,” the FBI said in a statement Friday morning.
FBI spokesman Timothy Beam said the FBI couldn’t comment yet on what the item was.
The FBI hasn’t disclosed why it targeted specific properties in the subdivision, but companies owned by the Houck family built several homes in Woodlawn Springs, according to the Nelson County Property Valuation Administrator’s office. Sherry Ballard, Rogers’ mother, said the homes were being built around the same time Rogers disappeared.
The residents in those homes are not considered suspects in the case, Beam said Tuesday. The FBI thanked Woodlawn Springs residents for their cooperation as the FBI continued to search this week.
“We know there are individuals in the community who have information on Crystal’s disappearance,” the FBI said in a statement Friday. “Now is the time to come forward.”
Those with information about Rogers’ case can visit crystalrogerstaskforce.com/tips or call the FBI in Louisville at (502) 263-6000.
The FBI said earlier this week that its ongoing search in Woodlawn Springs was for “any evidence” that would help solve the case.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 10:56 AM.