Timeline: Court testimony paints picture of KY mom Crystal Rogers’ disappearance

As the joint trial for two men accused of killing Bardstown mother Crystal Rogers nears the end of its first week, a timeline of Rogers’ presumed final hours — and the days after — has begun to materialize.

Rogers, 35, was last seen July 3, 2015, and her mother reported her missing two days later. Her body has never been found, and she is presumed dead.

Brooks Houck, 43, is charged with complicity to commit murder and tampering with physical evidence. Lawson, 34, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering.

The pair was arrested and charged in fall 2023. Houck was Rogers’ boyfriend at the time of her disappearance.

Here is a timeline of the week Rogers disappeared, according to court testimony this week:

Thursday, July 2, 2015

• Houck gets the windows on his truck tinted to “limo tint,” which was illegal in 2015, said Chris LaSure, from a window tinting company in Bardstown. Houck later tells police his son Eli has an eye condition, making him sensitive to light. Prosecutors argue his windows were tinted so people could not see Rogers was not in the vehicle.

Friday, July 3

• 10 a.m. Christina Holly visits Crystal Rogers’ home in the morning and sees both Crystal and Eli, according to Holly’s testimony. Holly receives a text later that afternoon that Rogers and Houck are going to have a “kid-free” night.
• 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Houck runs errands throughout the day, according to a written statement he gave to police. Surveillance footage shows he drove out to his family’s farm on Paschal Ballard Lane in Nelson County, which he did not tell police at the time.
• 9:30 to 4 p.m. Location data confirms Houck’s phone at the Paschal Ballard farm, according to testimony from Detective Tim O’Daniel.
• 4:30 p.m. Amanda Greenwell sees Rogers with her daughter Kyleigh and son Eli at WalMart, according to video surveillance and testimony from Greenwell. Rogers tells Greenwell she has a “surprise date night” planned with Houck.
• 4:22 p.m. to 4:42 p.m. Cell phone data places Houck at Buzick Lumber.
• 5 p.m. Rogers shows a rental property. Brooks Houck arrives at their shared home, according to Houck’s police interviews.
• 5:30 p.m. Rogers arrives home, according to Houck’s police interviews.
• 5:30-7:30 p.m. Rogers and Houck discuss Rogers’ feelings that Houck treats her four children differently from their son, Eli, according to Houck’s police interviews. He said this was a constant sore spot in their relationship.
• 7:05 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Houck, Rogers and Eli leave to visit the Houck family farm. Video surveillance throughout the town shows Houck’s truck driving to the farm.
• 7:24 p.m. to 11:57 p.m. The couple and Eli walk the farm’s grounds to see new baby calves and burn construction debris, according to cell phone data.
• 9:27 p.m. Prosecutors say Rogers’ phone was turned off and never turned back on.

Saturday, July 4

• 12:07 a.m. Houck talks for 13 seconds with Steven Lawson on the phone.
• 12:30 a.m. Houck, Rogers and Eli arrive back at their home, and Houck immediately goes to bed, according to Houck’s police interviews. Eli and Rogers are still awake, and Rogers is playing games on her phone, Houck told police.
• 7 a.m. Houck wakes up, and Eli is in bed with him but Rogers is not, according to Houck’s police interviews. He continues with his morning routine, gets Eli ready, and the two go to McDonald’s.
• 7:28 a.m. Houck is seen on video surveillance again driving to the family farm on Paschal Ballard Lane.
• 9:06 a.m. Houck calls Rogers and does not get an answer, according to phone records.
• 11 a.m. Kyleigh Fenwick, Rogers’ daughter, sends a text that says, “I hope you guys had fun last night! Love you!” Rogers never responds.
• 12:18 p.m. Houck calls Rogers a second time and gets no answer, according to phone records.

Sunday, July 5

• Sherry Ballard, Rogers’ mother, reports her missing, according to investigators.
• Police find Rogers’ car with a flat tire at mile marker 14 on the Bluegrass Parkway. Her phone, keys and wallet are inside the car.
• 6:41 a.m. Houck attempts to call Rogers a third time, according to cell phone records.
• 9:02 a.m. Houck sends a text message to Barbara Robbey and asks if she’s with Rogers, according to phone records.
• 9:30 a.m. Houck texts Rogers’ cousin, Sabrina, and asks if she has seen or heard from Rogers, according to phone records.
• 8 p.m. Houck goes for his first interview with former Nelson County sheriff’s detective Jon Snow.

Monday, July 6

• Houck purchases the “best” quality audio recorder from Radio Shack with Eli in tow, according to testimony from Marcella Ray, the former owner of Radio Shack.

Tuesday, July 7

• Houck travels to Frankfort for an interview with Kentucky State Police.

Wednesday, July 8

• Snow interviews Houck a second time at the Nelson County Sheriff’s Office, and Houck records the interview. Houck also gives a written statement. He is officially named a person of interest, according to interview recordings. Snow downloads the contents of Houck’s phone.

Thursday, July 9

• Houck gives one of his only media interviews to TV personality Nancy Grace, according to audio played in the trial.

Friday, July 10

• The first search is conducted at the Houck family farm. Police find no evidence. The police cruiser of Nick Houck, Brooks Houck’s brother, is seized as evidence, but investigators find no evidence in it either.

This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 8:55 AM.

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.