Shivangi Sinha
In July 2015, Crystal Rogers vanished without a trace from the town of Bardstown, Kentucky. A few days later, her car was discovered abandoned near a highway, with all her personal belongings still inside, which raised serious concerns for her safety. The last person known to have seen her was her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, with whom she lived and shared a child. However, with limited evidence, the investigation moved slowly. It wasn’t until years later, when crucial evidence linking Houck surfaced, that progress was made in bringing him to justice. Peacock’s ‘The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers’ delves into the case to conduct its own investigation and piece together evidence to uncover what might have truly happened.
Brooks Houck Claimed He and Crystal Rogers Returned Together From the Farm
Brooks William Houck was born and raised in Bardstown, Kentucky, and had what appeared to be a typical, small-town upbringing. His brother, Nick Houck, joined the local police department, while Brooks worked primarily on the family farm, where their mother, Rosemary Houck, was also involved in daily operations. It was in Bardstown that Brooks met Crystal Rogers, who had been divorced and was raising four children from previous relationships. The couple eventually moved in together and, in early 2013, welcomed their son, Eli Houck. However, Crystal’s family later alleged that Brooks was distant toward her other children and showed clear favoritism toward Eli.
They also alleged that he mistreated Crystal and that their relationship was far from the happy image it projected. On July 5, 2015, Crystal’s mother, Sherry Ballard, reported her missing after being unable to reach her for several days. That same day, Crystal’s car was discovered abandoned near the 14-mile marker on the Bluegrass Parkway in Bardstown. Inside the vehicle were her keys, phone, and other personal belongings, raising immediate concern about her safety. As the investigation began, police sought to identify the last person who had seen the 35-year-old alive, and that turned out to be her boyfriend, Brooks.
On July 8, he was brought in for questioning. He claimed that he and Crystal had spent the evening of July 3 together and that he had planned a surprise date for her at the family farm. According to Brooks, the two stayed there until around 12:30 am before returning home, where he went straight to bed. He said that when he woke up the next morning, their son Eli was in bed with him, but Crystal was nowhere to be found. What stood out during the interview was that Brooks’ brother, Nick, called in the middle of the questioning and advised him to stop answering the investigators’ questions. Since Crystal’s remains had not been found and there was little concrete evidence, Brooks was released.
Brooks Houck’s Phone Records Connected Him to the Crime Decades Later
From the beginning, Crystal Rogers’ family had been outspoken in their criticism of Brooks Houck, accusing him of being cold, detached, and seemingly unconcerned about her disappearance. They labeled his behavior as suspicious and repeatedly urged police to conduct a thorough investigation. Nick Houck also came under scrutiny after refusing to cooperate with authorities and was subjected to a polygraph test. When the results came back as inconclusive, he was dismissed from the police department. On October 16, 2015, Brooks was officially named a suspect in Crystal Rogers’ disappearance as there were several inconsistencies in the timeline he had provided. Still, the case continued to drag on without resolution.
In the months and years that followed, Crystal’s family and friends refused to give up hope. They formed a group called Team Crystal, launching their own independent investigation to keep her story alive. By this time, Crystal was presumed dead, and the official case had stalled with no significant breakthroughs. A potential lead emerged when a private investigator discovered that a white Buick had been seen on the Houck family farm around the time Crystal disappeared. The car was similar to the one that belonged to Brooks’ grandmother, Anna Whitesides, who sold it just weeks after the incident. Prosecutors alleged that the vehicle might have been used in connection with the crime, prompting police to execute search warrants at both Nick’s and Anna’s homes in October 2016.
Years later, in August 2021, the FBI conducted another search at the Woodlawn Springs subdivision, where Brooks’ construction company had built several homes after Crystal’s disappearance. The major breakthrough in the case came through phone records. Investigators discovered that Brooks had been in contact with Steve Lawson, the father of Joseph Lawson, who had worked on the Houck family farm. As police delved deeper into the Lawsons, they uncovered evidence showing that Joseph had been driving Crystal’s car along the Bluegrass Parkway shortly after she vanished. Not long after that, a call was traced from Steve’s phone to Brooks shortly after midnight.
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Brooks Houck is Serving His Sentence at a Kentucky Prison Today
In October 2023, Brooks Houck was arrested and formally charged with murder. His trial, combined with Joseph Lawson’s, began in July 2025. At the trial, prosecutors presented a range of circumstantial evidence along with testimony from Steve Lawson, who admitted during his own trial that he had called Brooks after midnight to inform him that “the job was done” following the abandonment of Crystal’s car on the highway. The defense argued that there was no direct physical evidence connecting Brooks to the crime, but prosecutors maintained that the combination of testimony, phone records, and behavioral patterns made their case strong enough to convict.
They theorized that escalating tensions between Brooks and Crystal, possibly tied to financial disputes and custody concerns, led him to commit the crime. Prosecutors also named Brooks’ brother, Nick Houck, and their mother, Rosemary Houck, as alleged “unindicted co-conspirators,” though neither has faced formal charges. Ultimately, the jury found Brooks Houck guilty of murder (as principal or accomplice) and complicity to tampering with physical evidence. Friends and family of Crystal Rogers have repeatedly pleaded with Brooks to reveal the location of her remains, but he has never made any statement regarding it.
Despite his conviction, Brooks’ defense team has continued to maintain his innocence. In October 2025, they filed a petition requesting a review of his case, citing concerns about the handling of certain evidence and the consolidation of his trial with Joseph’s. Brooks is currently serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole at the Johnson County Jail in Paintsville, Kentucky. He will be eligible for parole in 2043, though his legal team remains hopeful that the petition could lead to a retrial or a reduced sentence.
