Who is Brooks Houck? Ex-BF of Crystal Rogers who disappeared in 2015 and was presumed dead arrested by FBI
NELSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY: The former partner of Crystal Rogers, a mother who suddenly disappeared in 2015 and is now presumed dead, has been arrested, Kentucky State Police and the FBI have announced on Wednesday, September 27, CBS News reports.
According to the FBI’s Louisville office, Brooks Houck was apprehended "without incident" and that an indictment against him remains sealed pending an arraignment hearing early next month in Nelson County Circuit Court.
Authorities release statement after Brooks' arrest
"In coordination with the Kentucky State Police, other local and federal law enforcement partners, FBI Louisville has been laser-focused on our commitment to hold accountable those that were responsible for the disappearance of Crystal Rodgers," it said in a statement. "Today, we take a significant step in making good on that promise."
FBI Louisville and @kystatepolice announce the arrest of Brooks Houck as a result of the investigation into the disappearance of Crystal Rogers. pic.twitter.com/uc4NnKjth7
— FBI Louisville (@FBILouisville) September 27, 2023
Houck, who also happens to be the father of Rogers' youngest child, was named as a potential suspect by the authorities in the early days of the investigation. However, he was not arrested or charged in connection to her murder until today.
The suspect was reportedly the last person who saw Rogers alive on July 3, 2015, but the mother of five was reported to be missing by her mom a couple of days later.
The following day, the victim's purse, keys and phone were found in her abandoned car along a Kentucky highway in Bardstown, but her body is yet to be found by the authorities to this day.
When did the FBI take over the case?
It was in 2020, that the FBI took over Rogers' missing person case, after more than 150 law enforcement officers conducted interviews and executed several federal search warrants in a desperate search for answers.
Besides, the FBI is also probing the 2016 fatal shooting of her father, Tommy Ballard, who was found dead while hunting on his own property.
A suspect was already indicted a couple of weeks ago
As per the unsealed court filings in Nelson County, Kentucky, a grand jury indicted Joseph Lawson, 32, two weeks ago on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and complicity in tampering with physical evidence in connection with Rodgers’ disappearance.
The indictment which did not mention Lawson by name, said the crimes took place on July 3 or 4, 2015, when Lawson allegedly "agreed to aid one or more persons in the planning or commission of the crime or an attempt or solicitation to commit the crime when he, and/or, a co-conspirator intentionally caused the death of another," WDRB.com reported.
Lawson pleaded not guilty and is being held in jail on a $500,000 bond. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years if convicted of conspiracy, according to WDRB.