Murder of Crystal Rogers

Also known as: Disappearance of Crystal Rogers

Active: 2015–2015
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky, USA
State: KY
Kind: Single
Status: Convicted
Victims: 1

Crystal Rogers, a 35-year-old mother of five from Bardstown, Kentucky, was last seen on July 3, 2015. Two days later her car was found on the Bluegrass Parkway with her purse, phone and keys inside. Her body has never been found. After years of searches, including by the FBI, her boyfriend Brooks Houck was convicted of her murder in 2025 by a Warren County jury and sentenced to life in prison; Joseph Lawson and his father Steve Lawson were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence. All three are appealing.

Ask the Atlas about this case →

Victims

We remember the people whose lives were taken.

Crystal Maria Rogers, 35 · July 3, 2015
A mother of five from Bardstown.

Timeline of locations

July 3, 2015
Houck home and family farm area, Bardstown (Crime scene, approximate area)
Rogers was last seen at the home she shared with Houck in Bardstown. Prosecutors argued she was killed on the Houck family farm in Nelson County.
July 5, 2015
Her car on the Bluegrass Parkway (Other, approximate area)
Her car was found with a flat tire near mile marker 14 of the Bluegrass Parkway, with her keys, purse and phone inside.
May 30, 2025
Warren County Justice Center, Bowling Green (Court / trial, approximate area)
On a change of venue, Warren County juries convicted Steve Lawson in May 2025 and Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson on July 8, 2025.
September 17, 2025
Nelson Circuit Court sentencing, Bardstown (Court / trial, approximate area)
Judge Charles Simms III sentenced Houck to life in prison and Joseph Lawson to 25 years.

Sources

Each location also lists its own sources in the data file.