Crystal Rogers case update: Suspect arrested in connection with missing Kentucky mother’s murder

Crystal Rogers, a mother-of-five, vanished from her Kentucky home during the Fourth of July weekend of 2015. Eight years after the disappearance, Joseph L. Lawson, 32, was arrested in connection with the presumed death of the missing Kentucky woman.

On Friday, September 8, NBC voting Nelson County circuit court documents reported Lawson was indicted on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit murder and complicity in tampering with physical evidence.

While the indictment did not elaborate on Lawson’s role in the incident, the document stated that the suspect agreed to help an unidentified person in planning and carrying out the murder of Crystal Rogers.

The indictment said Lawson "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."

The charges against the suspect were reportedly filed in July, and Lawson was arraigned on Thursday, where he entered a plea of not guilty.

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What we know about Kentucky woman Crystal Rogers disappearance

Crystal Rogers was reported missing on July 4 2015, after her red Chevrolet Impala was found abandoned with a flat tire on Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone and purse inside the vehicle.

Rogers was reportedly last seen by her boyfriend Brooks Houck at the Bardstown home where they lived with their young son. At the time, Houcks was considered a prime suspect in the case. Suspicions mounted after Houck’s brother, who is a police officer, was fired from the Bardstown Police Department for allegedly interfering in the investigation.

Houck’s grandmother was also tied to the disappearance case after police alleged that her car was used to dispose of the missing woman's body. Shortly after, Houck's employee, Danny Singleton, was charged with 38 counts of perjury for lying to detectives during the investigation.

Shortly after, in 2017 Crystal Rogers’ father, Tommy Ballard, was shot and killed while he was hunting on his property. Both incidents have remained a mystery despite multiple law enforcement agencies investigating the cases.

The FBI, who took over the investigation into Crystal Rogers' disappearance in 2020, searched the homes of Brooks Houck and his brother, Nick, along with a storage unit that belonged to Rogers. However, the search did not yield any evidence linking Houck to the disappearance. Despite the mounting suspicions, Houck was not charged in the case.

The FBI did not comment on the recent indictment but earlier this year said the agency made "significant progress" in the case. They said:

"We continue to pursue every available lead until those responsible for Crystal's disappearance are held accountable.”

Meanwhile, Lawson’s bond was set at $500,000 and he was due back in court on October 26 for a pretrial conference.