On July 3, 2015, a devoted mother of five vanished from a small Kentucky town, setting off a chain of events that would haunt an entire community for years. As her family pushed relentlessly for answers, her father became the face of the search, until his own life was violently taken while pursuing justice for his daughter. In the final chapter of our Bardstown series, we explore a disappearance that refused to fade and a family’s fight that would change everything.

Sources: 

Mathews, Alexis;  “Sherry Ballard discusses journey to justice for Crystal Rogers: 'A weight lifted'”; msn.com; Jan 22, 2026; https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/sherry-ballard-discusses-journey-to-justice-for-crystal-rogers-a-weight-lifted/ar-AA1ULP9Y; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

Shrestha, Naman; “Crystal Rogers Murder: Where Are Brooks Houck and Joseph Lawson Now?”; The Cinemaholic; Nov 7, 2025; https://thecinemaholic.com/crystal-rogers/; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

Moody, Kayla; “Chilling new details revealed in Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson trial”; Spectrum News 1; June 26, 2025; https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2025/06/26/brooks-houck-joseph-lawson-trial-preview-june-26; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

Court TV Staff; “Brooks Houck, Joseph Lawson sentenced for Crystal Rogers’ murder”; CourtTV; Sept 17, 2025; https://www.courttv.com/news/brooks-houck-joseph-lawson-sentenced-for-crystal-rogers-murder/; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

Baarlaer, Killian; “Jury recommends maximum sentence for Houck, Lawson after conviction in Crystal Rogers trial”; Courier Journal; July 8, 2025; https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2025/07/08/crystal-rogers-murder-trial-verdict-houck-lawson-found-guilty/84448878007/; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

City Towner; “Tommy Ballard Killed in Bardstown Kentucky”; City Towner; April 7, 2025; https://citytowner.com/tommy-ballard-killed-bardstown-ky/; Feb 9, 2026. 

“Court documents reveal new details about rifle that may have been used to kill Tommy Ballard”; WDRB; Oct 25, 2023; https://www.wdrb.com/news/court-documents-reveal-new-details-about-rifle-that-may-have-been-used-to-kill-tommy/article_2c8200be-737f-11ee-b471-f7f7e525a10c.html; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

Riley, Jason; Schuh, David; “Brooks Houck charged in murder of former girlfriend Crystal Rogers, bond set at $10 million”; WDRB; Sept 27, 2023; https://www.wdrb.com/news/brooks-houck-charged-in-murder-of-former-girlfriend-crystal-rogers-bond-set-at-10-million/article_c4f5ab2a-5d31-11ee-91ce-3f735b69038c.html; accessed Feb 9, 2026.  

Riley, Jason; “Nelson County man charged for alleged involvement in 2015 death of Crystal Rogers”; WDRB; Sept 9, 2023; https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/nelson-county-man-charged-for-alleged-involvement-in-2015-death-of-crystal-rogers/article_c7e61890-4dd9-11ee-ba4b-577d62036a40.html; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

“FBI says it recovered an 'item of interest' in Bardstown search for Crystal Rogers case”; WDRB; Aug 27, 2021; https://www.wdrb.com/news/fbi-says-it-recovered-an-item-of-interest-in-bardstown-search-for-crystal-rogers-case/article_10c62956-0741-11ec-9d6a-3fbd02bfbbfa.html; accessed Feb 9, 2026.  

“Suspended Bardstown police officer fired after hearing”; WDRB; Oct 16, 2015; https://www.wdrb.com/news/suspended-bardstown-police-officer-fired-after-hearing/article_7a0f4e0c-7f3c-50d4-90c7-a68eac84b042.html; accessed Feb 9, 2026. 

Gill, Ryan; “Who is Brooks Houck & Where Is He Now? 2025 Update & Background”; Dateline Tonight; Nov 5, 2025; https://datelinetonight.com/who-is-brooks-houck-where-is-he-now-2025-update-background/; accessed Feb 6, 2026.  

Sixteen-year-old Skylar Neese vanished in the early morning hours of July 6, 2012, after sneaking out of her parents’ home to meet friends, an act her family believed meant she’d be back by morning. When surveillance footage shows Skylar willingly getting into a car, police assume she’s a runaway, but her parents know something isn’t right and begin a relentless search on their own. In this episode, we explore who Skylar was, the final hours before she disappeared, and how a seemingly ordinary group of friends became the center of one of the most haunting teen crime cases in recent history. 

Sources:  

Sengupta, Sounak, “Skylar Neese Murder: Where are Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf Now?”, The Cinemaholic, April 5, 2024, https://thecinemaholic.com/skylar-neese-murder-where-are-shelia-eddy-and-rachel-shoaf-now/, Accessed February 1st, 2026 

Mongina, Night, “The truth of the Skylar Neese's case: Details of the tragic betrayal a decade later”, Legit, May 1, 2025, https://www.legit.ng/ask-legit/biographies/1650057-the-truth-skylar-neese-case-details-tragic-betrayal-a-decade-later/, Accessed February 1st, 2026 

Sederstrom, Jill, “16-Year-Old Skylar Neese Killed By Friends in Tragic Betrayal: "We Just Didn’t Like Her"”, Oxygen True Crime, April 26, 2024, https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/murder-skylar-neese-killers-today-rachel-shoaf-shelia-eddy, Accessed February 1st 2026 

Effron, Lauren, Deutsch, Gail, “A teenage killer’s eerie tweets she sent after stabbing friend to death: 'We really did go on three'”, ABC News, August 2, 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/US/teenage-killers-eerie-tweets-stabbing-friend-death/story?id=64541231, Accessed February 1st, 2026 

We're back with our twenty third Leave the Light On episode where we recap the cases covered in the previous month, discuss true crime headlines from the month, and give you a sneak peak at what is coming up in the next month. If we know!

References: 

Czachor, Emily Mae, “Renee Good, the driver shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, was a mom and widow. Here's what we know.” CBS NEWS, January 10,2026, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/renee-good-killed-ice-minneapolis-what-we-know/, Accessed January 31, 2026  

Scannell, Kara, Brown, Nicki, “Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty, federal judge rules” CNN, Jan 30, 2026, https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/30/us/luigi-mangione-case-rulings-trial, Accessed January 31, 2026  

In April 2014, the quiet town of Bardstown, Kentucky was shattered when 48-year-old Kathy Netherland and her 16-year-old daughter, Samantha, were found brutally murdered in their home. This episode explores who Kathy and Samantha were, the disturbing details of the crime scene, the investigation that followed, and the mysterious black Chevy Impala seen near their home on the night of the killings. More than a decade later the case remains unsolved, and anyone with information is urged to contact Kentucky State Police at 270-766-5078 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Sources: 

“Kathy Netherland Obituary”; Legacy.com; https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/thespringfieldsun/name/kathy-netherland-obituary?id=19732657; accessed Jan 8, 2025. 

“Samantha Netherland Obituary”; Legacy.com; https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/thespringfieldsun/name/samantha-netherland-obituary?id=19732663; accessed Jan 18, 2026. 

Hayden, Aly Vander;  “The Bardstown Netherland Murders Were A Gang Initiation, According To Anonymous Inmate”; Oxygen True Crime; Sept 8, 2018; https://www.oxygen.com/the-disappearance-of-crystal-rogers/crime-time/netherland-murders-gang-initiation-inmate; accessed Jan 18, 2026. 

City Towner; “Kathy and Samantha Netherland Murdered in Bardstown Kentucky”; City Towner; Mar 26, 2025; https://citytowner.com/kathy-samantha-netherland-killed-bardstown-ky/; accessed Jan 18, 2026. 

“The Murders of Kathy and Samantha Netherland”; True Case Files; 2023; https://www.truecasefiles.com/2022/07/the-murders-of-kathy-and-samantha.html; accessed Jan 18, 2026. 

Ansari, Maira;  “Death certificates reveal gruesome nature of Nelson Co. mother, daughter murders”; Wave3; June 25, 2014; https://www.wave3.com/story/25870531/death-certificates-reveal-gruesome-nature-of-nelson-co-mother-daughter-murders/; accessed Jan 18, 2026. 

McAlister, Shay; Weiter, Taylor;  “Police: Driver caught on surveillance was inside house during Netherland murders”; Nov 19, 2019; https://www.whas11.com/article/news/investigations/bardstown/car-caught-on-surveillance-at-netherland-home/417-7b7bfab9-850a-4376-907e-7c881eb619ec; accessed Jan 18, 2026. 

Martinez, Natalia;  “A decade after gruesome Bardstown deaths, family gives new details in the Netherland case”; Wave3; April 22, 2024;   https://www.wave3.com/2024/04/22/decade-after-gruesome-bardstown-deaths-family-gives-new-details-netherland-case/; accessed Jan 18, 2025. 

 Helle Crafts was a Danish-born flight attendant who built a globe-trotting career before settling into family life in Connecticut. When she vanished after returning from an international flight, the explanations given didn’t match the woman her friends and colleagues knew. What followed was an investigation that uncovered unsettling clues and turned a missing person's case into one of the most haunting stories of its time.   

Sources: 

Stories of the Unsolved writers, “The Murder of Helle Crafts”, Stories of the Unsolved, November 14th, 2018, https://storiesoftheunsolved.com/2018/11/14/the-murder-of-helle-crafts/, Accessed January 18th, 2026  

McConnell, Kelsey Christine, “The Woodchipper Murder of Helle Crafts Led to Connecticut's First Murder Conviction Without a Body”, The Lineup, December 6th, 2024, https://the-line-up.com/the-murder-of-helle-crafts, Accessed January 18th, 2026  

Gifford, Storm, “Woodchipper murderer Richard Crafts out of prison”, NY Daily News, January 31, 2020, https://www.nydailynews.com/2020/01/31/woodchipper-murderer-richard-crafts-out-of-prison/, Accessed January 18th, 2026 

In the early morning hours of May 25, 2013, Bardstown Police Officer, 33-year-old Jason Ellis had just signed off from his shift and was heading home to his wife and 2 young sons. As Jason exited the Blue Grass Highway on Exit 34, he came to a stop as the ramp was blocked with tree branches. Jason pulled over and got out of his vehicle, but tragically, as he cleared the branches from the road, he was shot multiple times and killed.    

If you have any information about Jason’s case, please contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALLFBI or by contacting your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or contact Kentucky State Police Post 4 at 270-766-5078 or email [email protected]. 

Sources: 

Kramer, Stephen R; “Police Officer Jason S. Ellis| Bardstown (KY) Police Department”; Police Museum; May 26, 2018; https://police-museum.org/line-of-duty/21th-century/police-officer-jason-s-ellis-bardstown-ky-police-department/; Accessed Jan 8, 2026.  

“Amy's Story | Widow of Bardstown Officer Jason Ellis reveals the fear that haunted her most and her life moving forward”; WDRB; May 24, 2018; https://www.wdrb.com/news/amys-story-widow-of-bardstown-officer-jason-ellis-reveals-the-fear-that-haunted-her-most/article_f5f8d7c9-3494-575f-8064-fad9e35bc56c.html; accessed Jan 8, 2026. 

Mitra, Shraman; “How Did Jason Ellis Die? Who Killed Him?”; TheCinemaholic; Mar 2, 2021; https://thecinemaholic.com/how-did-jason-ellis-die-who-killed-him/; accessed Jan 10, 2026. 

Draut, Sam;  “12 years after killing of Bardstown Police officer Jason Ellis, case remains unsolved”; WDRB; May 26, 2025; https://www.wdrb.com/news/12-years-after-killing-of-bardstown-police-officer-jason-ellis-case-remains-unsolved/article_dcb59099-13fa-4906-bc2b-09cfab49a317.html; accessed Jan 10, 2026. 

“Bardstown mourns the loss of Figo, the K-9 dog of fallen officer Jason Ellis”; WDRB; June 9, 2017; https://www.wdrb.com/news/bardstown-mourns-the-loss-of-figo-the-k-9-dog-of-fallen-officer-jason-ellis/article_754ddab1-9f8c-508c-b8fa-d6700565937f.html; accessed Jan 1, 2026. 

“3 years after his death, Jason Ellis' K-9 partner helps family remember fallen officer”; WDRB; May 25, 2016; https://www.wdrb.com/news/3-years-after-his-death-jason-ellis-k-9-partner-helps-family-remember-fallen-officer/article_4420fd10-13b2-5c60-ba4c-6ac988250040.html; accessed Jan 10, 2026. 

On December 27th, 1986, 20-year-old Cara Knott set out on what should have been a routine 40-minute drive home through San Diego County, but she never arrived. By morning, her car was found abandoned off the interstate, launching a search that would uncover unsettling clues and raise disturbing questions about what happened along that stretch of road. 

Sources: 

Moorhouse, Drusilla, “A Cop Who Killed A San Diego College Student In 1986 Gave 'Safety Tips' In A TV News Ride-Along Days Later”, Huffpost, December 27th, 2023, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cara-knott-craig-peyer-murder-san-diego_n_65837f5ce4b04da98425aa68, Accessed January 4th 2026 

Interesting Facts, “The truth behind the murder of Cara Knott”, Weekly Recess, August 19th, 2023, https://weeklyrecess.com/article/murder-of-cara-knott/, Accessed January 4th, 2026  

Zotter, Frank Jr, “Judicial Follies: Murder on the highway”, The Mendocino Beacon, March 27th, 2025, https://www.mendocinobeacon.com/2025/03/27/judicial-follies-murder-on-the-highway/, Accessed January 4th, 2026.  

We're back with our twenty second Leave the Light On episode where we recap the cases covered in the previous month, discuss true crime headlines from the month, and give you a sneak peak at what is coming up in the next month. If we know!

References: 

“2025 Bondi Beach Shooting”, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Bondi_Beach_shooting. Accessed December 12th 2025.  

NBC News, “Brown University shooting: Suspect found dead, is also accused of killing MIT professor” NBC News, December 19th, 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/brown-university-suspect-shooting-death-mit-professor-live-updates-rcna249937, Accessed December 29th 2025,  

Nguyen, Thao, Alund, Natalie Neysa, “What we know and don't know about the deadly Brown University shooting”, USA Today, December 18th, 2025, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/12/18/brown-university-shooting-what-we-know-updates/87818552007/, Accessed December 29th, 2025.  

On Sept 11, 2014, 46-year-old Tammy Jo Blanton did not show up at work, prompting concern from her co-workers who immediately contacted police requesting a welfare check. That welfare check resulted in officers discovering a crime scene that was later described as worse than a horror movie.   

If you or someone you know if experiencing domestic violence, please consider reaching out for support at the following resources: 

Canadian Domestic Violence Support: Government of Canada: Find Family Violence Resources and Services in Your Area: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/stop-family-violence.html    

United States Domestic Violence Support: US National Domestic Violence Hotline:  

• Call: 1-800-799-SAFE(7233)  

• Text: “START” to 88788  

• Website: https://www.thehotline.org/ 

Sources: 

Elliott, Sam; “Monster found guilty of slaying ex with electric saw and ‘eating her body parts’”; Mirror, Sept 20, 2020, https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/monster-found-guilty-slaying-ex-22713951, accessed Dec 30, 2025. 

AP; “Indiana man accused of killing and eating girlfriend 'not mentally competent to stand trial'”; Independent; Oct 26, 2017; https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/cannibal-murder-trial-accused-joseph-oberhansley-mentally-incompetent-indiana-court-tammy-jo-blanton-death-rape-heart-lungs-eaten-a8020466.html; accessed Dec 30, 2025. 

Johnson, Rae; “Court upholds life sentence of Joseph Oberhansley for killing Tammy Joe Blanton”; Courier Journal; May 18, 2023; https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2023/05/18/joseph-oberhansley-accused-of-killing-eating-former-girlfriend-sentence-uph-by-indiana-supreme-court/70230908007/; accessed Dec 30, 2025. 

Lambe, Jerry; “Indiana Man Who Dismembered Ex-Girlfriend and Ate Her Brain Appeals Life Sentence for Murder”; Law & Crime; June 9, 2022; https://lawandcrime.com/crime/indiana-man-who-dismembered-ex-girlfriend-and-ate-her-brain-appeals-life-sentence-for-murder/; accessed Dec 30, 2025.  

Karpinski, Izzy;  “Indiana man convicted of killing, eating ex-girlfriend appeals life sentence”; Fox59; Jun 10, 2022; https://fox59.com/indiana-news/indiana-man-convicted-of-killing-eating-ex-girlfriend-appeals-life-sentence/; accessed Dec 30, 2025. 

Godbey, Dalton; “Indiana man, 36, who murdered his 46-year-old ex-girlfriend before he ATE parts of her brain, lungs and heart is jailed for life without parole”; Daily Mail; Oct 13, 2020; https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8836721/Indiana-man-guilty-killing-cannibalism-gets-life-term.html; accessed Dec 30, 2025. 

Baker, KC; “Ind. Man Accused of Killing Ex, Eating Her Organs Is Back on Trial After 2019 Mistrial”; People; Sept 16, 2020; https://people.com/crime/man-accused-killing-ex-eating-organs-mistrial/; accessed Dec 30, 2025. 

“Tammy Jo Harbin Blanton”; Find A Grave; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/135843818/tammy_jo-blanton; accessed Dec 30, 2025. 

“Butchered and eaten; by her monstrous ex Tammy Jo Blanton underestimated how evil Joseph Oberhansley, her volatile ex, really was.”; The Free Library; https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Butchered+and+eaten%3B+by+her+monstrous+ex+Tammy+Jo+Blanton...-a0643881471; Accessed Dec 30, 2025.  

Its the most wonderful time of the year! We are back with our second annual Christmas special where we dive into the case of Edgar Frostwick and the murder of Morris Shackles. With the 2 being long time business partners when Morris is murdered, Can Edgar find the killer? or is he the suspect in this crime?