On the morning of November 19, 2016, on family property in Bardstown, Kentucky, 54-year-old Tommy Ballard was preparing to go hunting with his 12-year-old grandson when a single gunshot struck him in the chest and killed him instantly. The grandson was nearby and was cleared of involvement. Tommy’s own firearm had not been fired, and authorities classified the death as a homicide. Tommy’s family says he had been leading the search for his daughter, Crystal Rogers, who had been missing for sixteen months, and that he had told his wife Sherry he felt he was being followed before the shooting.

Investigators later recovered a rifle that prosecutors said was believed to be the weapon used to kill Ballard; the gun had been sold by Nick Houck, a former Bardstown officer, under a false name. Ballistics testing was reported to match the rifle on four of five criteria. No one has been officially charged in Tommy Ballard’s killing, and his death remains unsolved while the family continues to seek answers.

Does anyone with knowledge of the Bardstown area or the Houck family have information that could help clarify who pulled the trigger?