Nelson Co. dig site confirmed as possible location of Crystal Rogers’ body

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (WAVE) - A newly-released document from the Nelson County Circuit Court confirms that a dig site, where WAVE News crews saw authorities digging as part of a “murder investigation” in Nelson County, has been confirmed as a possible location for the body of Crystal Rogers.

>>>READ: Crystal Rogers Disappearance FULL COVERAGE

Rogers went missing around the 4th of July holiday in 2015. Her former boyfriend, Brooks Houck, has been charged with the murder, while two other suspects, Stephen Lawson and Joseph Lawson, have been charged with helping Houck cover it up.

The dig site is located near Cox’s Creek in Nelson County. When WAVE News was at the site in December, Nelson County prosecutors confirmed they were digging as part of a “murder investigation” in Nelson County, but wouldn’t say which one.

Now, in a newly-released court filing, we’re learning why authorities were on-site there.

The document, which was unsealed Friday, says Stephen Lawson told detectives in November 2023 that he saw his son, Joseph Lawson, and another man named Jeremy Thompson “digging and burning” at the site in Cox’s Creek with a “skid-steer,” which is a type of excavating equipment.

Stephen Lawson said Joey Lawson and Thompson were “burning large amounts of wood in the hole” at the request of David Thompson. This happened within five days of Roger’s disappearance, the document said.

David Thompson is the father of Jeremy Thompson, the man who was seen digging with Joseph Lawson at the site.

According to an obituary, Thompson was from Cox’s Creek and died in 2022.

However, the document goes on to say that Stephen Lawson had previously denied that a skid-steer was ever on the property in prior interviews. The document says Lawson could not “explain the change after being questioned.”

While it is now clear that the dig site in Cox’s Creek was being investigated as a potential burial place for Rogers, no authorities have said if anything was found on site.

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