Between 2013 and 2016, the quiet bourbon town of Bardstown, Kentucky became the center of one of America’s most disturbing clusters of unsolved cases. A police officer ambushed. A mother and teenage daughter brutally murdered. A young mother of five who vanished without a trace. And the father who was shot and killed while searching for her.
In this season finale, we break down every major case:
• Officer Jason Ellis (2013) — executed on the Bluegrass Parkway
• Kathy & Samantha Netherland (2014) — a staged and brutal double homicide
• Crystal Rogers (2015) — missing mother of five
• Tommy Ballard (2016) — killed during the search for his daughter
These cases reshaped Bardstown, fueled theories of corruption and organized crime, and ultimately led to a massive FBI takeover that continues today. This episode lays out the timelines, connections, suspects, failures, and the long shadow these tragedies still cast over the community.
This is Bardstown — the town that became a crime scene.
Sources: Court documents, FBI press statements, Nelson County Sheriff’s Office records, archived reporting from WHAS11, WDRB, the Louisville Courier-Journal, and community witness accounts.
If you’ve followed the Kentucky season, thank you. Your support has pushed this show to new heights — 500+ podcast downloads, 42k TikTok views, 600+ followers, and 97k YouTube views with more than 180 subscribers. Follow, rate, and share Deadly Truths to help keep these stories alive and support future seasons.
DISCLAIMER
This episode contains discussions of real violence, murder, and ongoing unsolved cases. Listener discretion is advised.
