S2E5: The Assassination of Tommy Ballard

About this episode

The episode explores the assassination of Tommy Ballard, who was deeply involved in the search for his missing daughter, Crystal Rogers.

Tommy Ballard refused to let his daughter’s disappearance fade away. After Crystal Rogers vanished in 2015, Ballard became the face of the search. He organized volunteers, worked with investigators, and publicly called out the man he believed was responsible. A year later, while hunting with his grandson, Ballard was shot and killed. The attack was precise. Intentional. And, to many, not a coincidence. As investigators worked to unravel both cases, one question loomed over everything: was Tommy Ballard murdered because he got too close to the truth? Want more Blood Trails? Check out the  Case File . Follow Blood Trails on  Apple , Spotify , YouTube , iHeart , Pandora , Amazon . Connect with  Jordan Sillars  and  MeatEater MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube Blood Trails on Instagram Jordan Sillars on  Instagram MeatEater on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Youtube , and Youtube Clips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Jordan Sillars, MeatEater, Blood Trails

Topics covered

• disappearance
• murder
• investigation
• family
• true crime

Keywords

• Tommy Ballard
• Crystal Rogers
• disappearance
• murder
• investigation
• true crime

More episodes of Blood Trails

• S2E8: The Mysterious Death of Jon Young · June 4, 2026 · 56 min
• S2E7: Finding Justice for Dustin Kjersem · May 28, 2026 · 1h 6m
• S2E6: The Disappearance of Bill Roland · May 21, 2026 · 54 min
• S2E4: Catching the Killer of Neil LaFave · May 7, 2026 · 59 min
• S2E3: The Murder of Timothy Blyth · April 30, 2026 · 1h 20m
• S2E2: The Search for Bob Smith · April 23, 2026 · 1h 10m