BARDSTOWN, Ky. — In Nelson County, four families are waiting for answers in four different high-profile cases. One of those families got big news last week, with an arrest in the Crystal Rogers case. But her family isn't the only one paying attention.
"It’s reassurance that they are working the cases. It’s reassurance that they still care. It’s reassurance that they're not being forgotten. I think it’s hope for the other cases because it’s saying that they're working it,” Lacey Young, Ellis’ sister, said.
Jason Ellis, 33, was shot and killed on May 25, 2013. Ellis had just finished working a shift with the Bardstown Police Department and was on his way home when he saw something unusual: branches blocking an exit ramp off the Bluegrass Parkway.
It was well past midnight, nearly 3 a.m., and despite having just signed off for the night, Ellis pulled over to clear the debris and ensure future drivers were safe. As he worked to remove the branches, someone shot the Bardstown officer several times, fatally wounding him. Investigators have since called it an ambush, the tree debris luring him from his car, so they could kill him.
Investigators have never fully linked the Ellis case to Rogers’ case. But in a 2020 interview with the FBI, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Jones said he believed answers in one Bardstown case could lead to answers in others. The Ellis family agrees.
Kelly Eastman, Ellis’ sister, said, "It’s hard to not go there, too. Because there seem to be similar people connected to each case, in some ways, without saying too much.”
Because of the perceived connection, news of the arrest in Rogers’ case was welcomed and surprising.
"It’s hard not to be caught off guard. You scroll Facebook or pop on the news and there's all these new developments. And you're like- oh- I just got this news article from a friend, and an investigator can't even call me and tell me this is coming down the pipeline?” Young said.
The family said communication with investigators on Ellis’ case has been minimal since the investigation started.
"That's probably been the most disappointing part of us. Because we don't hear anything. Outside maybe the first couple of months when Jason was killed, it’s kind of been radio silence. I know that it’s overwhelming and they have a lot of information but even just touching base once in a while to reassure us they're working it and he's not forgotten would go a long way,” Eastman said.
The two sisters and Ellis’ mother, Pam Dearwester, follow developments from Cincinnati, Ellis’ hometown. Ellis’ widow and two children now live in Louisville.
Dearwester said they do still visit Bardstown occasionally. She described one recent experience as loving, and said they are always greeted with open arms. But Young said there is another feeling for her, an eerie feeling. One she attributes to some lingering questions about who might be behind her brother’s death.
"What police officer's case is still open in the Unites States? He's probably in the top ten. They usually get solved pretty quick. It makes me believe they don't want it solved. They're burying stuff under the rug. Or there's more behind the curtain. There's too much that's going to come out and that's what makes me nervous,” Young said.
All three agree. They are certain they will one day get answers. When they do, they hope everyone responsible “will have to answer for it”, calling it the justice they and the entire town deserves.
It’s a day they are looking forward to because they believe the story associated with his name will change.
"I think I want people to remember him and not just the tragedy that happened. Him as a person. And that he had a family that loved him and that he loved his family fiercely. Everything you hear for the last ten years has been the tragedy, I would like the focus when we come out of all of this to shift from that story line to who he actually was as a person,” Young explained.
"The bottom line is Jason was a good guy. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a great father, a great friend. He was just an all-around good guy,” Dearwester said.
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