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The Assassination of Tommy Ballard

Blood Trails Case Files

Smiling bearded man in backward olive cap and gray shirt standing in sunlit forest with shoulder strap

Jordan SillarsJordan Sillars is a managing editor at MeatEater who writes about firearms, conservation, and American literature. He hails from the East Texas piney woods, where he likes pursuing squirrels, whitetail, wild hogs, and sand bass (but mostly squirrels).May 13, 2026

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?

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