Investigators Discover Potential Signs Of Human Blood In Missing Crystal Rogers’ Trunk

During episode one of Oxygen's "The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers," reporter Stephanie Bauer and retired homicide detective Dwayne Stanton met with forensics reconstruction specialist Joey Stidham to completely reexamine the car of missing 35-year-old mother of five Crystal Rogers. 

Two days after she went missing, Rogers' car was found abandoned on the side of the Bluegrass Highway in Bardstown, Kentucky, on July 5, 2015. Authorities took Rogers' maroon Chevy Impala in for testing in 2015 and subsequently returned it to Rogers' mother, Sherry Ballard.

When Ballard allowed Bauer and Stanton to inspect Rogers' car, along with forensics reconstruction expert Joey Stidham, Stidham observed that little forensic testing had been done on the Impala. 

A former officer with the Kentucky State Police, Stidham explained to Bauer and Stanton that in the state of Kentucky, investigative resources are extremely restricted. Stidham said that the Kentucky State Police crime lab will typically only accept 10 pieces of evidence for testing in murder cases. The team concluded this is what might have happened in Rogers' case. At this time, police have declined to comment on what evidence has been discovered or processed because it’s part of an ongoing investigation.

During the forensics search of the Impala, Stidham sprayed Bluestar (a more potent analog of luminol) to test for potential traces of human blood. In the back right corner of the trunk, a large swath of carpet illuminated after being sprayed with Bluestar.

Stidham told Bauer and Stanton, "We collected the entire [...] carpet, rolled it up, and we'll have to send that somewhere to be tested and processed."

The team then showed Bauer and Stanton a long-exposure photograph of where the Bluestar illuminated. 

[Photo: Oxygen]

During the forensics search of the Impala, Stidham sprayed Bluestar (a more potent analog of luminol) to test for potential traces of human blood. In the back right corner of the trunk, a large swath of carpet illuminated after being sprayed with Bluestar.

Stidham told Bauer and Stanton, "We collected the entire [...] carpet, rolled it up, and we'll have to send that somewhere to be tested and processed."

The team then showed Bauer and Stanton a long-exposure photograph of where the Bluestar illuminated. 

"Looking at Bluestar, it really only luminesces with human blood, [but] some plant protein can cause it to luminesce," said Stidham.

One team member explained, however, that when it's in "mass areas like that," then it's usually "suspected blood." 

Stidham and his team completed a full reprocessing of the vehicle, but said any forensic test results wouldn't be available for several weeks.

To find out more about the case, watch "The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers" on Oxygen.

[Photo: Oxygen]