The Unsolved: Crystal Hall

NOTE: This page is subject to change as new updates are realized. Every person involved in this case is presumed to be innocent until proven otherwise. Docket sheets, news articles, hearsay, personal comments and any other information contained within this page are presented to provide insight into the case and are not an attempt to slander or accuse anyone of any crime. All the information presented here is public knowledge. All opinions are my own, based on my findings and own subjective life experiences.

If you have any information, you should call Kentucky State Police at 606-433-7711.

Case Status: Unsolved
Last Update: 3/20/2025
Page Version: 2025.03.20-1417

Contents

Details
Timeline of Events
People Associated With Case
Topix Posts
Links

Details

Name: Crystal Gayle Hall
Maidenname: Crystal Gayle Branham
Sex: Female
Race: White
Birthdate: April 26, 1984
Age (at time of disappearance): 24
Age (Current):
Hair: Red/Auburn
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'3" to 5'4"
Weight: 107 - 125 lbs.

Piercings: Ears, bellybutton
Tattoos: She has "willy" on her left bottom leg, heart on her right top arm and (possibly) the letter "H" tattooed on her lower leg. The willy & heart tats are outlined/not colored.
Date of Last Contact: March 1, 2009
Employment History: Unknown
Education: Unknown
Missing From/Residence: 108 Kentucky Avenue, Pikeville, Kentucky (sister's apartment)
Last Seen Wearing: Long sleeved red shirt with hood, dark blue jeans with button back pockets, leather slip on brown shoes, large hoop earrings, bellybutton ring.
Known Aliases & Screennames: Red (nickname)
Family Information: 3 children, grandmother had custody of 2.

Quick Summary: Hall was last seen in Pikeville, Kentucky at her sister's apartment. She was home alone, talking to a friend on the phone, when she said someone was coming in the back door. She has never been heard from again. She does not own a vehicle, and all her belongings, including her purse and coat, were found in her apartment the next day.

Timeline of Events

March 1, 2009: Crystal is on the telephone chatting with a friend when she told them that someone was at the back door.

March 20, 2009: Post made by 'aunt' online on WSAZ news article: "The family of Crystal would like to ask anyone who sees or knows of her where abouts would let someone know. She left without her purse or coat. She has always let someone in the family know where is was. She would never let a day go without calling her sons. As for why she was not reported sooner. We kept thinking she would contact someone. When she was reported to police they did a investigation first. We asked for her to be reported as missing and insisted on getting a picture out. So Please keep looking for her and Please Crystal if you are out there you are not in trouble please call your Grandmaw she is worried sick." (Source)

July 14th, 2010: Posts made by a user named 'i know', from Harold, Kentucky, on Pikesville Topix Forum indicating she ran away. (Source)

July 30th, 2009: Posts made by a user named 'knows', from Elkhorn City, on Pikesville Topix Forum indicating she was killed and hid in a mine. (Source)

2012: Posts made by various users on Pikesville Topix Forum indicating Rory Hall killed Crystal & Chris Lyons helped hide the body in a mine. (Source)

People Associated With Case

Rory Aaron Hall

  • Crystal's ex.
  • Mentioned in Topix forum post from 2012 and identified as 'killing Crystal and chopping her body up'. (Source)
  • Currently incarcerated at Pike County Detention Center for burglary, possession of firearm by felon and heroin charges. (Source)
  • Wins the award for most number of Facebook profiles (Seriously, I lost track at around 20).

Chris Lyons

  • Mentioned in Topix forum post from 2012 and identified as 'helping Rory hide the body'. (Source)
  • Deceased. Probable grave site located here.
  • Based on the above data, Chris died on December 31st, 2011 at the age of 36.

Nate Pugh

  • Mentioned in Topix forum post from 2010 and identified as 'the driver'. (Source)

Keith Adams

  • Mentioned in Topix forum post from 2010 and identified as 'a person involved' in Crystal's disappearance. (Source)

Topix Posts

I was able to access some of the posts that were made on Pikesville's Topix Forum page via Wayback. Needless to say, there were a few interesting ones. I've posted those here for review and to be used in future investigation points moving forward.

'knows' From Elkhorn City, Kentucky

July 30, 2009: "Im not telling you who I am or how I know but I KNOW she is in a mine shaft somewhere in letcher county."

July 30, 2009: "I forgot to mention but if you want to know the details i'll tell you but they're kind of graphic..also, I know one of the people that was with her the day she disappeared his name is keith adams from longfork of virgie he may have had something to do with what happened to her."

July 31, 2009: "i dont know if she knew keith or not but he was with a couple of guys that came and got her i dont know how many they were but they were more than one they took her somewhere and used some kind of saw on her while she was still alive they took her body to letcher county and placed different pieves of her body here and there in and around the mine shaft but the thing is im NOT SURE what mine shaft all because they said she was buying drugs from someone in lexington and told them she would be right back to pay them and took the drugs and came back to pikeville not knowing that the person she was buying drugs from in lexington had connections in pikeville and then had it set up to have her killed."

Source

'i know' From Harold, Kentucky

Jul 11, 2010: "quit looking and praying I witnessed Tasha calling her and talking about how funny it is that people think she is missing..they still get together and ride around and joke about the missing posters...she really is living in Lexington with her old ex-boyfriend her hair is black and cut short like a man...I seen Crystal about 4 months ago she was picking up Tasha...Tasha has a telephone number to reach Crystal at anytime..she has even joked that if cops gave her a lie detector test they would find her...I think its a damn shame a mother runs off and leaves her children behind...Tasha is the one who drove her to Lexington and dropped her off...I don't want to be involved but if cops would question or give her a test they would find out the truth..."

July 14th, 2010: "your wrong and she said she would take the test bull i don't care if you believe this or not i no the truth they laugh while the mother cries..both said they didn't give a sh1t and it wasn't her car Nathan Pugh was the driver...there's more to this story than anyone knows but Crystal is alive...and Tasha does know where she is at...its up to the police to get the information from Tasha not me.."

Source

Various Posts From 2012

While searching around, I stumbled across this page that mentions another Topix post that accuses Rory Hall of killing Crystal and Chris Lyons (now deceased) of helping to hide the body in a mine. I was able to find most of it through Wayback.

'anonymous', Paintsville, KY, Unknown Date: "The night Chris Lyons died he said that he was there when rory killed crystal. They were all on ky ave. and rory and crystal were arguing. Chris never said how rory murdered her but that he helped rory drive to an old mine to hide her. I am so sorry for your pain."

'anonymous', Painstville, KY, May 27th, 2012: "This is NOT a lie, and the police have been told about it and they cant do anything without proof and that there is too much hearsay surrounding this case. Personally i think the police r full of shit and rory's parents have bought him out of a lot of trouble and that this case should have been investigated better than it was, and i also believe that if they would've pressured him that chris would've told them everything because he did feel guilty as well he should've. The night he died he was high and was talking about it but he never said what mine it was and he never said how rory killed her. I had never heard about this case until that night and because he was high there was a lot he was saying that couldnt be understood. I feel so bad for this girls children and i wish there were some way to bring some kind of major attention or a cold case specialist to help find this girls body and give her family closure and at the very least a grave to lay some flowers on."

'anonymous', Paris, KY, July 9th, 2012: "I heard the same thing exactly as you said it from someone who was there the day it happend the mineshaft ky avenue everything except I was told he chopped her up and hid her in a mine and that Chris helped him hide her"

'CosmicCrash', Pikeville, KY, September 23, 2012: "Well I don't know to much about this, but what I have heard from people who are related to her is that she ran a drug bill and couldn't pay it so she is in Michigan working off her debit and that her family knows where she is...Sorry but that is what I heard from a cousin of hers."

Source

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