ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Human remains were found inside a wood stove at the North Carolina home of a man charged with killing a contestant from the TV show “Food Network Star,” her husband and their unborn child, according to a sheriff.
WLOS is reporting Robert Jason Owens told investigators that he stored and destroyed the bodies of a Buncombe County couple, according to warrants.
Joseph “JT” Codd, 45, and Cristie Schoen-Codd, 38, were reported missing on Sunday by family members after Cristie didn’t arrive in Mississippi like she was expected to.
Christie Shoen-Cood was a contestant on the TV show “Food Network Star.”
Owens, 37, was charged on Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder and one charge of breaking and entering, larceny and free text felony. Owens has also been charged with felonious murder of an unborn child. Police say the killings happened on Thursday, March 12.
Sheriff Van Duncan says Owens’ wife has been helpful in the case. She told detectives Owens told her he was driving a car that belonged to the victim and admitted to hitting and killing JT Codd. That car has been seized, according to warrants.
Human remains were found in a wood stove on Owens’ property. Those remains have been sent to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for analysis, according to officials.
Sheriff Van Duncan also mentioned that Cristie’s ID and other personal items were found in a dumpster on Donna Drive in Candler. A tipster called authorities to say they witnessed someone (authorities later identified as Owens) putting large garbage bags into a dumpster on Sunday night.
District Attorney Todd Williams says he won’t decide whether to seek death penalty in the case until investigation is complete.
Cristie and her husband both have ties to Hollywood. She appeared in movies like “Mona Lisa Smile” and “Get on Up.” She was also a stunt double for Kate Bosworth. Her husband also has a history in the TV and movie business, working behind the scenes.
The couple recently moved to Buncombe County from California, according to a neighbor.
Owens, a contractor, has a criminal history that dates back to 1999 when he got his first DWI, police said.
