Search for former 'Food Network Star' contestant leads to murder arrest



Source: Buncombe County Sheriff's Office



ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Police in North Carolina have made an arrest in the search for a former "Food Network Star" contestant and her husband.

Cristie Schoen Codd, 38, a competitor on season 8 of "Food Network Star," and her husband, Joseph "JT" Codd, 45, were reported missing by their family on Sunday.

On Monday night, deputies searched a property about a half-mile from the couple's home. Early Tuesday, deputies told WHNS Robert Jason Owens had been charged with first degree murder, breaking and entering and other related charges.

Owens was also charged with the murder of an unborn child. Codd was five months pregnant, a friend told WHNS.

Joseph worked as a key grip on Hollywood films and Cristie provided catering services on film sets. The couple was often gone for several months at a time, a friend told WHNS.