A North Carolina man was charged Monday with triple-felony murder in the deaths of a Food Network star, her husband and their unborn child, authorities said according to NBC News.
As of Wednesday morning Buncombe County police have not confirmed if the bodies of Cristie Codd, 38, and her husband Joseph T. Codd, 45, were found. But investigators believe 36-year-old Robert Jason Owens, a contractor from Leicester who was hired to work on the couple's home, killed them on March 12 after he broke into their residence and stole a laptop, jewelry and a handgun, Fox Carolina reported.
Family members reported the Codds missing on Sunday.
Owens is being held without bail on two counts of felony murder and felony murder of an unborn child. He is also charged with breaking and entering and larceny, NBC News reported.
Cristie Codd, who was five-months pregnant, also went by her maiden name Schoen and competed on season eight of the cooking competition show "Food Network Star." She went on to become a finalist.
The chef also owned the catering company Tree Hugger Catering, which provided service for Hollywood movies including "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," and "Ender's Game." One of her last gigs was for the movie "Focus" starring Will Smith.
Her husband Joseph, also known as JT Codd, was a grip for projects on television and the big screen, police told the station.
Investigators are also looking into Owens for the unsolved 2000 disappearance of a teenager named Zeb Quinn, according to Fox Carolina.
A probable cause hearing for the latest charges has been scheduled for April 7.
