SEQUESTERED Podcast

Episode: Zebb Quinn: Murdered In 2000 (Asheville, NC) | Part Three

Host: Sarah Reed, Road Trip Studios
Date: August 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this third and final installment of the deep dive into the disappearance and murder of Zebb Quinn, host Sarah Reed chronicles the chilling developments that revived the cold case after 15 years, focusing on the shocking crimes of Robert Jason Owens, the main suspect in both Quinn’s vanishing and the brutal Codd family murders. The episode explores the new evidence uncovered, Owens’ shifting accounts over the years, the legal wrangling for some semblance of justice, and the lingering uncertainty that haunts Zeb’s family to this day. Through victim-centered storytelling and careful reconstruction of investigative breakthroughs, Reed lays bare the agony of unsolved loss and the elusive nature of truth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Codd Murders Shake the Quinn Investigation (01:08–10:54)

• The episode opens with a recap: Zeb Quinn's disappearance in January 2000—his abandoned car filled with strange clues and a trail that quickly went cold.

• In March 2015, Robert Jason Owens, the last person to see Zeb, is indicted for the murders of Christy Schoen Codd, her husband JT, and their unborn daughter Skylar.

• The Codds’ bodies were discovered burned and dismembered; Owens confessed, first claiming the deaths were accidental, later admitting to burning the remains and staging a burglary. He was sentenced to nearly 75 years in prison.

  “Can you imagine hearing that? Accidentally running over both of them with a truck? The district attorney obviously wasn’t buying it. Eventually, Owens admitted to much more.”
  — Sarah Reed (05:25)

• The murder investigation at Owen’s property triggers a renewed interest in the Quinn case, especially after a tip from Owens’ relative about a mysterious concrete-covered pit he dug the same year Zeb disappeared.

• Law enforcement searches the property, using cadaver dogs, students, and heavy equipment. Evidence like human remains in a wood stove and mysterious concrete fragments is found, but no direct connection to Zeb is made public at this stage.

2. Digging for the Truth (13:41–18:45)

• Investigation reports and news clips detail the exhaustive search and items seized from Owen’s property: fabric, leather, bone fragments, “possibly pulverized lime or powdered mortar mix”—suspected as attempts to destroy evidence.

• The operation stirs hope and anxiety; despite public optimism, no body is found, no charges are filed in the Quinn case at that time.

  “Police never released the test results. And if this was Zeb, they weren’t saying... The detail raised a chilling question. Was someone trying to break down human remains?”
  — Sarah Reed (16:30)

• Zeb’s mother and family, knowing Owens’ arrest is unrelated to Zeb's case, plead once again for information.

  “We hope that if anyone has information concerning Zeb’s whereabouts or disappearance, they will now come forward.”
  — Statement from Denise Vlahakis, Zeb’s mother (24:16)

3. Jason Owens’ Shifting Stories and Legal Outcomes (18:45–24:16)

• After Owens’ conviction for the Codd murders, he makes statements to the authorities—he wants Zeb’s mother to know what happened, insisting he is doing it not for leniency but for closure.

• Owens claims he didn’t act alone the night Zeb vanished, pinning the crime on his now-deceased uncle, Gene Owens, in ever-evolving accounts.

  “Gene got out first, went to the back of his truck... And then Gene reached in the back of the pickup truck, brought out a .22 rifle and shot him [Zeb] in the back of the head.” — Jason Owens (19:54)

• Details from Owens’ letter to neighbors are read on air (21:30), reiterating his fear of Gene and blaming him for the fire and for Zeb’s murder.

• After years of delays and waning evidence, in 2022, prosecutors negotiate a plea: Owens pleads to “accessory after the fact to murder.” This is not a full confession, but it marks the first legal acknowledgment Zeb was killed.

  “The DA called the plea to accessory after the fact a way to legally establish that Zeb Quinn was murdered and to give the family some measure of closure. It was not justice in full, but it was something.”
  — Sarah Reed (22:42–24:16)

4. Lingering Theories & Unanswered Questions (28:21–end)

• Sarah Reed lays out persistent theories:

  • The love triangle between Zeb, Misty Taylor, and Wesley Smith, suggesting a possible motive of jealousy.
  • The possibility that Owens was manipulated or pressed to lure Zeb out that night.
  • Alternative theories: was Zeb a witness to something he shouldn't have seen?
  • Some elements—like the painted lips on the car—may have been staged to confuse police.

• Ultimately, despite Owens’ conviction, neither a body nor the whole truth is found.

  “Whether his version of events is the truth, whether his Uncle Gene pulled the trigger, or whether the real story is something entirely different remains unanswered. And unless someone comes forward, those answers and Zeb’s body will remain hidden.”
  — Sarah Reed (28:21)

• The episode ends with an emotional call for leads and remembrance of Zeb as a bright, kind 18-year-old whose dreams were cruelly ended.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Codd murders’ impact on the Quinn case:

  “For investigators in Asheville, his arrest was just the spark they’d been waiting for. Because if Robert Jason Owens could do something this heinous, what else was he capable of?”
  — Sarah Reed (05:25)

• Robert Jason Owens’ own words:

  “I have lived in fear of him [Uncle Gene] since January 2000 because of what I witnessed him doing. If you guys see him or anything odd around the place, please call the cops.”
  — Jason Owens (Letter, 22:15)

• Reflecting on the family’s pain:

  “Even with Owens legal conviction, the truth is incomplete. The details of Zeb's final moments and the place where he rests are still unknown. For Zeb’s family, that's got to be the hardest part. They have no gravesite to visit, no formal place to say goodbye.”
  — Sarah Reed (24:16)

• Summing up the uncertainty:

  “The truth is always more complicated. What we know for certain is Robert Jason Owens is legally tied to covering up Zeb Quinn’s murder. Whether his version of events is the truth…remains unanswered.”
  — Sarah Reed (28:21)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:08] Introduction and Codd murder connection
• [03:26] Details on evidence search, property excavation
• [05:25] Breakdown of charges & Owens’ confessions
• [13:41] Search at Owens’ residence, evidence surveyed
• [16:30] Physical evidence found and implications
• [18:47] Owens states his intent to “tell the truth”
• [19:54] Owens describes (blames) Uncle Gene in Zeb’s killing
• [21:30] Owens’ letter implicates Uncle Gene again
• [22:42] The plea deal and its meaning
• [24:16] Zeb’s mother’s public statement
• [28:21] Examination of alternate theories & episode close

Tone and Style

• The episode maintains a compassionate yet unsparing tone, balancing careful reporting on forensic developments with empathy for the Quinn family's ongoing suffering.
• Quotes from letters, court transcripts, and interviews are rendered verbatim wherever possible, deepening the sense of immediacy and heartbreak.

Final Thoughts

SEQUESTERED delivers a moving, meticulous account of a still-unresolved tragedy, reminding listeners how the void of unanswered questions compounds already unimaginable loss. While the legal system has recognized Zeb Quinn was murdered, the full story—and the discovery of his remains—await those last shreds of truth that only the living can reveal.

Tip Line:
If you have information about the disappearance and murder of Zeb Wayne Quinn, contact Asheville Police: 828-252-1110.

Additional Resources & Photos:
Visit sequesteredpod.com and WLOS News 13’s documentary/podcast "The Good Kid" (linked on the show site).