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

Summary

SEQUESTERED Podcast – Season Two, Episode: "Zebb Quinn: Murdered In 2000 (Asheville, NC) | Part Two"

Host: Road Trip Studios
Release Date: August 11, 2025

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1. Introduction to Zeb Quinn’s Disappearance

In this gripping second installment of the Zeb Quinn case, host Sarah Reed delves deeper into the mysterious disappearance and subsequent murder of 18-year-old Zeb Quinn in Asheville, North Carolina, back in January 2000. The episode builds upon the unsettling events outlined in the previous episode, where Zeb vanished under mysterious circumstances after receiving an urgent pager message.

2. The Critical Night and Initial Clues

The narrative begins by recounting the day Zeb Quinn was last seen alive. On January 2, 2000, Zeb received a troubling page that compelled him to alter his evening plans and leave in a hurry. Reed explains the significance of pagers at the time, noting their role in urgent communications.

A pivotal detail emerged when Zeb's abandoned Mazda was discovered two weeks later at a local barbecue restaurant’s parking lot. Inside the vehicle were two enigmatic clues:

• Hotel Key Card: Found on the dash, this key card lacked identifiable markings, making it impossible to trace to a specific hotel. Reed remarks, “Whether police checked every hotel in the area, or if the card was planted as a red herring, it was never made public” (04:48).
• Lipstick Markings: Lips painted in lipstick were smeared across the back window, adding to the mystery.

Additionally, Zeb's family noticed that the driver's seat had been moved forward, suggesting that someone shorter might have been behind the wheel. This observation aligned with a tip about a woman, possibly resembling Misty Taylor, seen driving Zeb’s car a week prior with a man in the passenger seat.

3. Connections to Misty Taylor and the Emergence of Wesley Smith

Zeb had recently begun communicating with Misty Taylor, the daughter of Tamara Taylor, who worked at Zeb's father's bar. Despite warnings from friends and family about Misty’s complicated personal life—she was secretly a mother and involved with an abusive boyfriend, Wesley Smith—Zeb maintained his relationship with her.

Reed highlights a crucial moment: “On New Year's Eve 1999, while the century was turning and the world was welcoming in a new year, Zeb and Misty reportedly spent the entire night talking on the phone” (04:18). However, Misty became unresponsive in the following days, leading Zeb to make a fateful call to her boyfriend Wesley, which was overheard by Zeb’s grandmother. Zeb reportedly exclaimed, “[05:11] News Anchor: Her, I'm in trouble. I'm in big trouble now.”

4. Suspicions Around Ina Ustich and Jason Owens

Investigations revealed that the pager message originated from Zeb’s aunt, Ina Ustich’s home. Ina denied making the call and claimed she was out to dinner with Tamara Taylor that night. However, during that time, Ina’s house was broken into; although nothing was stolen, items were disturbingly moved, raising suspicions about a possible setup to lure Zeb.

Meanwhile, Jason Owens, a friend of Zeb’s who frequented his father’s bar, emerged as a figure of interest. Owens had a troubled history with minor offenses and questionable behavior. Reed notes, “Jason Owens was never far from law enforcement's radar” (09:25), eventually leading to multiple warrants and blood tests. Despite collecting DNA from both Owens’ and Zeb’s vehicles, no conclusive match was found, allowing Owens to avoid arrest initially.

5. The Turning Point: Surveillance Footage and Reenactments

Four years post-disappearance, Asheville police released previously unseen surveillance footage. The video captured Zeb and Jason Owens leaving a gas station together at 9:14 PM on January 2, 2000. Reed emphasizes, “This is the last confirmed sighting we have of Zeb on video, him and Owens side by side walking out of the Sitgo.”

Further attempts to uncover the truth included police-led reenactments of the night Zeb disappeared, aiming to jog public memory or elicit new tips. Despite these efforts, no substantial evidence surfaced, and Owens remained uncharged.

6. The 2015 Double Homicide and Owens’ Arrest

Fast forward to March 2015 in Lester, North Carolina, where police responded to the disappearance of Christy Schoen Codd and her husband Joseph J.T. Codd. As details unfolded, a chilling connection emerged linking Robert Jason Owens to both Zeb Quinn’s disappearance and the Codd murders.

Reed narrates the tragic backstory of Christy Schoen Codd—a vibrant, multi-talented woman with a flourishing career and a bright personal life—married to Joseph J.T. Codd, a respected Hollywood key grip. In 2015, tragedy struck as both Christy and JT, along with their unborn daughter, were found brutally murdered and dismembered in Owens’ wood-burning stove.

A pivotal revelation came from Owens himself and investigative efforts:

• Owens was seen disposing of large trash bags containing the remains.
• 19:06 Forensics Expert: “Human remains were found inside a wood stove in the home on Owens property.”
• Owens was charged with the double homicide and the death of their unborn child, marking a significant development in the long-unsolved case.

7. Implications for the Zeb Quinn Case

The horrifying revelation of Owens’ capacity for such heinous crimes cast a shadow over Zeb Quinn’s disappearance. Reed posits, “If he was capable of this in 2015, what does that say about what might have happened to Zeb Quinn in the year 2000?” (21:08) The episode closes by setting the stage for the next part, which promises to explore the lingering questions and seek answers from those who loved Zeb.

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Notable Quotes:

• Zeb Quinn’s Grandmother: “[05:11] Her, I'm in trouble. I'm in big trouble now.”
• Forensics Expert on 2015 Case: “[19:06] Human remains were found inside a wood stove in the home on Owens property.”
• Detective on Search Efforts: “[14:08] And all these years later, Owen is now a person of interest.”
• Sarah Reed’s Insight: “[21:08] If he was capable of this in 2015, what does that say about what might have happened to Zeb Quinn in the year 2000?”

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Conclusion

This episode masterfully intertwines the unresolved mystery of Zeb Quinn’s disappearance with the later, more sinister crimes committed by Jason Owens. By providing detailed accounts, timely interviews, and critical analysis, Sarah Reed paints a comprehensive picture of a case that spans over a decade, highlighting the lingering quest for justice and the profound impact on the families involved.

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For those seeking to unravel the depths of cold cases and the human stories behind them, this episode of SEQUESTERED delivers a compelling narrative that underscores the relentless pursuit of truth amidst enduring silence.

Transcript

[Sarah Reed]

In the last episode, we trace the final hours of the last day. 18 year old Zeb Quinn was seen alive. The urgent page that made him abruptly change his evening plans and then vanish without a trace. Two weeks later, his Mazda was found abandoned in the parking lot of a local barbecue restaurant. Inside, officers found a lot. A hotel key card sat on the dash and a set of lips were painted in lipstick across the back window. Zeb's family made mention that the driver's seat had been moved forward like someone shorter had been behind the wheel. That detail lined up with a tip police received. A woman was seen driving that car a week prior with a man in the passenger seat. Some thought that woman resembled Misty Taylor. Others weren't so sure. In this episode, we follow the people and the clues that tried to untangle what happened. This is sequestered. Season two, case five the disappearance and murder of Zeb Quinn, part two. In early 2000, cell phones weren't yet universal. A lot of people, especially teens, still carried pagers. I know I did. To page someone, you'd dial their pager number, hear a series of beeps, then punch in a callback number before hanging up. Seconds later, the pager would beep or vibrate and a small LED screen would light up with that number. Pagers had their own shorthand too. For example, you could leave a callback number and then add the numbers 1, 4, 3, which meant I love you based on the number of letters in each word. Or you could put 07734, which read hello when you read it upside down. But if you received a 911, that meant call me ASAP. It's not clear what numbers flashed across the screen of his pager that evening, but for Zeb, that page and the phone call that followed would be cause enough for him to abruptly change his plans and leave in a hurry. Eventually, police would trace that page back to a landline. But not just any landline. It actually came from the home of Zeb's aunt on his father's side. Ina Ustich. A little context here. Zeb's parents divorced when he was young. His father, Jerry Wayne Quinn, was a Vietnam veteran, a Marine, and a respected member of the Asheville community. He stayed in the area, stayed in touch with his son, and owned a local restaurant and bar where Zeb would sometimes meet up with friends, including Jason Owens, to shoot pool. A woman named Tamara Taylor worked there as a waitress. She was close friends with Zeb's aunt Ina, so close that the two women were even planning to open a restaurant together. So here's where things start to connect. Tamara's daughter is Misty Taylor. And just weeks before his disappearance, Zeb met Misty for the first time at his dad's bar, where she was waiting for her mom to finish her shift. The two exchanged numbers and began talking regularly. But Misty had a secret. She had a baby and a boyfriend. Wesley Smith, who was known to be abusive and controlling. Friends and family warned Zeb to stay away from Misty, but despite their warnings, he kept talking to her. By all accounts, his feelings for her were genuine and his advances were innocent. Maybe even a little naive. Now, we can't corroborate these next details, but according to the Reddit Web sleuths, on New Year's Eve 1999, while the century was turning and the world was welcoming in a new year, Zeb and Misty reportedly spent the entire night talking on the phone. But over the next two days, Misty would ignore Zeb's pages and any of his attempts to contact her. On January 2nd, at some point before his shift began at Walmart, Zeb finally decided to call Misty. Usually, he would dial Starseed before calling, blocking his number so that Wesley didn't know it was him. But that time, he forgot, and Wesley answered. Zeb's grandmother just happened to be walking in the room as he hung up the phone. She later reported that she saw the fear on his face as he told.

[News Anchor]

Her, I'm in trouble. I'm in big trouble now.

[Sarah Reed]

Later that night, Zeb Quinn vanished. When police questioned Ina Ustich about the page that originated from her house on the night of January 2, she denied making the call. According to the Charlie Project, she said she wasn't even home and had been out to dinner that night with a friend. That friend was Tamara Taylor, Misty's mother. And according to ABC13 News, while Ina was out to that dinner, her house was reportedly broken into. Nothing was stolen, but items had been moved. Picture frames, personal belongings. Just enough to look disturbed, just enough to report. So was this just a strange coincidence? Or did someone know she'd be gone and decided to use Ina's phone to lure Zeb into a haunting trap? On January 16, two weeks after his disappearance, Zeb's abandoned Mazda was found parked at a local barbecue joint. As we know, police found strange clues inside. First, let's talk about the hotel keycard. Despite efforts from investigators, I was shocked to learn that it was never linked to any specific hotel. The keycard obviously bore no markings or logos that would tie it to specific hotel chain or brand. It shouldn't surprise me that at the turn of the century, keycards could sometimes be traced, especially if the property used RFID technology, which kept more detailed logs. But the older magnetic stripe systems, which is what we are dealing with here, offered limited tracking. And if the hotel had switched card systems or purged records, the trail could go cold quickly. Whether police checked every hotel in the area, or if the card was planted as a red herring, it was never made public. Oh, and let's not forget the three month old live Labrador puppy found in the back seat. The family confirmed it didn't belong to Zeb, and I can't help but wonder why. A puppy? Was it meant to be a distraction, a message, or just random? There's no public record that police ever scanned it for a microchip or tried to trace its breeder or origin. Microchipping was available in the year 2000, and many shelters and veterinarians used it regularly to scan found animals. Even without a chip, breeder paperwork could have been a lead. But if the police checked, they've never said. And that silence makes me think they either didn't, or whatever they found, they've kept it to themselves. What we do know is that one of the investigators eventually adopted that puppy and look good for the puppy. But still, what was it doing there in the first place? In the years after Zeb disappeared, Jason Owens was never far from law enforcement's radar. He spent a total of 23 months in prison for various minor offenses, mostly unrelated to Zeb's case, but each one adding to a growing picture of someone who seemed comfortable skirting the law. Then, In February of 2001, more than a year after Zeb vanished, police took a more direct step. They served a search warrant on Owens. Investigators collected his blood, hair and saliva, along with trace evidence from both Owen's car and Zeb's car. They believe they had DNA from both vehicles, but without a clear conclusive match linking it to Zeb, it wasn't enough for an arrest. So Owens walked free. And then that other red flag. Remember the day after Zeb disappeared, someone called his supervisor at Walmart to say he wouldn't be coming in for his next shot shift because of a family emergency. That might seem small, but Zeb was a reliable employee. And if something serious had happened, his family would have been the first to know. We know that call did not come from Zeb. It came from Jason Owens. And Owens eventually admitted to making the call, claiming Zeb had asked him to do it. But investigators and Zeb's Family didn't buy it. To them, it sounded like a deliberate attempt to buy time before anyone raised an alarm. And Owens was feeling the pressure. In late October of 2002, he was arrested again. This time after leading police on a high speed chase through Asheville. Officers suspected he was driving while intoxicated. When they tried to pull him over, Owens took off swerving through streets until he crashed his truck truck into a mailbox, flipped it and ended up in the hospital. Nine days later, while Owens was still dealing with the fallout from the chase, police served another search warrant. This one was tied directly to Zeb's disappearance. They collected Owens blood, hair and saliva again, hoping advances in forensic testing might finally give them what they needed. But even two years after Zeb vanished, they still didn't have enough to charge Owens. Four years after Zeb Quinn disappeared, police made a public move. They released never before seen surveillance footage from the night he vanished. According to the Asheville Citizen Times, on January 2, 2000, the video shows Zeb walking into a Sitgo gas station on Hendersonville Road at 9:14pm just seconds after Robert Jason Owens. The two bought soft drinks, casually chatting at the counter before walking out together. It's the last confirmed sighting we have of Zeb on video, him and Owens side by side walking out of the Sitko. From here, the timeline starts to unravel. Police reveal that shortly after leaving the gas station, Zeb received a series of pages. Owens told investigators those messages led them to pull their vehicles over near Roberson High School. He claimed Zeb accidentally rear ended him, apologized, then drove away. But police said that after those pages came in, Zeb never responded and he never came home. By this point, investigators weren't calling it a missing persons case anymore. They were calling it what they believed it was a homicide. Every lead was followed, every possibility was tested and still they had nothing to bring zeb home. In 2005, Asheville police tried a different approach. They reenacted the scene between Owens and Zeb on the night of January 2nd, hoping that seeing the 2 car stop in public might jog someone's memory or bring in new tips. Here's a clip from WLOS News 13's the Good Kid.

[Reporter]

Asheville police officers reenact what they know about the minutes just before 18 year old Zeb Quinn disappeared. Officers are posing as Zeb and Jason Owens, who they believe was the final person to see him alive.

[Sarah Reed]

The reenactment made headlines, but again, no concrete evidence came in. Fast forward to 2007. Detectives secure a search warrant for Jason Owens property in Lester, North Carolina. This time it was more than a routine check. Now Jason Owens had been officially named a person of interest in Zeb's case. Owens had always been the quiet shadow in this story. The last known person to see Zeb alive. The man whose stories kept changing. The voice who called Walmart pretending to be Zeb. The 2007 warrant was a big step. Investigators searched for any trace of Zeb, clothing, personal items, remains or forensic evidence that might still be on the property even after seven years.

[Detective]

New information on the Quinn case led detectives to execute a search warrant on a piece of property in Lester.

[Police Spokesperson]

As you know, there's never been a body recovered in the investigation involving Zeb Quinn's disappearance. The Asheville Police Department is committed, committed.

[Sarah Reed]

To leaving no stone unturned based on new leads.

[Detective]

And all these years later, Owen is now a person of interest.

[Police Spokesperson]

We are serving a search warrant on this property and we would like to recover evidence and the furtherance of the investigation involving the disappearance of Zeb Quinn.

[Detective]

They've asked for this man's help. He's a forensics geophysicist from Colorado.

[Forensics Expert]

In many cases, small departments and Asheville's not small. But they don't understand the value of aerial photographs nor how to obtain aerial photographs.

[Detective]

Clark uses remote sensing to detect disturbances in the ground that may reveal what investigators are looking for.

[Police Spokesperson]

Obviously, a seven year old case can create a lot of challenges. There is no direct area that we're searching. It's a very large area.

[Detective]

But after two days of extensively searching this property, nothing. Authorities did not find any, any evidence linking Jason Owens to the murder. And they determined this is not where the crime took place.

[Sarah Reed]

The search turned up no new evidence, no physical link to Zeb, and once again, Jason Owens walked away without charges. For years, Owens stayed quiet about Zeb Quinn. Maybe too quiet. Then in 2015, police were called to another home in Leicester. This time it wasn't just one person who had vanished. It was two. It was March of 2015, Lester, North Carolina. Two people had gone missing. Neighbors started to notice. First, Christie Schoen Codd and her husband Joseph J.T. codd hadn't been seen in several days. Their cars were still in the driveway. Their phones went straight to voicemail. Friends tried calling, texting, stopping by. Nothing. When police did a welfare check, they didn't find signs of a break in or a robbery. But the place felt off, like the Cods had just stepped out, but never came back. And then a familiar name surfaced. Robert Jason Owens. Before I tell you what police found. You need to know who the CODs were, because it makes what happened next even harder to take in. Christy Schoen Codd was one of those people who lit up every room she walked into. Born in Madrid, Spain to two hard working military parents, she grew up in New Orleans, surrounded by the sounds of the flavors and the energy of the city. She graduated from LSU with a double major in German and theater, then trained at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York. Christy loved the Meisner technique, a style of acting that's all about living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. It's about really listening and reacting in the moment so that every performance feels alive. But acting wasn't her only passion. Christy was fluent in German, a talented oil painter and a gifted chef with a soft spot for Cajun food. She turned that passion into Tree Hugger Catering, an eco conscious company serving major film productions with sustainable meals and biodegradable products. In 2012, Christie competed on season eight of Food Network Star where America got to know her as Cajun. According to her IMDb bio, her mission was bring people together through food, creativity and kindness. Christy's husband, Joseph J.T. codd, worked behind the camera in Hollywood. He was a key grip, the person who makes sure every camera rig, track and lighting setup works seamlessly to create the perfect shot. JT's credits included shows like Carnival and he was respected in the industry for his skill and work ethic. The couple married in October 2014 and were expecting their first child, a little girl they planned to name Skylar. They should have been spending that spring preparing a nursery and imagining their new life together. Instead, police were piecing together a crime scene. The break in the case came from a tip.

[Forensics Expert]

So to recap, here's the new information released today on this case. We now know that a call came in about someone suspicious throwing a bag into a dumpster in Candler that led investigators to suspect Robert Jason Owens. We also learned Owens wife told investigators Owens said he killed J.T. codd, running him over with a truck and a big piece of evidence here, the sheriff revealed. Human remains were found inside a wood stove in the home on Owens property, the same home destroyed by fire this morning.

[Sarah Reed]

Someone had seen a man tossing large trash bags into a commercial dumpster. That man was Robert Jason Owens, a handyman who had done work for JT and someone the Cods knew. When investigators searched Owen's property, they made a horrifying discovery. Inside his wood burning stove there were charred remains of Christy, JT and their unborn daughter. They had been dismembered, burned and discarded. Next week we hear from those who loved Kristi most.

[News Anchor]

The Food Network is in shock today over the murder of one of its former contestants, Christy Schoen. Codd and her husband J.T. were found slain and a neighbor hired to work on their home is now charged with the murders. Adding to the senseless tragedy, Christy was five months pregnant with her first child.

[Sarah Reed]

This is like a dream come true.

[News Anchor]

38 year old Christie was a contest on season eight of Food Network Star in 2012.

[Sarah Reed]

I am just extremely excited and I am so ready to just start this already.

[News Anchor]

Christy was a finalist on the show. A lot was at stake. If she'd won, she would have been given her own show. But Christy showed a lot of class when she was booted off.

[Sarah Reed]

It's been an amazing experience for me.

[News Anchor]

Thank you guys.

[Sarah Reed]

Take care. Everybody is speechless.

[News Anchor]

Christy became close friends with fellow contestant.

[Sarah Reed]

Emily Ellen when I found out she was five months pregnant and oh gosh, it's just so sad.

[News Anchor]

Christy got married to J.T. codd last October. They bought this home near Asheville, North Carolina. The suspect they hired as a contractor lived in a house a half mile away. 36 year old Robert Jason Owens is now charged with the double homicide and the death of an unborn child. This tribute to Christy was just posted by a friend. It shows her snorkeling, fishing in a raft, and at target practice. And of course she was always cooking something.

[Sarah Reed]

She had this radiant energy. She was sunshine. Jason Owens would later claim it was all a tragic accident, that he accidentally ran over the couple when their truck got stuck in a ditch. But if that's true, why didn't he call for help? And why did he try to destroy every trace of their bodies? And if he was capable of this in 2015, what does that say about what might have happened to Zeb Quinn in the year 2000? All this and more on part three of this case. I'm Sarah Reed. Thanks for listening. Please rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, you can get ad free and bonus episodes early as a subscriber on Apple Podcasts. We'll see you next time. Sam.