A man has been charged with the murder of Cristie Schoen, who competed in Season 8 of 'Food Network Star,' her husband and her unborn child.
A North Carolina man has been charged with the murder of a pregnant former Food Network Star contestant days after she and her husband were reported missing.
Family members of chef Cristie Schoen Codd, who was featured on Season 8 of Food Network Star in 2012, and her husband, JT Codd, filed a missing persons report on March 15, after attempts to contact the couple failed, reports say.
On Tuesday, Robert Jason Owens, a 36-year-old construction company owner, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and murder of an unborn child at the Buncombe County Court, Natalie Bailey, a spokesperson for the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office confirms to Mashable.
Codd, 38, was said to be five months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.
If convicted, Owens could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
According to her bio on the Food Network Star website, Codd, who went by Cristie Schoen on the show, grew up in Biloxi, Mississippi, and attended Louisiana State University. She spent some time in Germany, where she honed her skills as a chef. She also spent some time in Los Angeles and worked in the movie catering business.
Owens, who reportedly had been doing work on the couple's home, has also been charged with one felony count of breaking and entering, connected to property allegedly stolen from the couple's home.
The couple's bodies have not yet been recovered, according to 48 Hours' Crimesider, but Bailey says there are two active crime scenes — the couple's home and Owens' residence — that are being combed for evidence.
She expects to have an updated late Tuesday evening.
On Twitter, Codd's fellow Food Network Star alum Martie Duncan, who competed on the same season, called said she was "in disbelief over the news."
Food Network has not responded to Mashable's request for comment.