What happened to Zebb Quinn? Robert Jason Owens? A look back at the case
The Asheville Citizen Times· 632 words · 4 min read
* Zebb Quinn, an 18-year-old from Asheville, disappeared in January 2000. There are still unresolved questions in the case.
* Robert Jason Owens, who was last seen with Quinn, took a plea deal in 2022 for being an accessory to the crime.
* Quinn's remains have never been recovered, and the exact circumstances and timing of his death are still unknown.
* Owens is also serving a separate sentence for the 2015 murders of Cristie and Joseph Codd and their unborn child.
One of Western North Carolina's most enduring cold cases still plagues the area and the true crime arena, and it is the case of Zebb Quinn.
On Jan. 22, 2000, Zebb Wayne Quinn, an 18-year-old Asheville resident described by his mother as hard-working, easygoing and trusting, disappeared. More than two decades passed with no answers for his family, and in 2022, the case closed without a definitive answer with the plea deal of Robert Jason Owens.
Despite renewed details emerging through the plea at the time, authorities told the public that the true circumstances of Quinn's death may never be fully known.
Here's everything we do know about Quinn's disappearance, the trial that led to the conviction of one man as an accessory and more.
Who is Robert Jason Owens? What does Misty Taylor have to do with the case?
Quinn was last seen alive with Robert Jason Owens, who goes by "Jason". He claimed in court that his uncle, Walter "Gene" Owens, was responsible for Quinn's 2000 killing.
In 2022, defense attorneys said that Jason Owens was Quinn's friend and that Gene Owens was controlling and abusive, duping his nephew into luring Quinn to Pisgah National Forest. The "bait" that defense claimed was used to lure Quinn was a meeting with a woman named Misty Taylor, with whom Quinn was smitten.
What happened to Zebb Quinn? What was Zebb Quinn's cause of death?
Quinn's remains were never recovered.
While defendant Jason Owens claimed a fragment of Quinn's skull had been hidden in the Bent Creek area, investigators never confirmed finding any such evidence. The circumstances of his death remain unresolved due to this lack of evidence.
When did Zebb Quinn die?
While Quinn disappeared on Jan. 2, 2000, investigators have never established when he died. Without remains or confirmed forensic evidence recovered, his exact time of death has remained unresolved for decades.
Was Zebb Quinn's murderer caught?
Another huge missing piece in the Quinn case that remains unresolved is who killed the teen. In a plea deal, Jason Owens told investigators that Gene Owens lured the teen to Pisgah National Forest, then dismembered and burned his body. Jason Owens admitted only to helping his uncle after the murder, denying any part in the murder itself.
However, prosecutors expressed doubt over Robert's account. Similarities were noted between Quinn's disappearance and a later double homicide for which Robert is serving an effective life sentence. Inconsistencies were also noted in Robert's statement.
What happened to Robert Jason Owens?
In 2022, Buncombe County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Grant accepted Jason Owens' plea deal, sentencing him to 150-189 months for the Class C felony. He is serving his 13-16 year term at the same time as the effective life sentence he is now serving for the killing of Cristie and Joseph Codd in 2015.
Owens pleaded guilty in 2017 to killing Cristie Schoen Codd, 38, and Joseph "J.T." Codd, 45, and their unborn child, Skylar, in March 2015. He also pleaded guilty to dismembering their remains. Owens will spend a minimum of 59.5 years to a maximum of 74.5 years in prison without the possibility of parole, according to a plea deal.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.