Transcript for Case 279: Zebb Quinn

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. 18-year-old Azeb Quinn started working part-time at the Hendersonville Road Walmart store in Asheville, North Carolina, as it means to make money during high school. He enjoyed the job so much that he ended up staying on after graduation. Zab had a learning disorder which had caused some difficulties in school and it always struggled to fit in. But at Walmart, he's friendly nature, strong work ethic and dependability, in short he was well-liked by his co-workers. Zab had earned a reputation as a valued member of the electronics department team. On days where he wasn't rusted on, he often stopped by the store just to drop breakfast off to his colleagues. Zab's mum joked that he spent more time at Walmart than he did at home. In the two and a half years Zab had been working there, he'd never once called in sick. Zab's supervisor, Patty Andrick, was particularly fond of the 18-year-old. Despite their age difference, the two got along well. Every morning, Zab called Patty at work, just a chat, and make sure he'd done everything Patty needed him to do. Patty was therefore puzzled when she received a phone call from Zerb's mother Denise on Monday, January 3, 2000, asking if she knew where Zerb could be. Denise said that her son hadn't returned home after he's shift the previous night, and she was getting worried. Patty hadn't seen or heard from Zerb since he clocked off around 9pm. She told Denise she'd contact her right away if she heard anything. the following day of Tuesday, January 4, Zeb was rusted to work the afternoon shift at Walmart. His family hoped he'd show up safe and well with a worthwhile explanation for his brief disappearance. At around 2pm, Patty Andrick was manning the electronics desk when the phone rang. Hi, this is Zeb, the caller said. I won't be in today. Patty knew Zeb's voice well. She didn't know who the caller was, but she was certain of one thing. It wasn't Zeb Quinn. Denise Quinn was incredibly close with her son, Zeb, whom she affectionately described as a mama's boy. After finishing high school, he willingly chose to remain living at home with his mother, just the two of them. Zeb's parents had divorced when he was a toddler, and his older sister had recently gotten married and moved in with her husband. Zep didn't have many close friends he's own age to talk to, but he never hesitated to confide in his mother. So when Zep failed to return home from work on the night of Sunday, January 2, 2000, the niece sensed something was wrong. He usually came straight home, and if he didn't, he always contacted his mother to let her know where he was and what he was doing. Denise told herself that Zep had probably just stopped off somewhere to play Paul, and you found hobby of his. His father, who owned a bar across town, had recently given him his own Paul Q, and Zep was eager to use it. Zep didn't have a mobile phone, but he took his page up with him everywhere. A popular telecommunications device at the time, a call to a page up would deliver digital message for that person, typically in the form of a phone number. This would alert the user that someone was trying to reach them. Over the following hours, Denise page to Zeb several times. He didn't respond. After a night of broken sleep, Denise spent all of Monday calling Zeb's friends and relatives. No one had heard from him or had any idea where he could be. When he still hadn't gotten in touch with that evening, Denise called the police to report her son missing. As Zeb was 18 years old, he was free to come and go as he pleased. They reassured Denise he was likely just out, doing what teenage boys do, and would show up soon. When Zeb's work supervisor Patty Andrick received a call on Tuesday afternoon from an unfamiliar male claiming to be Zeb, she sprung into action. Patty began asking the call-up work-related questions that only Zeb would know the answers to. The caller stumbled to respond before abruptly ending the call. Had he immediately dialed star 69. In the United States, this call returned feature automatically redials the last number that called through to a phone line. A woman answered. Volvo construction equipment, she said. How may I help you? Zeb Quinn had no connection to the Volvo plant, but one of his Walmart co-workers did. 22-year-old Robert Owens, who went by his middle name of Jason, worked part-time at both businesses. Colleagues had seen Zeb and Jason talking to one another just before Zeb clocked off on the night he disappeared. Zeb was in the market to buy a new car. Jason said he knew of one for sale that Zeb might be interested in, After learning about the call made to Patty Andrick, police officers went to speak to Jason Owens. He told them that after Zeb finished work on Sunday night, the pair mad in the Walmart parking lot. The car Jason thought Zeb might like was a Mitsubishi eclipse. It was parked out on Lester Highway, roughly 15 miles north. Jason had offered to drive out to show Zeb where it was. Zeb agreed. He got into his light blue Mazda Prodigy and tailed Jason's Ford pickup truck. The two made a quick stop at a gas station on Hendersonville Road to grab a drink before hitting the road. According to Jason, a few minutes later, Zab started flushing his headlights. Taking this as a sign to pull over, Jason stopped on Long Sholes Road, just around the corner from a high school. Zeb pulled up behind him and said he'd just received a page and had to make a call. He asked to Jason if he had a cell phone he could use. Jason didn't. Zeb said he was going to find a pay phone and would be back shortly. Jason told the police that he waited for 10 minutes before Zeb's master reappeared. By this point, it was around 930 pm. As Zeb pulled up behind Jason's truck, he bumped into the back of it. According to Jason, Zeb was frantic. In an obvious rush, he apologized and offered to pay for any damage, but said he needed to cancel their plans. He'd just received another page and had to leave right away. With that, Jason watched as Zeb's master disappeared from view. According to Jason, he had no idea that Zerb never returned home after that. Outside of work, the pair occasionally played Paul and went fishing together, but they weren't close friends. Jason said he therefore thought nothing of it when Zerb called him on Tuesday morning, asking if he'd do him a favor by calling in sick on his behalf. Police obtained at the CCTV footage from the gas station on Hendersonville Road, At 9.14 pm on Sunday, January 2, the footage captured Jason Owens entering the store. Ten seconds later, Zepp Quinn entered behind him. The two young men purchased soft drinks before leaving via the same door. Two minutes later, both of their vehicles could be seen heading in the direction of Long Shoals Road, just like Jason Owens had described. For the police, Jason's story added weight to their belief that Zerb had likely left on his own accord and would show up again soon. His mother Denise wanted to believe this too, but she wasn't so sure. Not only would it be completely out of character for Zerb to take off unannounced, he hadn't taken anything with him that indicated an intention to be gone for any amount of time. When he'd left Walmart, he was still dressed in his work uniform and didn't have a coat or any other change of clothes, despite the January weather in North Carolina getting bitterly cold. Zeb also wore contact lenses, but had left his contact solution at home. Denise knew there was no way Zeb would have run away for good or considered suicide. He was a happy young man who enjoyed his life and expressed excitement about the future. He'd recently purchased a new DVD player and satellite television system, and was looking forward to setting them up. Zeb was also taking classes at the local community college, and was enrolled in the Reserve Office's training course. While he loved his job at Walmart, his dream was to one day join the armed forces as a commissioned officer. Jason Owens told police that Zeb didn't mention who had been paging him so urgently, but those who knew Zeb well had their suspicions. Denise Quinn's boyfriend, Costa, ran a dinosaur restaurant in Nashville called Costa's Kitchen. Zeb had a close relationship with Costa and often stopped by the restaurant to order his favorite menu item that she contenders. In December 1999, just weeks before he disappeared, Zeb was at cost as kitchen when he struck up a conversation with a young woman named Misty Taylor. Misty's mother worked at the restaurant alongside a Zeb's aunt. Misty and Zeb hid it off and became fast friends. But to those close to Zeb, it was obvious that his feelings went beyond to just friendship. Zeb became infatuated with 19-year-old Misty, talking about her non-stop to anyone who would listen. The two began spending more and more time together, playing pool and hanging out at the mall. The problem was, Misty was already in a long-term relationship with a man named Wesley Smith. The two had a baby together. Zeb's family and friends urged him to cut ties with Misty, but Zeb didn't listen. Misty had apparently confided in him that Wesley had a jealous streak and was abusive towards her, and Zeb was determined to help her escape the relationship. By late December, some of Zeb's co-workers noted that he seemed nervous. Wesley had found out about the pair's newfound friendship, and he wasn't happy. Word allegedly got out that Wesley and his friends warned Zeb to stay away. Zeb and Misty stayed in contact regardless, but Wesley soon found out about that too. According to one of Zeb's co-workers, on the day he went missing, he mentioned that someone had threatened his life. When Zeb had first failed to return home, Misty Taylor was one of the first people he's mother called. Misty said she hadn't heard from Zab and had no idea where he could be. According to Misty, on the night Zab disappeared, she and her boyfriend Wesley had been having dinner at her mother's house, an alabire that checked out. For Zab's loved ones, this raised the question. If Misty didn't send Zab the urgent page, then who did? As the days continued to pass with no word from Zeb, local newspapers started appealing for anyone with information to come forward. Citizens were urged to be on the lookout for the 18-year-old, who was described as 5 foot 10 and approximately 165 pounds, with grey blue eyes and short brown hair. He was driving a light blue 1990 model Mazda Prodigy Sedan, While police maintained that zeb's disappearance wasn't being treated as suspicious, Denise Quinn grew more and more concerned. At the very least, her son was out there without a coat, and she worried about how cold he could be. Denise told the Asheville citizen times, I'd just want to know my son is okay. It's just a very weird. It's too weird. Adding to the strangeness of the case, police looked into Jason Owens and discovered that on the morning of Monday, January 3, he called his supervisor at the Volvo plant to say he couldn't make it into work. He claimed he'd been in a car accident and was receiving treatment at the Urgent Care Center on Hendersonville Road. Records confirmed that Jason Owens had checked himself into the center at 9.40am, just over 12 hours after Zeb Quinn was last seen alive. He was treated for a head wound and fractured ribs, injuries that weren't consistent with Zeb Quinn rear-ending his car. When speaking to police, Jason claimed that this was a separate incident entirely. He said that several hours after his final encounter with the Zeb, he was driving past the Waffle House restaurant on Long Charles Road in the pre-dorn light when he collided with another vehicle. Police checked their records. No accident reports had been filed for the early morning hours of Monday, January 3, anywhere in the county. The injuries Jason Owens had been treated for also raised some questions, as they weren't typical for a car accident. After giving his initial statement to the police, Jason Owens refused to cooperate any further. Although his behaviour raised suspicions, there was nothing to tie him to Zep's disappearance. In fact, there was still nothing to confirm that Zep had met with foul play at all. His absence continued to be felt wholeheartedly by his loved ones. Denise Quinn couldn't ignore Zab's favorite lounge chair, which he typically kicked back on with his dog, Sam. The chair now sat empty. Sam's wimpers are constant reminder of the fact that Zab was gone. Then, on January 16, 2000, exactly two weeks to the day since Zab was last seen. Denise Quinn received a phone call. Denise worked at the Mission Hospital on McDowth Street in downtown Asheville. A younger co-worker of hers had attended the same high school as Zeb and was following the news about his disappearance. She did just passed by the Little Pig's barbecue restaurant which was adjacent to the hospital's parking lot and noticed a light blue Mazda parked there. She called Denise to let her know that it might be Zeb's Denise rushed to the little pigs parking lot. Sure enough, it was Zeb's Mazda. Zeb himself was nowhere to be seen, but one look at the vehicle told Denise that something was wrong. The headlights were on and the windows were slightly a jar. On the rear windshield, someone had used what appeared to be pink lipstick to draw a large set of lips with an exclamation mark on either side. When police arrived, they opened the cart doors to find something completely unexpected inside. A black Labrador cross puppy. The dog appeared to be approximately three months old and was completely unharmed, but nothing about her presence made sense. Zeb did an own the puppy, nor had he mentioned wanting to get one. Also inside the car were several drink bottles, a plastic hotel keycard and a man's jacket, which Denise confirmed didn't belong to her son. None of these items held any obvious significance or indicated where Zep could be. His family wondered whether he had intentionally left these clues behind to send some kind of message. Zeb's grandmother theorized that the drawing of the lips could be his way of sending kisses, and maybe he'd left the puppy there to signify that he was alive and well. One person even suggested that the puppy was a sign of guilt from whoever had dumped the car. Perhaps they felt so bad about what happened to Zeb that they left the dog to console his family. Others thought the puppy had been planted there to ensure the car didn't go unnoticed. If the abandoned vehicle hadn't sparked attention, a yapping puppy surely would. The location also raised some questions. Zab's sister Brandy also worked at the Mission Hospital. The two siblings were incredibly close. Zab often called Brandy at the home she shared with her husband and young daughter, just to tell her that he loved her. Some wondered if Zep had intentionally left the car at the little pig's restaurant because there was a higher chance that his family would find it. But the niece Quinn didn't think so. Zep knew that his mother and sister typically used the entrance at the other side of the hospital. If he wanted them to find his car, the niece felt there were better places he could have left it. When police examined the vehicle, they realized that the driver's seat had been pulled close to the steering wheel. Zeb was five foot 10 and he typically kept the seat pushed further back. With the seat positioned the way it was, there was no way he could have comfortably driven the car. Whoever it was that had driven the vehicle to the parking lot, it wasn't Zeb Quinn. The discovery of Zep's Mazda was a major breakthrough, but the clues left inside only raised more questions. The hotel keycard was just a blank white card with no information on it. It didn't include the hotel's name, a logo or guest room number. Police made inquiries with various accommodation providers, but couldn't determine where the keycard originated from. No one could figure out where the puppy had come from either. Police couldn't even be sure what had been used to draw the lips and exclamation marks on the rear windshield. It appeared to be lipstick, but one detective told ABC13 news that it could have also been paint, crayon or magic marker. Staff at the Little Pig's restaurant recalled that the Mazda hadn't been parked there the evening before it was found. This, along with the well-being of the puppy, mentored at only being abandoned hours before it was discovered. There wasn't a single piece of evidence to indicate fell play. Nor was there anything to suggest that Zeb had voluntarily run away. The Asheville Police Captain told reporters that they couldn't decide whether the car turning up was a good or bad sign. Speaking to the Asheville citizen times, he commented. It's hard to say what this indicates. If anybody saw that car anywhere, they should let me know. The next day, a couple came forward to report that a few days prior to the car being found, they'd seen a woman driving it around downtown Asheville. The woman appeared to be around 25 to 30 years old with wavy light brown hair. The couple agreed to help put together a composite sketch of the driver. When police saw it, they couldn't deny the similarities it bore to Misty Taylor. Misty was questioned, but she denied having driven Zab's car and maintained that she had no idea where he was or what happened to him. With a solid alibi and no concrete evidence to suggest she knew otherwise, police hit a dead end, Zab's family hired a private detective, but he too remained baffled by the presence of Zab's vehicle, telling Spin Magazine. It goes against all reason of criminality for the car to be here. It's just a common sense. You don't just go riding around in a car that 1,000 police officers and 70,000 people are looking for. The mysterious reappearance of Zab's car led to an increase in media attention and tips continued to come in. Police explored each one, but nothing substantial emerged. Zab's co-workers at Walmart rallied behind the Quinn family by pinning yellow ribbons to their work uniforms, a symbol of hope for Zab's safe return. A poster with the Zeb's picture detailing his last known movements was displayed at the front of the store, urging customers to come forward if they had any information that could help with the investigation. Walmart's staff even opened a fundraising account to help Denise pay for her independent search efforts and encouraged customers to donate to the fund. Zeb's father, Jerry Quinn, refused to give up hope that his son was still alive. The two hadn't spent much time together during Zep's childhood, but they'd recently rekindled their relationship. Jerry was certain Zep would contact him on his birthday. Jerry spent the entire day by the phone, but the date passed with no word from Zep. The longer Zep remained missing, the more the room it mills swung into overdrive. Locals began considering all kinds of outlandish theories, none of which held any merit. The private investigator hired by the Quinn family told journalist Brett Forest for spin magazine. I have checked everything I can possibly think of, gangs, witchcraft, drugs, deviant sexual behavior, and I can't come up with an explanation for the lips on the back of the car. It took a while before police were able to access the records for Zeb's Pager. Looking through the data from the night he disappeared, it seemed that Jason Owens had been telling the truth. Zeb had indeed received a page just a few minutes after the two of them left the gas station. The number was traced to the apartment of Inaurostitch. Zeb's paternal aunt. Police went to speak with Inaur. She vehemently denied having ever pageed a zeb and said she wasn't even home on the nighting question. She'd been eating dinner at her friend Tamara Taylor's house. The two women worked together at Costas Kitchen, the restaurant owned by Denise Quinn's boyfriend. Coincidentally, the police already knew about this dinner. Tamara Taylor was misty Taylor's mother. It was this dinner that both Misty and her boyfriend Wesley Smith had attended on the night's Zeb went missing, thus giving them both air-tight alibis. The problem was, Ina Rustich lived alone, and she said no one else had a key to her apartment. So how could Zeb have received a page from her phone? According to Winner, when she returned home after Tamara's dinner, it seemed that someone had broken into her apartment. Nothing appeared to be missing, but various items were out of place, and the phone had been moved to a different part of the house. Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Case file to continue to deliver quality content. Police checked Inaaster's phone records and discovered that three minutes after Zeb Quinn received the page from Ina's number, someone called her apartment. The number was traced to the home of Ina's brother, Jerry Quinn, Zeb's father. But Jerry strongly denied making the call to Ina's apartment on the night that Zeb disappeared. Like Ina, he claimed he wasn't even home at the time. Jerry owned a bar in Ashfield's built more village area, and he'd been working on the night in question. He told the Ashfield citizen times, I didn't make no call. I don't know who could have done that. Police considered whether Zeb could have made the call to one his house from his father's apartment. But Jerry lived roughly seven miles north from the location on Long Shull's Road, where Jason Owens claimed to Zeb left him to return the urgent page. The call to one as a parliament was placed to just three minutes after Zeb received the page. That wouldn't have given him enough time to drive to Jerry's place and make the call. It also wouldn't make sense for him to do so, given there were plenty of payphones in the area. Ina Arstich's phone records also revealed that in the day's following Zeb's disappearance, several other calls had been made from her apartment at times when she wasn't at home. On one of those days, she claimed she returned home to find a picture had fallen off the wall and a broken. Ina was subject to a polygraph test, which she passed. Outside of the unexplained page to Zeb, there was nothing to connect her with the case. Regardless, some continued to suspect she knew more about Zeb's whereabouts than she was letting on. Unfounded rumours, World, that she could have been helping to hide her nephew. Jerry Quinn told Spin magazine that he'd threatened his sister. Warning, if I find you hiding something, I swear to God I will cripple you for life. Every time you get up and hobble, you'll think about me. You're my family, but he's my baby." I know was destroyed by this, and a swore she didn't know anything. Nevertheless, Jerry told Spin, something makes me feel pretty weird about her. Unable to handle the scrutiny, Ina moved into state. She told the Asheville citizen times she had no idea what happened to Zeb, stating I could never do anything to harm a hair on that boy's head. I love him. I'm just like everyone else. I want to know what happened. By the time Zeb Quinn had been missing for seven months, police had followed up on approximately 150 leads. They'd even take in seriously two separate reports from local women who claimed to have psychic visions in which Zeb was dead and buried. One of the women claimed that the murder weapon had been thrown into Lake Julian near Longsholls Road and took police out on a fruitless search for it. Denise Quinn continued to do all she could to find her son, handing out missing person flyers, speaking to reporters, and searching for his face among crowds. Locals were reminded of Denise's heartache every time they drove by a billboard in town she'd paid for, which read. Zab, lots of people love you and miss you. Honey, where are you? I miss you so much. Love mum. with no confirmed sightings and zeb's bank account and social security number remaining untouched, investigators came to the conclusion that zeb had most likely been the victim of a homicide. If so, they believed that the killer didn't act alone. One police spokesperson said, just the mechanics of killing someone and disposing of the body would lead us to believe more than one person had to be involved While they remained open to the possibility that Zeb could still be alive, they'd uncovered no reason to suggest that he left a voluntarily. The Quinn family considered whether Zeb could have gotten into a scuffle with someone that had gotten out of hand. He could be naive and it was possible that he was placed in a difficult situation that he didn't know how to get out of. Denise Quinn told The Ashfield Citizen Times, I'm angry at the people here who know something, but who won't say anything. I just need to know whether he's dead or alive. I just need to know whether I should grieve or wish him well. If someone would just drop us in anonymous notes or tell us where he's buried, I just want to be able to find some peace. One detective told the Higiri Daily Record, It's very frustrating. You feel for the parents and wish you could give them an answer. Sometimes you get a case that they're just aren't any answers too. The one year anniversary of Zeb's disappearance came and went with the $15,000 reward for information going on claimed. Zeb had missed Christmas, his favorite holiday, and the birth of his second niece. further adding to the belief that he was no longer alive. Denise Quinn had since got engaged to her boyfriend, Costa, and it broke her heart that Zeb wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle. Denise had no doubt that someone in town knew something they refused to disclose. She told the Asheville citizen times, somebody had his car and if nothing else, they know where they got it. Even if they found it abandoned, they know where it was, and it could be the one thing that would help. Zeb's father, Jerry, blamed police incompetence for the lack of progress in his son's case. The Asheville Police Department was only small, and officers lacked the experience and resources required for a case of this magnitude. Jerry was convinced that Misty Taylor's boyfriend Wesley Smith had something to do with the Zeb's disappearance. While local suspicion remained against Misty and Wesley, many believed there was a more obvious culprit. Jason Owens Not only was he the last person seen with the Zeb, the fact that he'd called Walmart pretending to be Zeb was a detail many couldn't get past. Jason continued to not cooperate with the police and spoke publicly about the case only once, telling Spin Magazine. I was totally in the wrong place at the wrong time. If just one thing different would have happened, I wouldn't be in the middle of it. But I'm in the middle of it. Stuck here until somethings figured out. Locals weren't the only ones suspicious of Jason Owens. Police also couldn't shake the feeling that he was involved in Zeb's disappearance in some way. During the course of their investigation, intriguing information had emerged. As detailed in the documentary, a good kid, police records revealed that on the morning Zeb went missing. Jason Owens' mother had called the county sheriff's department. The call placed at 7 a.m. was to report that her own son was missing. She'd become worried that Jason had failed to return home after going out the night before. With all this information combined, police felt they had enough evidence to establish probable cause. In February 2001, 13 months after Zeb's disappearance, a judge issued a warrant for officers to draw hair blood and saliva samples from Jason Owens. While they didn't necessarily have any samples to compare them against, at least they now had them on fire. But by late October 2002, almost three years had passed. There hadn't been a single breakthrough in the Zebra Quinn case. In the early hours of Tuesday, October 29, Ashville Police Officer Diana Loveland was driving along into state 240 on her way back to the station when she saw a pickup truck hurdling down the highway. Suspecting the driver was intoxicated, Officer Loveland flashed her lights and signaled for them to pull over. Instead, the driver picked up speed. With officer Lovelin to giving chase and calling for backup, the pickup truck eventually exited onto Long Shoals Road. Maintaining speeds of over 80 miles per hour, the driver suddenly raised a gun and began shooting out the window. Then, after speeding through an intersection, the vehicle hit a mailbox and flipped. The driver was none other than 24-year-old Jason Owens. Jason was treated in hospital for several days before being arrested on nine charges related to the high-speed chase, including alluding arrest and assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. He ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months in prison. Police refused to say whether Jason Owens was questioned further about Zep Quinn as part of the car chase investigation. But a healthcare professional recommended he seek treatment for alcohol abuse. Two months later, in December 2002, cadets from the Reserve Office's training core unit that Zep had been part of surprised his family with a memorial service in Zep's honor. With the three-year anniversary of his disappearance approaching, they wanted Zerbs loved ones to know that his case hadn't been forgotten. Denise held back tears as she was presented with a photo of her son in a memory book that cadets had put together. The ambiguous loss no easier to live with despite the years that had passed. As time war on, offices spoke to criminal profilers, searched the various areas with cadaver dogs, and followed up on all reported sightings to no impact. 2007 marked the seventh year of the investigation. That year, in April, new evidence emerged that allowed police to get a search warrant for Jason Owens property. He lived with his wife on Owens Cove Road, a remote dead end stretch in Lester, roughly 14 miles from downtown Asheville. Over the years, Jason continued to rack up criminal convictions, receiving charges for distributing prescription drugs and being in possession of stolen goods. Police wouldn't tell the media what the new evidence was, simply commenting, we hope we can further the investigation. we are leaving no stone unturned. Officers also sought help from Necro search, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping law enforcement uncover clandestine graves and other evidence. They used aerial photography and ground penetrating radar to search Jason's expansive wooded property. Nothing of interest was found. in the two years that followed, police started reinvestigating Zeb's disappearance from scratch. They obtained DNA from Misty Taylor and Wesley Smith, who had collectively been questioned nine times since January 2000. Police made it clear that neither Misty nor Wesley were being treated as suspects, and that collection of their DNA was simply part of their comprehensive efforts. No new discoveries emerged, and by the tenure anniversary of Seb's disappearance in 2010, his case remained one of 23 on the Asheville Police Department's cold case list. Officers once again appeared for information in the hopes that loyalties might have changed over time. A tearful Denise Quinn told the Asheville citizen times, Basically, all of us are, to a point, stuck on that day when zeb disappeared. With no sense of what happened to him or where his remains were, Denise said, just not having anything is torture. It doesn't go away. She wrote an open letter to the people of Asheville, saying, For now, until someone realizes it has been way too long and calls in some information to help us, all we can do is wait, day by day, to hear that the police have finally gotten the break they need to answer our prayers. By the start of 2015, 15 years had passed with no answers for Zab's loved ones. Despite the case receiving national coverage when it was featured on an episode of investigation discoveries disappeared program. Zab's disappearance had become somewhat of an urban legend. It continued to be talked about from time to time, and locals hold on to their theories. But it had mostly faded from the public consciousness. Police Sergeant Chuck Sam's was one of few reminded of the case every day. He'd been on duty on the day's EBS car was found. Chuck adopted the puppy found inside, giving her the name Katie. Katie had gone on to live a long and happy life, but she was a living reminder of the ongoing mystery. For engaged couple Christy Schellen and the JT card, the mountainous area surrounding Asheville, North Carolina seemed like the perfect place to settle down. Having both spent many years working long hours in the entertainment industry, they were excited to slow down and start a family. The two had met behind the scenes on a television show. JT, whose real name was Joseph, worked as a key grip, responsible for all non-electrical support gear on said. Christy worked as a professional caterer, leaning into skills she'd had developed having grown up in Louisiana cooking Cajun cuisine with her father. She was also an aspiring actor who did occasional work as a stunt double. In 2012, Kristi combined these two passions by appearing as a contestant on the reality television show, Food and Network Star. Although she was eliminated in the first round, her passion for food only grew stronger. When Kristi and JT decided to leave Los Angeles for North Carolina and purchase a 36-acre property on Hookers' Gap Road in Laster, they had a shared vision They'd used the property to grow their own food, which they then used to start a farm-to-table cafe. With a variety of established fruit trees on the land already, the property suited them well. A close friend of JT's told People Magazine that while the property wasn't exactly remarkable, quote, JT was making it remarkable, because that's what he did with everything. JT and Christie quickly found their place in their new community, and got married at a community centre outside of Asheville. A few months later, they shared the news with their loved ones that Christie was pregnant. When they found out they were having a girl, they decided on the name Skylar. For the newlyweds, everything was falling into place. Then on Sunday, March 15, 2015, one of their neighbours Cecilia Owens received a phone call. It was Christy's father calling from his home in Mississippi. He'd become concerned after Christy, who was five months pregnant, had failed to show up for a planned visit without any explanation. He hadn't been able to get in touch with her since. Cecilia Owens had her set for the couple in the past and had a key to their home. Christy's father asked Cecilia if she could go over and check on them. As soon as Cecilia arrived on the property, she could tell something was wrong. The couple's cars were parked in the driveway, but when she knocked on the door, nobody answered. Cecilia let herself in. Christie into JT's two pet dogs were inside, but it was clear they hadn't been tended to in a while. Christie typically kept her house in a macular condition, but the place now stunk. The dogs had defecated and urinated throughout. Cecilia knew Christie would never leave her dogs unattended, as she treated them like her babies. Christie's father called the county sheriff's department, and the deputies arrived at the couple's home to conduct a welfare check. A cursory search of the home turned up no sign of the couple, but there was evidence of a break-in. Several items appeared to be missing, but Christie and the JT's wallets were present, sparking immediate concerns for their well-being. More officers arrived to assist with the search, but with the 36-acre property encompassing valleys and mountainous woodland, searching at all would be no easy task. Word quickly spread that 45-year-old JT and 38-year-old Christy were missing, and locals were advised to contact the police with any information pertaining to their whereabouts. At 830pm, a call came through from a member of the public who wanted to report something suspicious. On a dead-end street, roughly six miles from the Shullon Cobb home, they'd seen a man throwing some items into a private residential dumpster. Investigators went to the address and retrieved several garbage bags from the dumpster. Inside were numerous items, including a bedspread, handgun, ammunition, and jewelry. There was little doubt as to who they belonged to. Not only were these items missing from the Sean Cobb household, among the belongings, was Christy's ID. But the biggest breakthrough was that the witness recognized the man they saw dumping the items. 36 year old Robert Jason Owens. Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. Thank you for listening to this episode's ads. By supporting our sponsors, you support Case file to continue to deliver quality content. At 13 AM on Monday, March 16, 2015, police arrived at Jason Owens' home on Owens' Cove Road. He lived to just one mile from Christian JT's property and was known to the couple. Jason had been one of the first people JT and Christy had met when they moved to the area. Unemployed at the time, he'd accepted JT's offer to help out with some handyman jobs on their property. Extending a hand to those in need was part of JT's nature. As a close friend of his told People Magazine, JT was an advocate for every underdog. He really took everybody under his wing who other people weren't willing to give a second look to. Json Owlons got to work, clearing trees, building a wellhouse and other such tasks. The ever-trusting JT eventually gave him a key to their storage shed and alone Tim's $7,000 so he could start his own contracting business. While his generosity had been admired in Los Angeles, it was exploited in North Carolina. A friend of the couple told People Magazine that JT's willingness to help those down on their luck led to people showing up on their doorstep asking for work or money. He described to JT as, the ATM of the mountains, a reputation that had started to worry Christy. The police placed adjacent islands under arrest for theft and took him to the station for questioning. As reported in the documentary a good kid, they had intentionally transported the dumpster to the station and left it in full view for Jason to see upon arrival. When he laid eyes on it, his physical reaction indicated he knew that the jig was up. Jason Owens immediately began talking. He told the interviewing detectives that he'd arrived at the show on cod household on Thursday March 12 to help them move JT's vehicle after it had become stuck in an nearby creek. Jason claimed that he got behind the wheel of the Dodge Ram truck and accidentally slammed his foot onto the accelerator. The vehicle sped forward, hitting both J.T. and Christie who were standing in front of it. According to Jason, he carried the badly injured Christie into the house and placed her in the living room. He tried to administer first aid, but it was no use and she soon passed away. He then went back outside, only defined that J.T. was already dead. Given that Jason was driving on a suspended licence and was taking medication that left him heavily impaired, he said he panicked at the prospect of facing more jail time. He took a JT's body back to his property where he'd burned it in a wood stove. The next day, he returned to the couple's home and dismembered a Christie's body in the shower. He then used garbage bags to transport the pieces back to his place and burned those two. Jason claimed he tried to cover the accident up as a robbery gone wrong. He stole some of the couple's belongings and sold them at local flea markets and porn stores, using the money to take his wife out for dinner. Jason also admitted to using Christie's cell phone to send text messages to some of her friends to make it look like she was still alive. The friends who received these messages had been immediately suspicious, as the texts didn't sound like Christie at all. Jason Owens reiterated that he didn't mean to hurt J.T. or Christy, insisting to the detectives. I'm not a bad guy. They were two of my best friends. They were. I loved them because they loved me. J.T. and Christy didn't have friends. They had family. And adjust like that. I was part of their family. It was true that the couple had treated Jason with nothing but kindness. He'd even attended their wedding, where he stood out to the other guests like a sore thumb. One guest, a later told people magazine. There was a gut feeling when I looked at this guy, and I avoided him. This was one person I definitely did not want to meet. A search of Jason Owen's property turned up enough evidence for police to charge him with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of murder of an unborn child. If convicted, he faced the death penalty. Jason was denied bail as the investigation continued. Then, in the early morning hours of Friday, March 20, four days after Jason Owens was taken into custody. Panicked calls started coming through to 911. One call I told the dispatcher to send fire and to law enforcement to Owens' co-vroad immediately, exclaiming. Somebody sitting fires to everything up here on this mountain. The first responders arrived at Jason Owens' property to find a mobile home that sat roughly 50 yards from his primary place of residence up in flames. By the time the blaze was extinguished, the entire trailer had been burned to the ground. Arson investigators confirmed that the fire was suspicious, but they wouldn't say what had caused it. Investigators on the show and cod case declined to confirm whether the wood oven stove Jason used to corroborate his victim's remains had been located inside the mobile home. Jason Owens was behind bars at the time of the blaze, which raised the question, who started the fire and why. Theories began to circulate that Jason could have had an accomplice within his family who was trying to destroy evidence. But there was a more pressing question on everyone's lips. With the Jason Owens now charged with murder, what did this mean for the Zeb Quinn investigation? If he was capable of committing one brutal crime, did this also mean he'd committed the other? The Asheville Police Department confirmed that Jason's arrest was a significant event for their investigation into Zeb's disappearance. In a statement, Zab's mother Denise asked the public, and not to overshadow Christy Schalen and JT Cod's heartbreaking deaths, with statements posts and questions about her son. Quote. We acknowledge and appreciate the abundant support we have always received from our friends and community, and trust you will all give the Cod Schalen families the same gift. Denise told reporters for the Asheville Citizen Times that while she viewed the show on Cobb murders as totally separate from Zab's case, quote, I'm hopeful with what Jason Owens is facing, eventually whatever information he may have been holding back, he may decide to go ahead and let it go. But if Jason Owens intended to reveal anything about Zab's disappearance, someone else beat him to it, Ten days after Jason's arrest, he's uncle, Jean Owens, contacted the police on his own volition. Having heard how his nephew had disposed of JT and Christie's bodies, Jean told the police. Maybe that's what happened to Zeb. Jean told the police that back in 1999 there was an area on Jason Owens property that Jason had dug out to burn things in. Something Jean claimed Jason loved to do. The pit was approximately 8 feet long and 8 feet wide. Sometime after January 2000, the month that Zep Quinn went missing, Jason allegedly filled the area with concrete, explaining that he was going to turn it into a fish pond instead. He then abandoned the project and covered the concrete with dirt instead. With that, a warrant was granted for police to search the property for zebs who remains. Several areas were excavated and the police managed to find fabric leather materials, unknown hard fragments, and several plastic bags filled with white powder. Samples were tested, but they revealed no indication of bone fragments or human remains. Meanwhile, Jason Owens came forward with a story of his own. Jason claimed that his uncle, Jean, was responsible for Zab's murder and was throwing him under the bus to deflect attention from himself. After 15 years of silence, he was finally ready to tell the truth about what happened. According to Jason, on the afternoon of Sunday, January 2, 2000, Jean had asked him for a favor. Zab's crush, Misty Taylor, apparently wanted to meet with Zab without her jealous boyfriend Wesley Smith finding out. Gene asked to Jason if he could take Zeb out to Bent Creek, a forest roughly ten miles from downtown Asheville, where Misty would be camping overnight. Jason did as he was told. After Zeb finished his shift at Walmart, the two headed out in their separate cars. According to Jason, when they got to Bent Creek, they found his uncle, Gene, parked on the side of the road, They all got out, and Zeb asked the Jean where Misty was. He responded that she'd be there any minute. Zeb turned to keep an eye out, at which point Jason claimed that Jean reached into his truck, took out a 22-kilobre rifle, and shot Zeb in the back of the head. In shock and fearing that he could be next, Jason jumped back into his truck. But in his haste to speed off, he crashed into Zeb's car and his head slammed into the steering wheel. Gene ran over and assured Jason he wasn't going to hurt him. Jason asked why he shot Zeb. Gene allegedly responded that Zeb had been putting his nose somewhere he shouldn't be, and that someone needed to teach him a lesson. Jean warned Jason not to say a word to anyone, otherwise he'd go down as an accomplice to the murder. Terrified, Jason fled the scene, only to return later that night after he couldn't get to sleep. A few hundred yards from the side of the shooting, he claimed he saw a campfire burning. His uncle Jean was tending to it, and Dezeb's feet were sticking out of the flames. Jean forced Jason to stay with him overnight, where he continued to feed deserves dismembered limbs to the fire. Once his remains were cremated, Jean put out the fire with water from the creek and scattered the ashes in the surrounding forest. Jason was supposed to start work at the Volvo Plant at 6am. Their employee policy stated that if a worker didn't show up without calling in beforehand, they'd lose their job. Jean therefore told Jason to go to urgent care for the injuries he sustained when crashing into Zab's car, as this would give him a valid reason for not showing up at work. To scared to speak out about what happened, Jason claimed he kept this to himself for 15 years. All the while wishing he could tell Zab's family the truth about what happened. As for Zeb's Mazda reappearing at the little pig's barbecue restaurant, Jason claimed this was as much of a mystery to him as anyone else. While Jason Owens gave this account to police, his uncle, Jean Owens, was interviewed in another room. Jean admitted to owning several firearms, most of which were 22 caliber rifles, but he claimed to know nothing about what happened to Zeb Quinn, Sensing his nephew might have implicated him, Jean told the detectives that anything Jason Owens said was a lie. Investigators weren't willing to take any chances. They headed out to Bent Creek, a densely vegetated area in Piska National Forest, known for its network of hiking trails, taking Jason Owens with them. Nothing of interest was found. If Jason's version of events was to be believed, this wasn't surprising given the amount of time that it passed. Investigators remained skeptical. Firstly, the way Jason claimed his uncle had disposed of Zeb's remains, bore remarkable similarities to the way he himself had disposed of J.T. and Christie's bodies. He'd also admitted to posing as Christy in text to her friends, just like he'd been caught doing in the phone call to Walmart just days after Zab's disappearance. In addition, investigators found inconsistencies in Jason Owens' story that cast doubt on its credibility. They therefore declined to speak with him any further about the matter. But at the same time, somewhere perplexed by his admission, Jason had announced for anything in exchange for his story, such as leniency of any kind in the Shaolin Cobb murders or immunity in Seb Quinn's case. So if his version of events wasn't true, why make it up? Jason Owens defense team investigated their client's claims. Jason agreed to undergo a polygraph test in which he stuck to his story that he watched his uncle, Jean Hollins, shoot Zeb Quinn and burn his remains. The test showed no signs of deception. According to documents released by the defense, the police declined to disclose what alleged inconsistencies they found in Jason's story. Nor did they give him a chance to address these inconsistencies. The defense team looked into Gene Owens' background and found that he'd hovered suspiciously close to the Zeb Quinn disappearance. According to their findings, when Jason Owens was arrested for the high-speed chase back in 2002, Gene appeared at his hospital bedside and cautioned the police not to ask his nephew anything about the Quinn matter. The defense also highlighted the questionable timing in which Gene Owens came forward with details about the fish pond on the Owens property. Their findings revealed that the so-called fish pond had actually been dug up and turned into a retaining wall years before Zeb's disappearance. Information that Gene was well aware of as far as the defense were concerned, with the Jason Owens arrested for the show on carbon murders. Gene was likely nervous that his nephew would finally be forthcoming with the truth about what happened to Zeb. He therefore crafted the fish pond a story to misdirect the investigation and to further discredit Jason. There was also the lingering question of who set the fire to the trailer on the Owens' property. Jason and Jean had lived on the same property for many years. Did someone other than Jason know something and feel compelled to destroy evidence? Jason's lawyers defended his decision to remain silent for so long, citing a combination of fear of his uncle, and the fear that his story wouldn't be believed, a concern they found valid. According to court documents, a former detective for the Asheville Police Department had confided in one of the defense lawyers, saying, Asheville Police had tunnel vision about the Zepquin matter. They wanted to believe that Jason Owens killed Zep, and they did not want to consider any other possibility. The district attorney allegedly told the defense team that they were prioritizing the investigation into JT and Christie's murders, and would address the quinn matter once the other case was closed. Their main roadblock with the shell and cod case was that Jason Owens had done such a thorough job of cramating their remains that investigators couldn't determine how the couple and their unborn child were killed. While they didn't believe a word of Jason's story about the car accident, with no contradicting evidence to suggest otherwise, they felt the version of events he'd given was the closest they'd ever get to knowing what really happened. In April 2017, and just over two years after J.T. Christie and Baby Skyler were killed, Jason Owens accepted a deal. Maintaining the deaths had been an accident, he pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder, and two counts of dismembering human remains. In exchange, the death penalty was taken off the table, and he was sentenced to a minimum of 59 years, and a maximum of 74, without the possibility of parole. A statement released by the District Attorney said, Because there are no surviving witnesses and adjacent islands had exclusive control of the crime scene for several days, and he had nearly completed the gruesome project of committing his victims' remains, we will never know many of the facts surrounding the deaths. JT and Christie's loved ones had mixed feelings about the plea deal. While they were relieved that Jason Owens had been held accountable and would be removed from society, they felt there was no punishment that fit his crime. In a statement, Christy's family said, We can only hope that he suffers for the remainder of his life on earth and again as he wroughts in hell. Less than two and a half months later, 66-year-old Jean Owens passed away from natural causes. He maintained his innocence in Seb Quinn's disappearance until the bitter end. Two days later, and allegedly with no warning given to his lawyers, Jason Owens was formally charged with the first-degree murder of Seb Quinn. He maintained that his uncle Jean was the real killer, but with the Jean now gone, and a 17 years passing since Seb's disappearance, it was Jason's word against a dead man. One key element remained unclear. Gene Owens had no known link to Zeb Quinn, his crush, Misty Taylor, or her boyfriend to Wesley Smith. As such, Gene had no reason to lure Zeb out to the forest under the guise of having a rendezvous with Misty, just to murder him. As revealed in the documentary, a good kid, Jason claimed to know the missing piece of the puzzle. and that missing piece was a man named Adam Wright. According to Jason, it was Adam Wright who introduced his uncle Jean to Wesley Smith. While Jason didn't know the circumstances of their relationship, he assumed that Wesley had told Jean about Zerbs unwanted affection towards Misty. Jean had agreed to remove Zerb from the picture. In a prison interview, Jason told the producers of a good kid that the motive had to be money. He said. Gene never told me, but he got something out of it. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't. This story raised one more problem. Adam Wright had passed away from a drug overdose in 2010. There was no one left to vouch for Jason Owens' version of events. Law enforcement remained unconvinced by Jason's assertions, but there was no physical evidence to confirm otherwise. Without something to present to a jury, they knew that securing a murder conviction would be a challenge. Eventually, in July 2022, prosecutors and deserves family agreed to a plea deal. Jason Owens pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact of first-degree murder in exchange for an additional 13 years in prison. The District Attorney acknowledged that while many unanswered questions remained, at least the plea brought some form of closure to the Quinn family after over two decades of not knowing for sure if Zab was alive or dead. In a statement, the District Attorney said, While we may never know the fool truth these many years after Zeb's disappearance, my sympathies are with the family and all who have suffered as a result. Although Misty Taylor and Wesley Smith were questioned by investigators several times over the years, they have never been formally considered persons of interest in Zeb Quinn's disappearance. The mysterious page is ever received from his aunt's house on the night of his murder has never been explained. Some believe that the police were too focused on Jason Owens from the get-go, and that a more resourceful police department could have done a better job of exploring other leads, especially given the many clues left behind in Serbs abandoned vehicle. Who left the car there, and why, is a question that will likely never be answered? Jason Allen's lawyer told the documentary her good kid, QUOTE. Gene Allen's was the killer. We don't doubt that. Gene Allen's was the killer, and he's dead. And whatever the arrangements were for Gene to kill Zebb Quinn, those people have never been charged. Others believe that Jason Allen's is a compulsive liar who acted alone. Whatever the truth, it's a commonly held belief that if Jason hadn't been caught for the murders of J.T. Christie and their unborn child, Zeb Quinn's case would likely still be unsolved. Some have criticized the courts for accepting Jason Owens' plea deals in both cases. Given that prosecutors didn't fully believe he's version of events, it raises the question of whether or not justice has truly been served for his victims. Christie's family are convinced that Jason didn't act alone in JT and Christie's death see-through. In their statement after his plea deal was accepted, they said. Although we know deep down that others in his family hold responsibility for these heinous murders, there is not much we can do in terms of justice for them. We will attempt to heal and let go of some of the anger that we still have. We also have to say that we are so lucky to have met some of the most wonderful people through this tragedy. Those people are the family of Zeb Quinn. This family deserves just as much healing, peace and closure as we do. And we can only hope they get a little bit of that. The Quinn family asked for privacy in the wake of Jason Owens plea deal, but at his hearing, Zab's mother Denise spoke about her son's belief that you should always try to see the best in people. She reflected on a time when Zab was in high school, and she wasn't happy about some of the people he chose to hang around with. Denise warned her son that he would be judged by the company he kept. She told the court, quote, Zab looked back at me and said, They have done nothing wrong to me and have done nothing wrong around me, and I will continue to be their friend. This is the young man that was taken from his family, friends, community, and the world. This is a young man that never would have seen his end coming. This is the young man who trusted his friend. Jason,