( CNN ) A North Carolina man facing murder charges in the death of a `` Food Network Star '' contestant had human remains in his woodstove , authorities say . Robert Jason Owens is accused of killing former contestant Cristie Schoen Codd , 38 , and her husband , Joseph Codd , 45 . Cristie Codd was five months pregnant , according to CNN affiliate WHNS in Greenville , South Carolina . Owens was a contractor and had worked at the couple 's home in Leicester , a community 15 miles west of Asheville , authorities said Friday . Relatives reported the Codds missing Sunday after they could not reach either of them . When authorities went to their home , some things looked out of place , which prompted an investigation , according to Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan . He did not elaborate on what was unusual , but authorities had said earlier that the couple 's cars and dogs were at home . A day after they were reported missing , authorities received a call about suspicious activity around Owens ' home in Candler . `` They ( caller ) identified that someone had come out and very suspiciously had left things in a Dumpster , '' Duncan said . `` We responded and were able to locate items that we knew belonged to Cristie Schoen Codd . '' When investigators did an initial interview with Owens , he confessed to taking items from the victims ' home , authorities said . Duncan said they obtained a warrant to search Owens ' home and found human remains . `` Parts of those were recovered from a woodstove at that residence , '' Duncan said . Those remains , he said , are undergoing a forensic analysis to determine whether they belong to the Codds . In addition to the remains , Owens ' wife told investigators that her husband confessed to killing Joseph Codd , according to the sheriff . Duncan declined to provide details on the motive or whether the suspect confessed to killing Cristie Schoen Codd as well . `` From that point , there 's not really a whole lot of detail we can get into , '' he said , citing an ongoing investigation . Owens faces various charges , including two counts of first-degree murder , murder of an unborn child and breaking and entering , according to WHNS . It said Owens allegedly broke into the couple 's house and stole a laptop , gun and jewelry , citing investigators . It 's unclear who his attorney is . Cristie Codd was a finalist on season eight of `` Food Network Star , '' which airs on the Food Network .
Cristie and Joseph Codd were reported missing Sunday . The couple was last seen leaving a home in the town of San Juan Capistrano, about 20 miles south of Los Angeles.