OH - Spencer and Monique Tepe found shot to death at home 2 children unharmed, Columbus, 30 December 2025

[arielilane]

New Details Emerge in Mysterious Deaths of Ohio Dentist and Wife​

There are new questions surrounding the murders of Ohio dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife Monique after NBC News obtained audio of a 911 callback that occurred at the home eight months before the murders took place. The early morning call, which featured a woman’s voice, is adding to the growing mystery of the murders as the family tells NBC News it is “clearly not Monique’s voice.” The new details come as police continue to search for a person of interest seen in surveillance footage in the alley near the Tepe residence around the time of the murders on Dec. 30. NBC’s Erin McLaughlin reports for TODAY.

 

[calmdownjudy]

I have to agree. They knew something. They were aware of some danger/threat. Esp if coworker drove from that far away- that early in the morning.

I assume that his coworker was driving ST's route to see if ST had been in a car accident on the way to work. JMO.

 

[MesquiteO21]

I'm surprised that anyone finds this odd. He doesn't call or text. He's a dentist and has patients waiting. On that day, he's the lead dentist, with the owner away in Florida. He's responsible and known for being on time, and the people he works with find this completely out of character and inexplicable. He doesn't respond to texts or calls when it becomes obvious that he's late. His emergency contact is his wife, who also doesn't respond. And he's an hour and a quarter from the dental office. What are the options?

i think it might help for those of us not in dental/medical fields to realize that there can be serious consequences for what could be considered "patient abandonment". so this isn't just an office where if you're late/no show your co-workers have to pick up the slack; licensure and the business could really be at stake. it makes more sense it would be the boss/owner to call in and rather quickly because if it ever did come up as "patient abandonment" they'd at least have record of them taking action to show that patient abandonment wasn't the intent.

EDIT to say: i also wouldn't expect a call to 911 to explain that 'hey we're worried about possibly getting reprimanded for patient abandonment'; it's easier to just say this is completely out of character for him and he had an appointment

MOO

 

[plumloco]

How did the friend who found the body get into the house? TIA

I'm interested in knowing this also.

 

[armchairagatha]

Good summary of events so far:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/07/us/spencer-monique-tepe-killings-timeline

The timeline is interesting. There is a good ten minutes between the time the friends arrived and the police arrived the 2nd time. Enough time for someone to dispose off the murder weapon (if it was murder-suicide). The police are tight lipped about what they have found so far so we have no idea what forensics found. But MOO, murder suicide is more likely than swingers and other wild theories people are now proposing. Hopefully the police release the investigation report once they have all the reports in. It does look like they have a theory they are working on and collecting evidence on since they don’t appear to be asking for new public help or even answering any questions about the POI.

 

[justtrish]

I'm surprised that anyone finds this odd. He doesn't call or text. He's a dentist and has patients waiting. On that day, he's the lead dentist, with the owner away in Florida. He's responsible and known for being on time, and the people he works with find this completely out of character and inexplicable. He doesn't respond to texts or calls when it becomes obvious that he's late. His emergency contact is his wife, who also doesn't respond. And he's an hour and a quarter from the dental office. What are the options?

I agree and I actually find it odd that so many think it's odd to call so soon.

Imagine you are the patient waiting for a dental procedure. You arrive at 745 for an 8am appointment and it's now 9am and you have work or some other obligation to get to at some point and nobody knows where the dentist is. It's one thing for a dentist to be running behind on patients, but a dentist who isn't even at work yet and isn't ansering a phone and neither is his wife.

What were they going to tell the patients? Sorry we will reschedule, what if he walked in 5 minutes later?

Now imagine the office is full of people that need to see that dentist and there is no other dentist to see patients in his place. The entire office is now at a standstill because patients are there and nobody can see them.

IMO

 

[wibbleflea]

i think it might help for those of us not in dental/medical fields to realize that there can be serious consequences for what could be considered "patient abandonment". so this isn't just an office where if you're late/no show your co-workers have to pick up the slack; licensure and the business could really be at stake. it makes more sense it would be the boss/owner to call in and rather quickly because if it ever did come up as "patient abandonment" they'd at least have record of them taking action to show that patient abandonment wasn't the intent.

MOO

I hadn't seen it from that point of view but it makes sense.

I have family who are medical and patient-facing and I do think it's a different kind of field even from other customer-facing work, including the things I do. People would be less alarmed if I were late for a call or client visit, but people whose job it is to look after the health of others, including performing emergency work for patients experiencing pain, are a bit different and have a different attitude. If he had a problem making it to work, his colleagues would have heard from him or his wife.

 

[alexwood]

From my understanding wasn't the office a 3 hour commute? Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I think it was a 2.5 hour round-trip commute. So, 1 hr. 15 min. one way.

 

[ttjo]

Even if the officers had initially responded to the correct address, they still would not have seen anything. The bodies were on the second floor in the master bedroom. Now, maybe they would have heard the voices of the children while knocking on the front and back doors. That would have alerted them to the fact that they had to get into the house. But, by the time they went to the correct address, Spencer's co-workers had already entered the house.

Agree, Im wondering more about the fact that they entered the house. (Im sure there will be plenty of people that will talk about what could have happened,) Im thinking more about a future trial. I guess it depends on who the killer ends up to be,

 

[fsngruv]

If there'd been any news from the first 911 call (or from the wife), perhaps. But the longer the silence, the more worrying. They lived in a very nice house but it wasn't in the best or safest of areas. MT was known to not leave the house for work. They had children. I completely get the escalating panic.

Exactly this. Can you imagine being told that someone who had such disciplined schedule like a dentist does, just simply didn't answer the door? I would be freaking out if they were my friend.

Anyway, I see a lot of dateline episodes start with welfare checks that weren't taken so seriously at first. After all, cops have protocol, but your family, friends and close business partners who have been friends for years know what's out of the ordinary...

Never mind the cops went to the wrong house at first!

 

[Cassie P]

i think it might help for those of us not in dental/medical fields to realize that there can be serious consequences for what could be considered "patient abandonment". so this isn't just an office where if you're late/no show your co-workers have to pick up the slack; licensure and the business could really be at stake. it makes more sense it would be the boss/owner to call in and rather quickly because if it ever did come up as "patient abandonment" they'd at least have record of them taking action to show that patient abandonment wasn't the intent.

EDIT to say: i also wouldn't expect a call to 911 to explain that 'hey we're worried about possibly getting reprimanded for patient abandonment'; it's easier to just say this is completely out of character for him and he had an appointment

MOO

I have been in the medical field for over 40 years. I never heard of a medical professional losing their license because one time they were late to work. Nor did the clinic owners have any threat of loss of license.

Patient abandonment is a much more serious issue. Patient abandonment is when a healthcare provider ends the patient-provider relationship without giving proper notice or arranging for alternative care resulting in harm to the patient.

 

[wibbleflea]

How did the friend who found the body get into the house? TIA

Pure speculation, based on things published in other places but entirely unconfirmed: an unlocked back door to the house. Haven't read anything official. The last-but-one 911 caller mentioned the possibility of breaking down a door. But there was no later report of a damaged door so perhaps he gained entry without the need to break a door down.

I'm curious about the bedroom door. It's said (again, unofficially) that it was locked but again, this isn't confirmed. We know from the 911 calls that the kids were up because the callers heard them. The BIL (RM) has suggested that the kids knew nothing about what had happened. If the bedroom door was locked, was it locked from the inside of the bedroom?

 

[MesquiteO21]

I have been in the medical field for over 40 years. I never heard of a medical professional losing their license because one time they were late to work. Nor did the clinic owners have any threat of loss of license.

Patient abandonment is a much more serious issue. Patient abandonment is when a healthcare provider ends the patient-provider relationship without giving proper notice or arranging for alternative care resulting in harm to the patient.

i don't have any knowledge of how it works, just had someone else tell me that so maybe it varies depending on state or something

MOO

 

[ttjo]

Pure speculation, based on things published in other places but entirely confirmed: an unlocked back door to the house. Haven't read anything official. The last-but-one 911 caller mentioned the possibility of breaking down a door. But there was no later report of a damaged door so perhaps he gained entry without the need to break a door down.

I'm curious about the bedroom door. It's said (again, unofficially) that t was locked but again, this isn't confirmed. We know from the 911 calls that the kids were up because the callers heard them. The BIL (RM) has suggested that the kids knew nothing about what had happened. If the bedroom door was locked, was it locked from the inside of the bedroom?

Meaning someone could have locked it on their way out, as in to prevent kids from getting in? If thats true , that says something. Why else would it be locked , (if it was? ) that does speak volumes doesnt it?
and how did the friends open it? If it was locked, unless it was the kind you just need a pin for. ( just thinking about the no obvious signs of forced entry, but if you only need a pin …I can open those in 3 seconds lol
Im curious why on the 911 calls after he said he saw a body he was saying Oh my god, like he was startled? Maybe he just got back to his friends and was reporting ?

 

[wibbleflea]

Meaning someone could have locked it on their way out, as in to prevent kids from getting in?

Yes, if it was locked, it would have been to prevent the kids from getting in. But how it was locked/lockable would be significant. We'll know eventually from official sources.

 

[MesquiteO21]

I have been in the medical field for over 40 years. I never heard of a medical professional losing their license because one time they were late to work. Nor did the clinic owners have any threat of loss of license.

Patient abandonment is a much more serious issue. Patient abandonment is when a healthcare provider ends the patient-provider relationship without giving proper notice or arranging for alternative care resulting in harm to the patient.

from the ADA--
2.F. Patient Abandonment. Once a dentist has undertaken a course of treatment, the dentist should not discontinue that treatment without giving the patient adequate notice and the opportunity to obtain the services of another dentist. Care should be taken that the patient's oral health is not jeopardized in the process.

it's rather broad language, so i absolutely can see a dentist no call no show one time possibly falling into this, depending on what the appointment was for.

Nonmaleficence

This principle expresses the concept that professionals have a duty to protect the patient from harm.

www.ada.org

 

[fsngruv]

I agree and I actually find it odd that so many think it's odd to call so soon.

Imagine you are the patient waiting for a dental procedure. You arrive at 745 for an 8am appointment and it's now 9am and you have work or some other obligation to get to at some point and nobody knows where the dentist is. It's one thing for a dentist to be running behind on patients, but a dentist who isn't even at work yet and isn't ansering a phone and neither is his wife.

What were they going to tell the patients? Sorry we will reschedule, what if he walked in 5 minutes later?

Now imagine the office is full of people that need to see that dentist and there is no other dentist to see patients in his place. The entire office is now at a standstill because patients are there and nobody can see them.

IMO

You make great points! It also reminds me, many dental procedures like extractions, crowns and root canals are paid mostly up front, require insurance approval and involve more than one visit or are hours long. I'm also sure insurance requires things to be done in a certain manner/time period. Also, people fear the dentist, it's hard for patients to jump from dentist to dentist and I think insurance companies require the dentist who started the work on a claim to be the one who finishes it unless it's a referral? I'm really not sure, but at any rate, I can see why the people in the office were so concerned. Maybe it points to guilt but maybe not.

 

[Cassie P]

The timeline is interesting. There is a good ten minutes between the time the friends arrived and the police arrived the 2nd time. Enough time for someone to dispose off the murder weapon (if it was murder-suicide). The police are tight lipped about what they have found so far so we have no idea what forensics found. But MOO, murder suicide is more likely than swingers and other wild theories people are now proposing. Hopefully the police release the investigation report once they have all the reports in. It does look like they have a theory they are working on and collecting evidence on since they don’t appear to be asking for new public help or even answering any questions about the POI.

Just getting rid of the gun would not change the rest of the forensic evidence pointing to how the crime was committed. So if someone tried to stage the crime to protect the Tepes only by removing the weapon, it would be easily discovered once forensic data came in.

If the police believe it is a M/S why ask the public for help, why release a POI video, etc.

 

[armchairagatha]

Just getting rid of the gun would not change the rest of the forensic evidence pointing to how the crime was committed. So if someone tried to stage the crime to protect the Tepes only by removing the weapon, it would be easily discovered once forensic data came in.

If the police believe it is a M/S why ask the public for help, why release a POI video, etc.

They haven’t asked for help or released any new videos for the past few days. It may have taken a couple of days to get that initial forensic data.

 

[calmdownjudy]

Dbm