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

[ElizaKate]

Been watching for a couple of days. Personally I'm leaning towards this turning out to be an armed robbery gone wrong rather than someone known to S+M.

• Perp gains entry*
• Perp heads to master bedroom seeking a safe/valuables
• Spencer tries to protect Monique putting himself in between her and the perp.
• Stand off or attempt to disarm ensues and shots fired
• Spencer receives more shots than Monique due to his positioning rather than being the target of an pre planned killing
• Killer leaves without taking anything because a planned robbery has turned into a double murder, or the children are crying as they've been woken up by the noise which spooks perp.

The only piece that I'm querying is the fact the 911 caller only states seeing Spencer's body. But we only have access to a clip not the whole call. Quite possible the rest of it was too harrowing to release sadly.

*House was built in 2000 and there's a video on YouTube on someone opening their Yale door lock with a paper clip dated 2013. Quite possible the fitted lock system (present in the house listing photos) isn't as secure as one might think. This, in addition to other owners upthread reporting faults on their own electronic door locks.

Just a theory and MOO.

 

[Izzylizzy]

And I think there are only 3 dentists in that office according to their website, one was on vacation and the other is MIA, that left one dentist . I can see the mayhem that might cause.

LOl
I was right behind you in thought,

 

[stmichael]

This is true. We know very little.

We know little about a lot of things, but we have a lot of framing information.

The factual incidents crime in the immediate area minutes away from this residence, including murders, recent burglaries, an 8 year old shot in the park down the street. etc.

No murder weapon, 3 spent 9mm casings at crime scene. No apparent forced entry. Not a M/S. That was confirmed by Police.

The investigating agency may be stumped, just as easily as they have a major piece of the puzzle they would not release to the public that of course would change everyone's take. This is why sleuthing such a case is very hit or miss.

 

[osu]

Interview with Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant (Video at link below)

New details continue to emerge in the murder investigation of Spencer and Monique Tepe.

The Columbus dentist and his wife were found shot to death on the second floor of their Weinland Park home more than a week ago. Police told ABC 6 that they have now received numerous tips connected to a person of interest seen near the home, but no arrests have been made.

ABC 6 managing editor, Rodney Dunigan, sat down with Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant for the first time since the murders. The case has drawn attention far beyond central Ohio, placing the investigation under a national spotlight.


Chief Bryant acknowledged that visibility can bring added pressure, but said it has not changed how detectives are handling the case.

“We know that there are a lot of concerns and a lot of questions surrounding this case.

 

[armchairagatha]

After today's press conference, I'm not at all confident a quick arrest is coming anytime soon. I hope I'm wrong but I am starting to think this is a longtime vendetta or feud that maybe the Tepe's weren't even fully aware of. It's starting to remind me of Liz Barraza's murder.

Link to press conference details please? Edit: see it above. The Police basically said nothing new of value other than saying case is complex and they are working through it and can’t share details so as to not jeopardize the investigation. That seems to indicate they are close but not quite at the finish line yet. Seems like they are trying to confirm the motive. What do others think?

 

[Mayor Perk]

Link to press conference details please?

Columbus officer called to perform welfare check at Tepe house originally went to the wrong address, police chief says

Chief Bryant spoke Thursday afternoon for the first time about the deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe.

www.10tv.com

 

[Eagles512]

I'm sorry but murder-suicide would mean that one of the two dead folks is the perpetrator, AND that one of their friends is being accused of stealing the weapon and concealing that fact. These are not particularly victim-friendly theories and it's out of line to suggest as much. The dead pair are victims, their friends are too. Can we refrain from blaming victims and their friends until police give us any reason to suspect literally any one of them??

I can’t believe people are still reaching for the murder suicide thing.

 

[Izzylizzy]

Interview with Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant (Video at link below)

New details continue to emerge in the murder investigation of Spencer and Monique Tepe.

The Columbus dentist and his wife were found shot to death on the second floor of their Weinland Park home more than a week ago. Police told ABC 6 that they have now received numerous tips connected to a person of interest seen near the home, but no arrests have been made.

ABC 6 managing editor, Rodney Dunigan, sat down with Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant for the first time since the murders. The case has drawn attention far beyond central Ohio, placing the investigation under a national spotlight.


Chief Bryant acknowledged that visibility can bring added pressure, but said it has not changed how detectives are handling the case.

“We know that there are a lot of concerns and a lot of questions surrounding this case.

Uninterrupted presser

 

[darring21]

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.

He was shot twice and she was shot sideways through the chest according to the police dispatch audio. It's not murder/suicide.

 

[stmichael]

Interview with Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant (Video at link below)

New details continue to emerge in the murder investigation of Spencer and Monique Tepe.

The Columbus dentist and his wife were found shot to death on the second floor of their Weinland Park home more than a week ago. Police told ABC 6 that they have now received numerous tips connected to a person of interest seen near the home, but no arrests have been made.

ABC 6 managing editor, Rodney Dunigan, sat down with Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant for the first time since the murders. The case has drawn attention far beyond central Ohio, placing the investigation under a national spotlight.


Chief Bryant acknowledged that visibility can bring added pressure, but said it has not changed how detectives are handling the case.

“We know that there are a lot of concerns and a lot of questions surrounding this case.

"There is a lot of chatter on the internet...and much of what you read is just not factual"

- Assistant Chief Greg Bodker

 

[Pugsterpig]

i can see it (especially from a boss/owner prospective) being considered harmful patient abandonment if the appointment was for something rather serious. Doesn't matter if it was just this one time, if the person needed to be prescribed something, no one else in the office would've been able to write a prescription and it could be a big deal that would cause harm and/or significant trouble for the patient to then find an emergency dentist. Dentists don't do cleanings, so it's not like it was just an inconvenience for the patient missing a regular old cleaning that they would need to reschedule. I'm struggling to see how people can't understand that this would escalate concern and action, especially from the owner

it's also the no call + no show together plus not hearing from his emergency contact (wife). It's not like they were expecting him at 8 and they called 911 at 8:05. they hadn't heard ANYTHING by 9, a half hour after the appointment was supposed to start -- that's serious.

MOO

I have worked in a specialty dental office for 20+ years. If a clinical staff member or doctor failed to show up and we were not able to reach them/emergency contact/spouse, we would definitely ask for welfare check. It would be highly unusual for a doctor to blow off work, we have never had a provider just not show up.

Staff usually arrives well before patients are due. I think most offices have a ‘huddle’ before patients arrive to review the schedule. We discuss each patient, reviewing what they’re scheduled for, what we need for X-rays/CT scans, any health history changes, etc. If they had patients scheduled starting at 8:00, my guess is he would have arrived much earlier-so the timing of 911 call is appropriate.

 

[lawyerlurker]

has this been posted yet? possible wifi issue between 2-5am for neighbors of the Tepes:

Columbus police looking to identify person of interest in deaths of Weinland Park couple

Police released new surveillance video on Monday, which shows a person walking through an alley near the home.

www.10tv.com

"Neighbor Eddie Zhang, who lives down the street from the Tepes, said he was shocked when he learned about the killings.
“They were very welcoming when I first moved in,” Zhang said.
Zhang said he did not hear anything unusual the night of the shooting.
“I did not hear anything, I was asleep,” he said. “I will say these houses are really well made. A lot of times I don’t hear what’s going on in the outdoors.”
Zhang said he has security cameras at the front and back of his home, but they were not recording between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30, the time frame investigators believe the shootings occurred."

"several of the neighbors I have spoken with in this area told me they do have cameras but they weren't working at the time" reporter then says a couple of the cameras just weren't charged, but other neighbors' cameras did not record and they weren't aware. Even if not something as nefarious as a wifi jam, it's interesting that neighbors have spoken up and relayed their cameras weren't working, makes sense why there isn't better footage of a POI. Could have been an unlucky glitch of service or something too

 

[calmdownjudy]

I might be overly optimistic, but I got the feeling that they know who it is. They're just collecting evidence and making sure ducks are in a row before they act. JMO.

 

[stmarysmead]

I've mentioned this before, but literally NOTHING else can happen is the dentist is not there. They can't even bill for cleaning teeth if he's not there as everything is billed under the dentist's license in most states. So not only were they waiting on his procedure patients, but the entire office couldn't function without him. Which is like thousands of dollars. I'm sure it was chaos between patients and staff as the inches ticked by. Patients probably angry about their wasted time and the staff panicking that they are all there to work and can't do so. They had to know immediately something as very wrong.

My friend was given an early FIRST appt. today with the dentist… because she called late yesterday in extreme pain. It was hard enough to wait till morning, but imagine arriving for an 8am appt…in pain and no dentist shows up.

 

[fsngruv]

I might be overly optimistic, but I got the feeling that they know who it is. They're just collecting evidence and making sure ducks are in a row before they act. JMO.

I think you are right on. At least I hope!!!

 

[Izzylizzy]

Uninterrupted presser

"No suspect at this time."
Do they have a target?

 

[osu]

dbm

 

[curiouser&curiousest]

Longtime lurker first time poster here. Forensic psychiatrist originally from rural Ohio. I have a couple of thoughts.

It is not unusual for someone to have this type of commute from the city to rural areas and in this case, especially because of where his prior practice was located in Ashland, I am not surprised he purchased a house where he did. The commute north would’ve been shorter, now he’s moved on but that mortgage rate is sweet and the couple obviously lived their home à la the wedding video. Also not uncommon to put little money down on a big mortgage when you know your compensation is going to greatly increase shortly and get rid of the PMI.

Also, not unusual all the early fuss about his being late. In a medical office, people are expected to be on time all the time and if you’re late you damn well better tell someone. In a dental office in particular it’s important because it is my understanding that even the hygienists can’t start their work until a dentist is on physically on the premises. I get where people say the practice owner who called it in was awkward, but he probably was really unsure how to handle the situation and how far to push it with dispatch. I don’t make much of his report he’s out of town. The dude is on vacation and has been getting calls from frantic office staff saying our very reliable very considerate doc is a no call no show. He’s just trying to give the dispatcher context, which was evidently lost on that person, but I believe people are judging that dispatcher too harshly. Do you have any idea how many crank calls and how much 911 gets every day? It is a hard job and while she may not have come across as empathetic she is not supposed to. She is supposed to gather facts, triage, and get the caller to the people they need as quickly as reasonably possible.

Re: the BIL. I think he’s not helping the situation but I also am not sure he’s nefarious. He’s one of the people the police will have looked at early on given the nature of the homicides and families do usually decide upon an unofficial spokesperson to be media facing. This guy has a history of working in media and production so it’s not outside the realm of possibility everyone else is too overwhelmed and was like, great let him do this, he’s in the industria and he isn’t as affected as say blood relatives are (which is wrong assumption to make but a lot of you are making it), and now the poor guy is getting judged for every single thing he says no matter what he says or how he says it. Maybe he does have a Reddit burner to defend himself now. Imagine how you’d feel if two of your family members were killed for unknown reasons and now totally randos online are putting your name in their mouths.

Lastly, the police have been pretty quiet about this case. I think it’s twofold. One, they up the first welfare check. No one was relishing the day they had to admit that, so better to lay low. Two, as many people have stated they have a ton of evidence in terms of forensics (crime scene, prelim autopsy, interviews) that we the public are not privy to as well as likely surveillance footage and they are trying to build their case. If they were completely lost they’d be asking for more help. No one wants a city on edge if there is someone out there running amok who could kill somebody else willy nilly. This crime is consistent with either something personal or some kind of criminal motive like involvement in drugs or gambling etc. It likely isn’t a pro hit man as they didn’t pick up their brass. It likely isn’t random because an opportunist wouldn’t have been so controlled and the home would’ve shown some disarray and/or something would’ve been missing, even if not initially obvious. The fact the couple was not shot in the head/face and the kids and dog were left alive leans me towards someone who knows these folks who wanted one of those two adults dead but isn’t a total sociopath because why kill innocents like Larry and the kiddos.

Pray for the family. Be kind.

 

[wibbleflea]

Uninterrupted presser

Sorry to say it but this didn’t sound like a confident team that’s on top of things, making sure to strengthen its case before making a move. Far from it.

 

[stmichael]

has this been posted yet? possible wifi issue between 2-5am for neighbors of the Tepes:

Columbus police looking to identify person of interest in deaths of Weinland Park couple

Police released new surveillance video on Monday, which shows a person walking through an alley near the home.

www.10tv.com

"Neighbor Eddie Zhang, who lives down the street from the Tepes, said he was shocked when he learned about the killings.
“They were very welcoming when I first moved in,” Zhang said.
Zhang said he did not hear anything unusual the night of the shooting.
“I did not hear anything, I was asleep,” he said. “I will say these houses are really well made. A lot of times I don’t hear what’s going on in the outdoors.”
Zhang said he has security cameras at the front and back of his home, but they were not recording between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30, the time frame investigators believe the shootings occurred."

"several of the neighbors I have spoken with in this area told me they do have cameras but they weren't working at the time" reporter then says a couple of the cameras just weren't charged, but other neighbors' cameras did not record and they weren't aware. Even if not something as nefarious as a wifi jam, it's interesting that neighbors have spoken up and relayed their cameras weren't working, makes sense why there isn't better footage of a POI. Could have been an unlucky glitch of service or something too

Thanks for sharing this. Wifi Jammers are not quite as uncommon these days with home burglars making them from RadioShack, but still unlikely. They're actually very common in countries with rampant home invasions like South Africa. But this could just be a wifi outage. But wifi security is a vulnerability.

I have wifi cams, but also a backup hardwired POE CCTV 4k cam system. I recommend this level of redundancy to everyone. Anyone can cut a single black fiber optic cable coming off a utility pole to your home.

In reading further what the reporter said seemed more like common residential neglect of their systems. Your security layers are only as good as you keeping on top of them; cameras charged, configured correctly, proper zone placement and sensitivity etc. etc. This is a prevalent problem with residential applications. You'd be surprised how many people have lapses in changing their battery in non-hardwired Ring or Nest cams.