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

[MSU24]

I thought it was a neighbor that looked in the window and saw the deceased.

"At around 10 a.m., one of Spencer’s friends reported seeing the dentist’s body inside the home near a bed."

It's not clear whether they saw him through a window or from inside the house.

 

[Lisbeth_S]

So I’m going to jump on here. Have many of you listened to the 911 call from Dr Valrose? So many things threw me off in such a short statement:

"I'm on vacation, but this individual, Spencer, works with me, and he did not show up to work this morning. And we cannot get a hold of him or his family," Valrose told dispatchers, according to audio of a 911 call reviewed by ABC News. "He's been reliable, and we cannot get in touch with him, his wife, his family, anybody that lives in that house."

1) Why are you automatically alibiing yourself from the situation “I’m on vacation” (which I’m sure can be verified, still odd)

2) Although he corrects himself and says “Spencer” his initial instinct was to refer to him as an “individual” - which we know many murderers subconsciously do to remove the connection to the victim. This was someone who for all we know were very good friends / colleagues. Again, odd.

3) Although not related to the Dr, why did he say “we cannot get in touch with…anybody that lives in that house” - was this just an exaggeration of phrasing for urgency, or did they have guests / family staying there?

4) Lastly, some of us have listened to more 911 calls in our lives more than we care to admit, and I’d like to think I have a pretty good finger on when someone sounds genuinely *concerned* vs *appearing concerned* and something about his tone, his cadence, and his breathiness is sending up flags for me. Listen and let me know what you think. Obviously, I hope I’m wrong though…

1) Agree with others saying it was simply to specify that he was not there so could not be more specific with the details. And again, easily verifiable as an alibi hopefully.
2) Yes, the choice of words seems a bit off. I don't know if I would call it suspicious as I am also known for sounding awkward especially on the phone and especially in high stakes/emotional situations.
3) The reference to the house is also a bit weird...he could have been in a car crash on the way to work and the wife was asleep or on the way to the hospital, so the reference to no one in the house being reachable could have a simple explanation that would not prompt a wellness check.
I guess the fact that they were so reliable must have meant to the co-workers. that something was not right (if this is the case, thank god for it!).
4) I love statement analysis and 911 calls are always very interesting in this regard, however I would not trust it as evidence.

The reporting about the friend seeing Spencer has been confusing. I did see one article that stated the friend was able to gain entry into the house and found Spencer, but who knows at this point.
I agree with you about the coworkers’ travel time from the dental office to the house. I calculated the travel time at about an hour and 12 minutes.

I would guess that they were trying to call them for a little while after he missed the first appointment, then they let the owner know, in the meantime someone could have started driving. When the first 911 call is made they may have already been half way.
Also, how is traffic at this time of the year? Did the 1hr 12min take into consideration traffic? And was the drive against or with traffic? In my area this can make a lot of difference.

 

[Ms Scarlett]

1) Agree with others saying it was simply to specify that he was not there so could not be more specific with the details. And again, easily verifiable as an alibi hopefully.
2) Yes, the choice of words seems a bit off. I don't know if I would call it suspicious as I am also known for sounding awkward especially on the phone and especially in high stakes/emotional situations.
3) The reference to the house is also a bit weird...he could have been in a car crash on the way to work and the wife was asleep or on the way to the hospital, so the reference to no one in the house being reachable could have a simple explanation that would not prompt a wellness check.
I guess the fact that they were so reliable must have meant to the co-workers. that something was not right (if this is the case, thank god for it!).
4) I love statement analysis and 911 calls are always very interesting in this regard, however I would not trust it as evidence.


I would guess that they were trying to call them for a little while after he missed the first appointment, then they let the owner know, in the meantime someone could have started driving. When the first 911 call is made they may have already been half way.
Also, how is traffic at this time of the year? Did the 1hr 12min take into consideration traffic? And was the drive against or with traffic? In my area this can make a lot of difference.

With regard to the traffic, my experience is that they would have been traveling toward the end of rush hour. I didn’t take into account traffic. Traffic can still be a little thick until 9:30am. However, since schools are out for Christmas break, traffic is a little lighter during rush hour. I can’t speak to their specific route because I’ve never traveled from that direction to get into Columbus. But generally speaking, rush hour around and into Columbus remains thick until about 9:30am.

 

[MassGuy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2006893252318744744

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2006893252318744744

Years does not sound like a brand new job, so that’s a new bit of info. Just terribly

 

[Magic8Ball]

Has LE confirmed when they were last seen alive?
Anybody seen a timeline of their last known movements/activities?

The timeline of all the 911 calls seems a bit unusual.
I can understand the initial one from his co-workers asking for a wellness check when he didn't show up to work, but if these subsequent 911 calls were from friends/neighbors vs. the co-workers, I don't understand what would have triggered them going over to their house that morning, especially if he was scheduled to be working.

Maybe his co-workers might have knocked on neighbors doors if they saw his car in the driveway but he didn't come to the door when they drove to his house.

 

[Normancita]

I

Years does not sound like a brand new job, so that’s a new bit of info. Just terribly

well, per Athens Dental Depot facebook page, Dr. Tepe first appears in their social media on a post dated March 6, 2024,,,,,so I wouldn’t exactly call it a brand new job.

 

[OhioGuy]

I don’t find the 911 timeline that odd. If he had patients starting at 8am, by 815 or so you’re trying to contact this person and shortly thereafter you’re trying to get whoever is the next point of contact. By the initial 903am 911 call, they’d exhausted all ways they could try reaching anyone by phone. 922am police go by but leave after no answer. In that 903-922 window I’m guessing the coworkers are contacting anyone they can locally as well, so those people going to the house 30ish minutes after police were unable to make contact doesn’t seem odd. Both victims attended OSU so they’ve been in the community nearly 20 years at this point, no shortage of people nearby that their circle could contact.

 

[MerBeach]

Reminds me of the horrific Harvey family murders. The family was preparing for a New Year’s party and the front door was open IIRC. The killers just walked right in.

Man convicted of killing family of 4 is executed in Virginia - 47abc

(AP) - Virginia has executed a man convicted of killing two young girls and their parents during a New Year's Day home invasion more than 11 years ago.

www.wmdt.com

Yes, I keep feeling it’s something like this.

 

[steeltowngirl]

The police just ringing the doorbell for a wellness check is kind of disturbing. The couple were probably already dead, but what if one or both was still alive at that point, clinging to life?

JMO

 

[Lisbeth_S]

I was reading back some of the previous articles and I noticed this I missed earlier :

"Ethan Garcia, 25, lives across the street from with his girlfriend and also said that he didn't know the couple very well. He said he would often see Monique leaving for work about the same time that he was leaving every morning."
BBM

Shooting in Columbus' Weinland Park neighborhood kills dentist, wife

I thought she was a stay-at-home mum.
Does anybody know if she actually worked?
Apologies if I missed it.

The police just ringing the doorbell for a wellness check is kind of disturbing. The couple were probably already dead, but what if one or both was still alive at that point, clinging to life?

JMO

This always baffles me...what wellness do they check by ringing a doorbell and accepting that no one answers?
I do understand that there is not much they can do if they see no obvious sinister signs, but in this case the kids could have been left there alone for a long time if the friends had not intervened....it's quite disturbing.

 

[Megnut]

I was reading back some of the previous articles and I noticed this I missed earlier :

"Ethan Garcia, 25, lives across the street from with his girlfriend and also said that he didn't know the couple very well. He said he would often see Monique leaving for work about the same time that he was leaving every morning."
BBM

Shooting in Columbus' Weinland Park neighborhood kills dentist, wife

I thought she was a stay-at-home mum.
Does anybody know if she actually worked?
Apologies if I missed it.



This always baffles me...what wellness do they check by ringing a doorbell and accepting that no one answers?
I do understand that there is not much they can do if they see no obvious sinister signs, but in this case the kids could have been left there alone for a long time if the friends had not intervened....it's quite disturbing.

I think he saw her every day when HE was going to work. She may have been bringing a little to preschool.

JMO

 

[MassGuy]

I was reading back some of the previous articles and I noticed this I missed earlier :

"Ethan Garcia, 25, lives across the street from with his girlfriend and also said that he didn't know the couple very well. He said he would often see Monique leaving for work about the same time that he was leaving every morning."
BBM

Shooting in Columbus' Weinland Park neighborhood kills dentist, wife

I thought she was a stay-at-home mum.
Does anybody know if she actually worked?
Apologies if I missed it.



This always baffles me...what wellness do they check by ringing a doorbell and accepting that no one answers?
I do understand that there is not much they can do if they see no obvious sinister signs, but in this case the kids could have been left there alone for a long time if the friends had not intervened....it's quite disturbing.

Many places have rules where police officers can't walk around looking in windows, even during a well-being check. It looks like Ohio allows cops to look where a "normal visitor" would look. So they could look in your front windows near the door, but couldn't walk around the side and peer in.

Unless of course they have more indication something is wrong.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think he saw her every day when HE was going to work. She may have been bringing a little to preschool.

JMO

I think yes he may have assumed she was going to work, while in reality she was taking her child to school.

 

[OhioGuy]

I have a handful of properties that are all within about a mile of this home, some within just a block or so. Over the years, we’ve had family members request wellness checks for our residents so I’m a little familiar with the process for CPD. No idea if it varies by county, state, so on. Thankfully those well checks all ended fine. However, a locked and silent home isn’t a cause to go inside, so I’ve had to go to the properties with keys as the police will not enter if there is not cause. Not an expert by any means, but I believe had the police seen/heard distress at the initial call, they’d have cause to access, via force or otherwise.

 

[Kemug]

All that security - and for what?

 

[Knox]

I have a handful of properties that are all within about a mile of this home, some within just a block or so. Over the years, we’ve had family members request wellness checks for our residents so I’m a little familiar with the process for CPD. No idea if it varies by county, state, so on. Thankfully those well checks all ended fine. However, a locked and silent home isn’t a cause to go inside, so I’ve had to go to the properties with keys as the police will not enter if there is not cause. Not an expert by any means, but I believe had the police seen/heard distress at the initial call, they’d have cause to access, via force or otherwise.

That’s something that I’d like to know, how did they make entry into the home, do we know? Wondering if there was a door unlocked leading to the backyard?

Was the oldest son capable of opening a door to go outside?

 

[Kemug]

My first thought, due to the wife apparently having "only" one gunshot wound, and the husband having several, was that obviously he was the real target. But of course, it could be the opposite. And especially if the wife was sleeping in the same room as one/both of the children, due to sleeping or crying problems. So then maybe she was just shot the once, but fatally, the husband heard it, and came running to the rescue. With the result we know of.

 

[Lisbeth_S]

That’s something that I’d like to know, how did they make entry into the home, do we know? Wondering if there was a door unlocked leading to the backyard?

Was the oldest son capable of opening a door to go outside?

IIRC they obtained a warrant after being told the friend saw one of the bodies inside.
Once they had a warrant I assume they breached.

 

[MSU24]

That’s something that I’d like to know, how did they make entry into the home, do we know? Wondering if there was a door unlocked leading to the backyard?

Was the oldest son capable of opening a door to go outside?

I believe all we know is what the BIL posted on Reddit. There were no signs of forced entry and nothing of value appeared to be missing.