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

[ivegotcha]

Everyone is a suspect at this point. Even “concerned” coworkers and friends.

what I don't read here is in other news reports they talk about the neighbor , so was there a neighbor that went over , what time, and why ? or was that a mistake and it was just the co worker .. sorry if this has already been answered ...

 

[ttjo]

Was really hoping there would be an update on this today from police.. Have been following the case and praying for their 2 children and families. It does seem odd to me that colleagues would call the police around 9am.. Only one hour late to work? Wouldn't they just go check themselves first.. Well, I guess they did later and police sure botched the first wellness check. It makes me think one of them was being stalked. Nothing surprises me anymore. I was clueless that I was being stalked by my 71 year old neighbor two houses down until two months into it.
I have a feeling police know a lot more than they're saying.

I dont think police botched the first welfare check, they went there, no one answered the door, no signs of a struggle or duress or anything, what else can they do without more to go on ? Im sure there are policies about that.
If the kids were crying then or there was a broken window, any signs of forced entry, anything… they’d have different circumstances.

 

[passionflower]

Imo was Dr. awakened to be beside his bed? I think he knew the person. Then the person had the gaul to seek out a sleeping wife in another bedroom. Sounds very personal to me. BTW Dr’s usually just call in pain meds. They don’t keep them in their homes. Remember nothing was touched in the home. I still think some nut had an obsession with the Dr.

 

[ErinC]

Was really hoping there would be an update on this today from police.. Have been following the case and praying for their 2 children and families. It does seem odd to me that colleagues would call the police around 9am.. Only one hour late to work? Wouldn't they just go check themselves first.. Well, I guess they did later and police sure botched the first wellness check. It makes me think one of them was being stalked. Nothing surprises me anymore. I was clueless that I was being stalked by my 71 year old neighbor two houses down until two months into it.
I have a feeling police know a lot more than they're saying.

He's about an hour and fifteen minutes from his office. It was more time-efficient to just have CPD send a unit over, and at that point they were likely thinking more a medical issue (carbon monoxide, seizure, whatever) which might be very time-sensitive, than that a crime might have occurred. That said, given the time frame, I suspect it went a bit like this: "OK, we can't raise Doc Spencer or his wife. Doc Owner will call CPD and possibly Franklin Co Sheriff/OHighway Patrol [remember, car accident is still also possible as far as they know then] while Bill the Receptionist and Bob the Groundskeeper will trace his route back home and see what they can see. Sue the Hygienist will keep trying Spencer and Monique's phone numbers and loop in Jane their Emergency Contact." Source: we never actually had to do it but this is how we would have done it at the group home

 

[drdetective]

Imo was Dr. awakened to be beside his bed? I think he knew the person. Then the person had the gaul to seek out a sleeping wife in another bedroom. Sounds very personal to me. BTW Dr’s usually just call in pain meds. They don’t keep them in their homes. Remember nothing was touched in the home. I still think some nut had an obsession with the Dr.

So this sicko entered an dragged the poor guy into basement, shot him, then went to shoot the wife upstairs? None of it makes sense.

 

[windrower]

I keep thinking about this as well...
And I would suggest 'over the past several YEARS".
I don't think people change these very often if nothing has disrupted the normal life flow.

service people they've had in the home and not just necessarily recently but over the past several months

Different keypads will vary. I’ve removed and installed a couple dozen over the years and always change codes between residents. You can typically add and delete codes pretty easily but you would need to have the programming code to do so. Depending on the “smartness” of your lock, you can have temporary codes as well or you can grant access via an app. Ie a person may use code 1111 for everyday access to their own home but the dog walker can access via code 2222 ONLY between 10 & 11am on Friday, and the plumber last month received a one time use code of 3333.

And how would you ever know, unless the legitimate code holder told you, that s/he gave the code to a son/daughter/niece/
nephew, etc., to get the dog/package/whatever for her/him that one time when s/he needed help.

Unless those of us with electronic locks are doing as @OhioGuy suggests above (with different codes and conditions for different people), our lock code could be known to people other than those we entrusted with it.

IM cynical and sometimes looney O.

 

[ttjo]

He's about an hour and fifteen minutes from his office. It was more time-efficient to just have CPD send a unit over, and at that point they were likely thinking more a medical issue (carbon monoxide, seizure, whatever) which might be very time-sensitive, than that a crime might have occurred. That said, given the time frame, I suspect it went a bit like this: "OK, we can't raise Doc Spencer or his wife. Doc Owner will call CPD and possibly Franklin Co Sheriff/OHighway Patrol [remember, car accident is still also possible as far as they know then] while Bill the Receptionist and Bob the Groundskeeper will trace his route back home and see what they can see. Sue the Hygienist will keep trying Spencer and Monique's phone numbers and loop in Jane their Emergency Contact." Source: we never actually had to do it but this is how we would have done it at the group home

Spencer and Monique should have been apart at that time if he was on his way to work , so his boss said “ her not answering is the concerning part ( or something like that.) That alone ( the fact that she wasnt answering either) could have raised the alarm for the staff.

 

[ErinC]

Spencer and Monique should have been apart at that time if he was on his way to work , so he said “ her not answering is the concerning part ( or something like that. That alone could have raised the alarm.

That probably was a lot of the initial alarm. At that point, I'd still be thinking "medical issue which has somehow befallen them both" as opposed to "crime"- that just isn't what one jumps to first if for no other reason than that the brain doesn't want to think it. Unless, of course, the missing person has mentioned having that concern to you. MOO

 

[maamager]

i keep thinking about the location of ST’s practice. not so much how far it is —it’s common enough those who live in columbus commute to athens (Ohio University is in athens and professors often live in columbus), but moreso speaking to the heart of Mr. Tepe. the athens area is a very poor disenfranchised area even if you account for the university. it is appalachia.
i wonder if that goodwill, giving back to a community was a big reason ST dealt with the commute.

 

[ttjo]

That probably was a lot of the initial alarm. At that point, I'd still be thinking "medical issue which has somehow befallen them both" as opposed to "crime"- that just isn't what one jumps to first if for no other reason than that the brain doesn't want to think it. Unless, of course, the missing person has mentioned having that concern to you. MOO

He did ask “have you guys received anything else like calls about him or are there any reports of an accident or anything”.( Paraphrasing)
Easier to call and check for incidents than try to wait for news.

 

[marloweclover]

My locksmith family member who has assessed the photos says the balcony doors would be a highly probable access point into the house by the murderer.

JMO -- that would fit with Monique sleeping upstairs with the kids; only one shot needed because she was asleep or barely awake from the entry. Spencer was sleeping downstairs, woke up from the sound, and required multiple shots because he was up and moving by the time the shooter encountered him. MOO as a way this could have happened that wasn't indicative of greater anger correlating with more shots.

 

[Ms Scarlett]

Was really hoping there would be an update on this today from police.. Have been following the case and praying for their 2 children and families. It does seem odd to me that colleagues would call the police around 9am.. Only one hour late to work? Wouldn't they just go check themselves first.. Well, I guess they did later and police sure botched the first wellness check. It makes me think one of them was being stalked. Nothing surprises me anymore. I was clueless that I was being stalked by my 71 year old neighbor two houses down until two months into it.
I have a feeling police know a lot more than they're saying.

I’m guessing that we won’t hear from CPD again until we get the news that their SWAT team has made an arrest. Unless of course, CPD doesn’t know who the perpetrator is, then they will ask the public for more information. I think it’s telling that they haven’t put out a description or pic of the suspect. I’m cautiously optimistic that they are close to an arrest.

 

[warp3dwing]

JMO -- that would fit with Monique sleeping upstairs with the kids; only one shot needed because she was asleep or barely awake from the entry. Spencer was sleeping downstairs, woke up from the sound, and required multiple shots because he was up and moving by the time the shooter encountered him. MOO as a way this could have happened that wasn't indicative of greater anger correlating with more shots.

Has the location of Monique’s body been released to the public?

 

[ErinC]

i keep thinking about the location of ST’s practice. not so much how far it is —it’s common enough those who live in columbus commute to athens (Ohio University is in athens and professors often live in columbus), but moreso speaking to the heart of Mr. Tepe. the athens area is a very poor disenfranchised area even if you account for the university. it is appalachia.
i wonder if that goodwill, giving back to a community was a big reason ST dealt with the commute.

From what I have been hearing locally from folks who were his patients, I think that was A LOT of it.

 

[Voidz]

It’s good to remember that silence from the Police is sometimes strategic. Fingers crossed.

 

[OhioGuy]

JMO -- that would fit with Monique sleeping upstairs with the kids; only one shot needed because she was asleep or barely awake from the entry. Spencer was sleeping downstairs, woke up from the sound, and required multiple shots because he was up and moving by the time the shooter encountered him. MOO as a way this could have happened that wasn't indicative of greater anger correlating with more shots.

It’s possible I missed an update but I believe the reports are that she was shot once and he was shot twice. Two shots vs one doesn’t seem indicative of who was the target IMO. Also don’t know that we’ve seen anything to confirm they weren’t found in the same room. If they were sleeping it’s possible they never even woke up. I’ve never used a firearm, and I get that it depends on the gun, but I assume one could typically squeeze off 3 shots in pretty rapid succession without stopping to reload? Believe the reports stated there were three 9mm shell casings at the scene if that sheds any light.

 

[whowy]

2-5 AM somehow makes this even worse. They were asleep in their beds when this happened. I’m getting Kohberger type vibes that she was actually the target although the anger was taken out on the male. I don’t know why. It just feels that way.

The 2-5 am time range doesn't necessarily represent the time of the attack. May just be LE attempting to confirm the comings and goings of people who have already been interviewed.

 

[marloweclover]

Has the location of Monique’s body been released to the public?

As far as I know, no specific locations have been given. IMO the speculation that they were not in the same place comes from the friend only reporting seeing Spencer, and from the idea that the primary bedrooms were upstairs, and one would not be able to look into those windows unless one came prepared with a ladder or a drone. JMO, I own a two story ladder, but I wouldn't load it up just to go check on someone; I'm not going to break into their second floor if I can't get them to answer the door.

 

[Cassie P]

I agree with our dental colleague who posted before this. The call is not suspicious. He probably had several patients waiting in chairs for dental exams. They definitely were anxious about just this situation. They wanted to know how to handle that, at least.

I am a retired mental health professional with 40 years clinical experience. I thought the employer's tone in the initial 911 call and behavior of the staff were odd when someone in the clinic was late to work, even a punctual employee.

I have worked in clinics where staff was late and we didn't call the police right away with alarm in our voices and drive an hour and a half away to do a wellness check.

Add to this the family comments about the murders are targeted.

There may be a backstory we don't know about.

I think Su5ie raised the question and I had been thinking along the same lines. The question has to be asked and considered about a possible back story co-workers were aware of.

 

[katydid23]

Soooo…I haven’t seen anyone bring up this possibility, but given all the circumstances (no signs of forced entry, nothing taken), is it possible that this is really a murder-suicide and police are just working to eliminate the possibility that it isn’t?

Not sure I strongly believe this theory but might explain some things.

There was no gun, reportedly.

I don't think it was a murder/suicide.

I think more likely it was a disgruntled ex of some kind, or a home invasion. There may have been money or jewels that we don't know about yet?