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

[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.

 

[ttjo]

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?

I think what The chief said about it taking time to gather evidence, and time to verify it. People should understand, they dont want to say something unverified. They said there is a fine line between community safety and investigative integrity, Its like their hands are tied.
I think all they rally owe the public is to assure them they are working on it and if possible community safety. ( If they can)
It’s not their priority to squash all the runaway internet stuff, thats up to the people not to create in the first place.

 

[Izzylizzy]

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.

Ditto but then again I remember feeling the same about Ashlee Buzzard and finally, WHAM!

 

[waldojabba]

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

- Assistant Chief Greg Bodker

Amen to this !!!
jmo

 

[moonglow123]

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.

Yeah, unfortunately listening to her words it doesn't seem like they've identified anyone at all. There's a chance they're trying to hold it close to their chest, but it truly does not seem like they have anyone in mind at this moment.

But it does seem like they're trying and I hope it goes somewhere. I understand these things take time.

 

[Izzylizzy]

How did the police go to the wrong house?
Did the dispatcher get or give the wrong address?

 

[Charlot123]

Yes - it is pocessive and non-descriptive .

It is a phrase, and we can hear it in songs, but I would not expect millennials to use it. It is not archaic, just slightly "parochial". If a millennial uses it, I'd think, "they probably heard it from parents and never moved out of the area where they grew up". It can come into use again, who knows?

 

[wibbleflea]

Ditto but then again I remember feeling the same about Ashlee Buzzard and finally, WHAM!

Agreed but that seemed like it was down to someone accidentally finding the body.

If the problem here is just the quantity of video footage and tips to process, that’s understandable. That’s not the feeling I got but I’d love to be wrong.

 

[waldojabba]

Ditto

It doesn't give me a lot of confidence that they started out the press conference by acknowledging that their officer went to the wrong house for a well being check.
Then another 40 minutes goes by until the coworker's arrive at the house. Serious blunder right there. Although I do appreciate that LE owned up to it.

They do not have a suspect they have identified.

Basically they are working the case...so altho I think it will be solved, right now it doesn't appear imminent.

JMO

 

[waldojabba]

Ditto but then again I remember feeling the same about Ashlee Buzzard and finally, WHAM!

All it takes is that one tip that leads you to the perp but if you have 100 tips, it may be tip number 99.
So she is correct, it takes patience.
jmo

edit to add - I would have liked to hear that they have called in some people form other departments etc to help review video footage but there was not mention of that

They also seemed to side step the local safety issue - if I were a neighbor that would not make me feel secure in the least. And actually since they have no suspects they cannot assure anyone locally that there is not a threat. But .. the ususally say it any -

 

[armchairagatha]

All it takes is that one tip that leads you to the perp but if you have 100 tips, it may be tip number 99.
So she is correct, it takes patience.
jmo

I don’t think they were soliciting more tips from the public? That seems to indicate they already have enough to work on. JMO.

 

[wibbleflea]

In reading further what the reporter said seemed more like common residential neglect of their systems.

Agreed. People aren’t good at making technical choices or at testing results (for example, seeing if a camera’s motion-detection is effective in low light) or at maintaining anything technical.

I once discovered that the data backup system at a company whose name is known to everyone with a phone or a computer had been backing up precisely nothing in one department. It was easy to fix but just hadn’t been tested and had been working this way for years. Luckily, it had never been needed. For consumers and home owners, problems like these are more widespread.