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

[MarcieM]

neither he nor his wife were answering, and it was completely unlike him to fail to show up for work. The man is a dentist (a doctor!)… I would say it was pretty reasonable to suspect something was really amiss, no?

Definitely, he's the boss and he probably felt like it was his responsibility to make the call being he was the one that had left Spencer in charge during his absence. I think he made the perfect call and thankfully the children were then rescued from the scene shortly after. Hats off to him being on it.

 

[Sleuthingstylist]

But there were coworkers who were able to get to the home within 30 mins after the first 911 call? So why not just send them in the first place to do that welfare check? Only if no one lived anywhere close by, would I think 911 would be the first option.

I feel like the office staff grew concerned and contacted the owner for advice on what to do next. My guess is he wanted to take matters into his own hands as a leader. I think it would be more bizarre if the owner told the staff to figure it out on their own and to leave him alone just because he was on vacation. Maybe the staff all debated for an hour on what to do, should one of them drive to the home or should they call 911 or should they bother the owner with this at all? I'm sure they were trying to make the best decision possible during that first hour of concern and confusion.

 

[BryanHall]

The coworkers apparently were in the house when they saw the body. The report shows that they were inside when police got there.

Were they the co-workers? They were three guys in the house (I believe). I think most of the co-workers were female. My guess is that somebody tracked down friends while some were driving up from Athens. It all makes sense since nobody can see patients when he is out, and there is no guarantee you can get somebody from Columbus there.

 

[Cedars]

AND I still find it odd someone called 911 before checking at the house

It could turn out to be a tell - someone wanting to ensure the children were got out of there - but has the call been released, or has the info about it come from police?

It just seems at the beginning of a case the media are scrambling to nail down what happened based on bits or scraps of info from anyone who'll talk to them, and details can be misreported ie maybe it wasn't 911 but the local number?

I remember how suspicious it was, in the Ohio Pike county massacre, when a relative arrived so early in the morning and rescued the small children. However, she was completely innocent.

JMO

 

[warp3dwing]

Were they the co-workers? They were three guys in the house (I believe). I think most of the co-workers were female. My guess is that somebody tracked down friends while some were driving up from Athens. It all makes sense since nobody can see patients when he is out, and there is no guarantee you can get somebody from Columbus there.

I believe I read somewhere (so take this for what it’s worth) that at least one of their trio was a husband of a coworker who lives in or near Cbus.

For all we know, the three - or a subset - might have been mobilized before 911 was called. Perhaps it took them a while to make it to the house because they were at work and had to make all the arrangements that leaving work first thing entails.

I would say there was a quite a lot of calling and coordination done before 911 was called.

 

[Mitch1]

It could turn out to be a tell - someone wanting to ensure the children were got out of there - but has the call been released, or has the info about it come from police?

It just seems at the beginning of a case the media are scrambling to nail down what happened based on bits or scraps of info from anyone who'll talk to them, and details can be misreported ie maybe it wasn't 911 but the local number?

I remember how suspicious it was, in the Ohio Pike county massacre, when a relative arrived so early in the morning and rescued the small children. However, she was completely innocent.

JMO

Yeah, I think they have released the Dentist call to public-not sure if anything was cut but seemed to be mostly there. I’m curious what comes from this particular angle
Then of course some of the other calls really helped muddy the waters as far as what is going on at the house.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

“Bryant said an officer was sent to perform a welfare check, but went to the wrong address.“

It was 9am ish when the officer went to perform the wellness check. It was broad daylight. The address numbers are large and clearly posted on the front porch post. How could you end up at the wrong address?

Anecdotally, a similar thing happened to me once. I called 911 one time after being robbed walking home, and the dispatcher told me the cops had arrived and I had to tell the dispatcher they were nowhere in sight. I remember telling the dispatcher to make sure they were south of X street. And repeating the street address that I was standing in front of. I think it turned out they were north of X street. And the crazy thing is I was only 2 streets over from the sheriff’s station! It makes no sense for them to get lost. I never found out if it was the dispatcher’s fault or the sheriff’s. The first sheriff that arrived started taking notes on his hand, so that didn’t instill confidence either….

Those poor babies being left for longer than necessary.

 

[lawyerlurker]

Theres been some cases of dentists writing scripts for opiates.

I still don't understand this theory, because:

1. I really don't believe dentists keep controlled substances in their own homes, and
2. If the perp aimed to steal Rx pads, were they planning on forging Spencer's signature post-murders? Surely if the perp had intended to shoot S (and/or M) they would realize the murders would be publicized and no pharmacy would accept a prescription signed by a deceased dentist, and even if the perp hadn't planned on shooting/murdering the couple, there are so many practices pharmacies employ to prevent forged signatures from resulting in filled prescriptions, especially for opiates (checking to see if patient is in system or if patient is attempting to bypass insurance and pay with cash, checking to see if the doctor regularly prescribes the medication, calling the office of the medical professional, looking for unusual directions or quantities, etc.). And if the prescription is prescribed by an unknown doctor or dentist, probably looking up the person/practice. I would assume the perp would have targeted a different doctor or dentist if they knew someone else whose name they were planning to use other than Spencer's.

Going with this theory, I think it's more likely the perp planned to kill Spencer (which makes no sense with the implicit publicity of the murder, which should have been obvious), because Spencer would surely notice if his Rx pad was stolen and would alert pharmacies. Also, the fact that the perp assumedly went into their bedrooms to kill them makes it seem more likely, to me, that it was a planned murder, as, by all accounts, the place was not ransacked and did not look burglarized (and this is ESPECIALLY true if spencer and monique were shot in different rooms upstairs). I would also imagine and hope the police are looking into this angle to see if anything prescription-related was stolen (i.e. rx pads), as that would be a smoking gun (especially if someone tried to forge Spencer's signature and pick up prescriptions post-murders). Just my 2 cents!

 

[Sundog]

As someone who's lived in Chicago for 10 yrs,

Ohio couple’s deaths ‘shocking’: Brother-in-law

Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique, were murdered in their home, north of Columbus, on Dec. 30, while their two young children were inside.

www.newsnationnow.com

This says the kids have been with him for the past few days. And another article said Rob and Madeline have the dog Larry. They have no children themselves. Monique's sister is recently married and has a baby.
So my comment about who is raising the kids and the childrens $$ was conjecture.
I supposed the grandparents of either Monique or Spencer could raise them but they are much older than the sisters.

Often married couples will draw up a will when they start their families and have children. It's possible that ST and MT had a will drawn up so that they could designate who would take care of the children if something should happen to them. I wonder if that is the case here.

 

[Insightful1]

Interesting ,

Neighbor of slain couple reported person ‘smashing door’ days before

The call to emergency dispatchers was made early Dec. 19, with the female caller saying a person was “smashing on my door.”

www.newsnationnow.com

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Too many options to explain ‘no forced entry.’

One of the doors was accidentally left unlocked. Burglar or neighborhood ‘early morning door knocker’ gets lucky.

A friend, relative, former visitor, service employee had the code.

That’s a lot of work right there for LE as they begin the case.

And they think nothing is taken, but they cannot immediately know that. So many motives might fit, or none at all.. They are having to pursue both the possibilities that this was random or targeted.

All the publicity and online speculation has made all of us impatient. But this case is really complex because of all the many options for how it happened..and why?

Adding to this list (mostly compiled from previously mentioned ideas):

-The Juliet balcony doors may not be secure. If they just have a door handle lock, a good shove might be enough to open them and that would not look like forced entry

-someone could have unlocked a window when inside their house on a previous occasion. That’s something people wouldn’t think they had reason to check if they had no reason to have opened it

-methods for picking the electronic lock

-camera zooms have gotten really good. Someone stalking them might have been able to film them entering the code and figuring it out

I wonder if they’ve looked to see if anyone had been seen scoping out their home in the days leading up to the murders. Probably much more challenging in an urban area.

 

[Deepinthought52]

I am not sure they have ever placed Monique. They did say it happened on the second floor of the residence, but where exactly Monique was has not been released by the police. We know from the 911 call that the caller said Spencer was "laying next to the bed, or off the bed, there's blood". Because the caller said nothing about seeing Monique, I was thinking she was in another room, maybe checked on the babies? IDK, I just think the caller would have said something about seeing them both, seeing Monique if they saw her there in the room. Maybe they were just peeking through the door and didn't go all the way in the room and she was in there, I just don't think it has been released yet.

Was the caller inside the house? At first i thought that person had been looking in a window, but if they were found on second floor, did that caller go inside? And if so, sounds like multiple people possibly had access to the home?

 

[Cool Cats]

If my loved ones were shot and killed under the cover of darkness - ambushed in bed by a monster "psycho" -
I would be so thankful that staff immediately called my loved one's boss (partner and owner of the business) and that the boss took it dead seriously and quickly called 911 for a welfare check.

This 911 quick thinker should get a metal instead of criticism for trying to save his friend's life.
Quick action can save lives and solve crimes.

2 Cents

 

[Deepinthought52]

Nope you sure don’t-odd to call 911 before checking the house

his colleague was out of state and couldn’t check house in his own. ST sounds like a prompt and professional man who never gave office a reason he would not show up and emergency contact not answering either, that would be a big red flag. If he’d just gotten stuck in traffic, i imagine he would have called or MT would have answered or responded. What a horrible situation. The 4 year old may be able to describe if she saw anything or anyone, even if in a 4 year old way poor thing

 

[MassGuy]

Was the caller inside the house? At first i thought that person had been looking in a window, but if they were found on second floor, did that caller go inside? And if so, sounds like multiple people possibly had access to the home?

Yes, the caller was inside the house.

 

[Cedars]

If my loved ones were shot and killed under the cover of darkness - ambushed in bed by a monster "psycho" -
I would be so thankful that staff immediately called my loved one's boss

I don't think police have decided it was a monster psycho, I think police are keeping an open mind and will be looking with suspicion at everyone who knew them.

 

[Sillybilly]

Hey everyone,

We are closing the thread for the night and it will reopen some time tomorrow morning.

If someone has time, please start a Media, Maps & Timeline *NO DISCUSSION* thread. If not, we'll get one going some time tomorrow.

Good Night all

 

[Sillybilly]

Thread is open again ...

With a very special thanks to tlcya who started a Media, Maps & Timeline *NO DISCUSSION* thread for us Click HERE.

(We'll pop that link into Post #1 of the thread so it will be easily found.)

 

[TexLil]

Hoping for a Friday felony arrest today!

 

[ElishiaMarie]

After listening to the 911 calls numerous times I get the feeling that he told his coworkers/boss if I ever don’t show up or respond to notify authorities. I think they let someone stay with them in their home that they were helping. There was some danger surrounding this which is why the coworker said we can’t reach anybody “in that home”. Maybe this has to do with the previous unknown female who made the 911 call in April… IMO