A shocking double murder in Ohio has left a community reeling, after a dentist and his wife were found shot dead in their home just over a week after a neighbour made a frantic 911 call reporting someone trying to smash their way inside.
A Harrowing Midnight Disturbance
In the early hours of December 19, an unidentified female neighbour of Spencer and Monique Tepe placed a terrified call to emergency services. At approximately 2.30am, she reported a person violently banging on her front door in Columbus's Weinland Park area, just a three-minute walk from the Tepes' residence.
"Somebody is smashing on my door. I think they’re trying to get in," the caller is heard saying in audio obtained by Fox News. Audibly frightened, she told the dispatcher she could not see the culprit and had not asked what they wanted. The suspect left the scene by 2.44am, but police never arrived to investigate the incident.
A Couple Found Dead Days Later
Tragedy struck the quiet neighbourhood just days later. On December 30, concern grew when Spencer Tepe, 37, failed to arrive for work at his dental practice in Athens, Ohio. Neither he nor his wife Monique, 39, responded to calls from worried friends and family.
After an initial police wellness check received no answer, friends returned to the couple's $700,000 home around 10am. One immediately called 911, stating he thought he heard a child yelling. Police discovered the couple's two young children unharmed but sobbing inside. Spencer and Monique Tepe were declared dead at the scene, shot upstairs while their children slept.
Investigators confirmed they are treating the deaths as a double homicide and do not suspect a murder-suicide. No firearm or obvious signs of forced entry were found.
Mysterious Figure Captured on Camera
Columbus Police have released eerie surveillance footage showing a person of interest walking in a snowy alley near the Tepe home. The video was captured during the critical window when the murders are believed to have occurred, between 2am and 5am on December 30.
The brief clip shows an individual in light-coloured trousers and a dark hooded jacket, head down and hands in pockets, walking calmly. Police say this person's presence during those hours makes them a key focus of the investigation.
The case is further complicated by a separate, peculiar 911 call made from the Tepe residence itself in April 2025. A distressed female caller reported a "domestic dispute" but later insisted police were not needed, claiming she and "her man" had argued but no violence occurred. Monique Tepe's brother has since stated that call was made by a partygoer, not his sister.
A Community in Mourning
Loved ones have described the Tepes as "remarkable inside and out" and have started a GoFundMe to support their orphaned children. "They were extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others," the tribute reads.
Columbus Police are urging anyone with information to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477). The hunt for the killer continues.
