The silence started with missed calls and an empty chair at work, then escalated into a frantic welfare check that ended in the discovery of Spencer and Monique Tepe dead in their Columbus home. Ten days after the apparent shooting deaths, police announced an arrest and charged Monique Tepe's ex-husband with two counts of murder.
Arrest Made In Ohio Dentist Spencer Tepe And Monique Tepe Killings
Michael David McKee, 39, was arrested on Saturday and charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, who were found dead in their Columbus home last month. McKee and Monique Tepe married in 2015 and divorced two years later, records show.
A funeral visitation for the couple took place on Sunday in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Police have not publicly detailed a motive.
What Happened Inside The Columbus Home On 30 December?
The couple was discovered dead at their Columbus home on the morning of 30 December after concerned friends and colleagues of Spencer Tepe contacted authorities. The dentist's boss called at 8:58 a.m., according to a transcript of the call, and said Tepe was reliable and always on time but had not shown up and could not be reached.
'We're very, very concerned because this is very out of character, and we can't get in touch with his wife, which is probably the more concerning thing,' he said. Roughly an hour later, a friend of Spencer Tepe's stopped by the home for what he described in a 911 call as a wellness check.
According to a transcript, the friend found Spencer Tepe lying next to his bed in a puddle of blood, while the couple's two young children could be heard screaming in the background. Police arrived shortly after, and the couple was pronounced dead at 10:11 a.m., according to an incident report.
Authorities later said the children were unharmed. The Franklin County Coroner's Office said the couple's preliminary cause and manner of death was an apparent homicide by gunshot wound.
Who Spencer Tepe and Monique Tepe Were To Family And Friends
Spencer Tepe worked at a dental practice in Athens, Ohio, where he focused on comprehensive dentistry and implant therapy, according to a company biography. A family statement said he was fluent in Spanish and committed to serving others.
Monique Tepe had a background in childhood education, her family said, and she loved baking. The family described her as a 'loving, patient, and joyful mother whose warmth defined her'.
'Together, Spencer and Monique shared a beautiful, strong, and deeply happy relationship,' the family said. 'They loved to travel, to laugh, and to build a life rooted in love.'
The family added that the couple were proud parents of two children and owners of a Goldendoodle and said they created 'a home filled with warmth, happiness, and connection'. A family friend, Phyllis Williams, remembered Monique Tepe as 'a very beautiful soul' and said on Sunday, 'She and Spencer loved each other dearly, and they were soulmates.'
What Police Say About The Timeline And Person Of Interest
Investigators believe the couple was killed between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., a window in which a person of interest was recorded on a security camera walking in an alley next to their home, police said last week. The brief video shows a person wearing light-coloured trousers and a dark hooded jacket, but police did not confirm on Saturday whether McKee is believed to be the person seen.
In an interview with Spectrum News, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant appeared to address why there was a delay between the boss's call and the later welfare check. She said an officer who was initially dispatched went to the wrong address and 'did everything that he was supposed to do', but it 'was not the right location'.
Who Michael McKee Is And What Happens Next In Court
McKee, who resides in Chicago, and Monique Tepe shared no children together. He is being held in the Winnebago County Jail in Illinois, authorities said, and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
It was not immediately clear whether he has retained a lawyer. McKee is a medical doctor specialising in vascular surgery, according to online licence records, and is licensed in California and Illinois, with a prior Nevada licence that expired in June.
He graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 2014, records show. He was listed as a vascular surgeon at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, Illinois, and OSF Healthcare said it is 'cooperating with authorities' as the case continues to develop, including reporting by NBC News.
