A tragic incident unfolded in Columbus on Tuesday morning, as authorities discovered the bodies of a former dentist and his wife shot to death in their home. The victims have been identified as 37-year-old Spencer Tepe and 39-year-old Monique Tepe. Police reports indicate that Spencer Tepe sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
In a harrowing detail, two small children, both under the age of six, were found unharmed in the residence located in Weinland Park. Prior to his death, Spencer Tepe had worked at Athens Dental Depot in Columbus, having previously been employed at Stone Creek Dental in Ashland.
The Columbus Division of Police has not yet located a firearm connected to the incident, and homicide investigators are diligently working to piece together the circumstances surrounding the case. There are currently no indications of a murder-suicide, although further details remain under wraps.
The police were alerted to the situation around 10:04 a.m. following a well-being check requested by a concerned colleague who had not heard from Spencer Tepe, as he failed to show up for work that day. Officers arrived on the scene to find the couple suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, and both were pronounced dead shortly after by medical personnel.
Detective Weiner is leading the investigation with assistance from Detective Miller, and authorities encourage anyone with information about the incident to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.
Spencer Tepe, originally from Mason near Cincinnati, earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Ohio State University. The couple had married in 2021 and were just a month away from celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary.
This tragic event underscores the pervasive nature of violence and its impacts on families and communities, leaving many to grapple with the loss of life and the well-being of the young children who remain.