Additional Coverage:
- Slain Ohio dentist’s brother-in-law says ‘domestic dispute’ 911 call came from party guest, not wife (foxnews.com)
Mystery Deepens in Columbus Double Homicide: Family Disputes Prior 911 Call Link
Columbus, OH – The investigation into the tragic deaths of Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, took a new turn this week as a family member clarified details surrounding a 911 call made months before the couple was found fatally shot in their Weinland Park home. While initial reports linked the call to Monique Tepe, her brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, states the caller was an attendee at a house party, not Monique herself.
The couple was discovered deceased with apparent gunshot wounds around 10:00 a.m. on December 30. Two young children were found unharmed inside the residence. Authorities have ruled out murder-suicide and reported no signs of forced entry or a weapon at the scene, leading detectives to believe the murders occurred between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. that morning.
A 911 recording from April 15, 2025, at 2:45 a.m., reveals an unknown woman, crying and distraught, telling the operator, “me and my man got into it.” She eventually stated she didn’t require police assistance.
Though dispatch logs did not name the caller, Misleh, speaking on the “Surviving the Survivor” podcast, asserted, “it’s quite clearly not Monique.” He explained that the Tepe’s frequently hosted gatherings, and this particular call was made by a guest who “had just a little bit of a freak-out for lack of a better term.”
He suggested the individual might have been experiencing “mental health issues at the time” and placed the call from her cell phone.
The exchange between the 911 operator and the caller further detailed the situation:
Operator: “Hi, this is 911.
We just got a hang-up call. Is everything OK?”
Female voice: “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m OK.”
Operator: “Are you sure?”
Female voice: “Yeah, yeah, I’m OK, sorry.”
Operator: “Well, it sounds like you’re crying. Do you need police, paramedics or anything?”
Female voice: “No, no. No, I’m OK.
I promise. I’m just emotional. [inaudible]”
Operator: “Well, can I ask what had you called 911 in the first place?”
Female voice: “Because me and my man got into it, but I’m OK, I promise.”
Operator: “Did anything ever get physical?”
Female voice: [Crying] “No.”
Operator: “You guys were just arguing, nobody hit each other?”
Female voice: “M’hm, yes.”
Operator: “Well, I have the information here. I can go ahead and tell the officers to cancel heading over to your address…If anything changes, call us back.”
Female voice: “Yes, yes, yes, I’m sorry…OK, I’m sorry.”
The Columbus Emergency Communications Center dispatcher coded the incident as a “domestic dispute” before noting that assistance was “no longer needed.”
Columbus Division of Police on Monday evening released surveillance video showing a “person of interest” walking in an alley near the Tepe residence in the early morning hours of December 30. The individual appears to be wearing a dark coat and light-colored pants. No arrests have been made in connection with the double homicide.
The alarm was first raised by Spencer’s employer, Mark Valrose of Athens Dental Depot, who called 911 for a welfare check after Spencer failed to arrive at work. Shortly after, at 10:03 a.m., a friend of Spencer’s entered the home and made a harrowing 911 call, reporting, “There’s a body.
Our friend wasn’t answering his phone. We just did a wellness check.
We just came here and he appears dead. He’s laying next to his bed, off of his bed in this blood.
I can’t get closer to see more than that.”
In a statement released last Friday, the Tepe family expressed their profound grief, calling the deaths “tragic and senseless.” They described Spencer, an Ohio State University graduate, as a “devoted and proud father, a loving partner, and a friend to everyone he met,” highlighting his intelligence, warmth, and welcoming nature.
Monique was remembered as a “loving, patient and joyful mother whose warmth defined her.” Rob Misleh shared that the couple, who married in 2021, were set to celebrate their five-year anniversary next month.