Ohio Dentist Homicides: Killer’s blood found at scene; DNA results could provide the ultimate breakthrough

Summary of the Case: The Ohio Dentist Murders

1. The Crime Scene

Victims: Dr. John Matarazzo (70) and his wife, Carolyn Matarazzo (69). Both were highly respected members of the dental community and their local neighborhood.

Location: Their private residence in the quiet suburb of Orange Village, Ohio.

Discovery: The couple was found murdered in a brutal attack that shocked the peaceful community.

2. Crucial Evidence (The Killer’s Blood) The turning point in the investigation was the discovery of bloodstains at the scene that did not match either victim. This suggests that the perpetrator was likely injured during a struggle or while committing the crime, leaving behind their own DNA. This is considered a “fatal mistake” by the killer.

3. Investigative Progress

DNA Testing: Investigators have been processing these biological samples. If the killer’s profile is in the national criminal database (CODIS), an arrest could be imminent.

Genetic Genealogy: If there is no direct match, authorities may use investigative genetic genealogy—the same technology used to catch the “Golden State Killer”—to trace the suspect through their relatives’ DNA.

4. Motive and Suspects

Initial reports suggested the motive remained unclear, as there were few signs of a typical robbery; many valuables were left untouched.

The nature of the crime led investigators to consider whether it was a targeted personal vendetta or the work of a highly unstable individual.

Why this matters: In a case with no witnesses, biological evidence is “irrefutable.” The presence of the killer’s blood at the scene provides a direct scientific link that is nearly impossible to challenge in court.

In the quiet, revitalizing Weinland Park neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, the home on North Fourth Street looked like any other family haven—modern, welcoming, filled with the sounds of young children and the warmth of a couple building their dream life. Spencer Tepe, a 37-year-old beloved dentist known for his fluent Spanish and dedication to underserved patients, and his 39-year-old wife Monique, a vibrant partner and mother, had married in that very house back in 2021. They were just weeks away from celebrating their fifth anniversary when tragedy struck on December 30, 2025. What began as a routine welfare check escalated into a nightmare discovery: both shot dead upstairs, their two small children—one just 4 years old, the other even younger—crying unharmed in another room.

Now, over a week later, as the new year dawns cold and uncertain, police have revealed a tantalizing forensic detail that has investigators buzzing and the public gripped with speculation. Blood was indeed found at the scene—pools of it beside the bed where Spencer lay, spatter marking the violence of those fatal gunshots. But when DNA tests came back on samples collected from key areas, the results stunned the team: the blood belonged entirely to the victims. No foreign DNA. No trace of an intruder’s genetic signature in the crimson evidence that seemed so promising. “The suspect left blood at the scene,” sources close to the probe whispered early on, raising hopes of a quick match. Yet the lab reports tell a different story—one that deepens the enigma surrounding this seemingly motiveless double homicide.

How could a killer enter a home with no obvious signs of forced entry, execute a couple in their bedroom during the dead of night, and vanish without leaving a single drop of their own blood—or any DNA at all? Was the intruder meticulous, gloved and masked? Or disturbingly familiar, someone who knew the layout intimately enough to come and go undetected? These questions haunt detectives as they chase shadows in a case that has yielded few solid leads.

The horror unfolded on a crisp Tuesday morning when Spencer’s dental colleagues grew worried—he was never late, never absent without word. Calls to his phone went unanswered. By 9 a.m., welfare check requests poured into 911. A close friend arrived first, peering through a window and spotting the unthinkable: “There’s a body… he’s laying next to his bed in this blood.” His voice cracked over the dispatcher as he described the pool soaking the floor. Minutes later, officers breached the door and confirmed the worst—Spencer and Monique dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Three 9mm shell casings littered the room, but no weapon remained. Downstairs, the children wailed, miraculously untouched, along with the family dog.

The absence of forced entry fueled immediate theories: robbery gone wrong? Targeted hit? Personal grudge? Neighbors reported nothing unusual that night—no screams, no bangs echoing through the streets. Surveillance from nearby homes captured only one intriguing figure—a hooded person strolling casually through an alley close to the Tepes’ house between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., the narrow window investigators believe the murders occurred. Police released the grainy footage days ago, pleading for tips to identify this “person of interest.” Is this the shadow who slipped inside? The one who pulled the trigger without shedding blood or skin cells?

Adding to the intrigue, records uncovered a mysterious 911 call from the same address back in April 2025. A crying woman dialed at 2:45 a.m., reporting “me and my man got into it,” insisting things were fine before hanging up. Family members quickly clarified—it was a party guest, not Monique, and no police response was needed. But in a case starved for context, that late-night disturbance lingers like a ghost. Was it unrelated coincidence, or a glimpse into hidden tensions?

Spencer and Monique’s life appeared idyllic on the surface. He, a proud Ohio State University graduate and Bengals fan, ran a thriving practice in nearby Athens, committed to community service. She, his perfect complement, filled their home with love and laughter. Friends described them as inseparable, always smiling, devoted parents whose world revolved around their kids. A GoFundMe for the orphaned children exploded with donations, tributes pouring in from patients who recalled Spencer’s gentle chairside manner and Monique’s infectious energy. “They were amazing parents,” one relative said through tears. “Beautiful kids who now face a world without them.”

Yet beneath the perfection, the clean DNA results raise unsettling possibilities. In many home invasions, intruders nick themselves, bleed from struggle, leave epithelial cells on doorknobs or casings. Here—nothing. Experts suggest a professional touch: covered shoes, hair net, meticulous cleanup. Or perhaps no struggle at all—the couple caught asleep, the killer knowing exactly where to strike. The missing murder weapon points to premeditation; someone walked away with it, cool and calculated.

Columbus police remain tight-lipped, urging anonymity for tips as they canvass the neighborhood and scour more footage. No arrests, no named suspects, no clear motive. Was it random, a burglar surprised in the act? Or deeply personal, a secret enmity bubbling undetected? The children, now with relatives, hold potential keys—did they hear voices, footsteps? Trauma specialists work gently, but young minds process horror differently.

In Weinland Park, a area shedding its troubled past for vibrant renewal, fear creeps in. Doors lock earlier, cameras multiply. The Tepes’ porch, once adorned for holidays, now bears flowers and notes—a makeshift memorial glowing under streetlights. As forensic teams re-examine every swab, every fiber, the lack of stranger DNA shifts focus inward: Who had access? Who knew the family’s rhythms?

This case captivates because it defies easy answers. Blood at the scene screamed “clue”—yet tests whispered “ghost.” A family obliterated, children spared, a community on edge. Somewhere out there walks the person who ended two bright lives without leaving a biological trace. But shadows fade under scrutiny. With public eyes on that alley footage and tips flooding in, the net tightens. What secret will break first—the motive, the method, or the face behind the hood?

For Spencer and Monique, justice hangs on that fragile thread. In a home stained by their blood alone, the killer’s invisibility feels almost supernatural. But science and persistence rarely fail forever. The truth, buried in silence so far, waits to surface—and when it does, it may shock everyone.