COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — One week after Spencer and Monique Tepe were found shot to death inside their Weinland Park home, investigators have yet to identify a suspect or determine a motive, leaving their family, neighbors, and the community searching for answers.
On Monday, Columbus police released surveillance video showing a person of interest walking through the back alley near the Tepe family’s North 4th Street residence. Investigators say the killings occurred sometime between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30, on the second floor of the home.
The individual in the video appears to be a male, wearing a dark hoodie and walking with his head down, moving south through the alley toward the Tepes’ garage and residence. This is the only publicly-released footage connected to the case as of Tuesday evening.
Several neighbors said the Tepes were well-liked, and described them as the least likely family on the block to be targeted.
The couple was discovered just after 10 a.m. on Dec. 30 after Tepe failed to show up for work at his Athens-based dental practice. After coworkers were unable to reach him, authorities conducted a welfare check and found the couple deceased inside the home. Their two young children, ages 4 and 1, were found unharmed and are now in the care of relatives, along with the family dog.
“This person didn’t just take two lives,” said Rob Misleh, Spencer Tepe’s brother-in-law. “They took a son and a daughter, a brother and a sister, an aunt and an uncle. They were two beautiful souls who were just wonderful parents.”
Misleh expressed confidence in the investigators.
“I know just in the world that we live in today, we can get such information so fast and we need it,” he said. “That’s not exactly how investigators operate, and we understand that. We have full faith they’re doing this the right way.”
Columbus police have not conducted on-camera interviews since the morning the bodies were discovered. In response to ABC 6’s questions regarding how a suspect may have entered the home, where the person of interest came from, and whether there are additional suspects or video evidence, investigators said they could not provide further details.
Authorities have confirmed there were no signs of forced entry, no weapons recovered at the scene, and no indication the home was ransacked.
Police continue to ask the public for surveillance footage, photos, or digital evidence from between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30, particularly from areas surrounding North Fourth Street, Summit Street, North Grant Avenue, East Seventh Avenue, and East Eleventh Avenue.
Outside the Tepe home, a growing memorial of flowers and personal items remains as friends and neighbors continue to mourn.
“This is not an episode of television or a true crime podcast,” Misleh said. “This is a family. Hundreds and hundreds of people have been affected by this.”
A GoFundMe created to support the Tepes’ children has already raised nearly $170,000 as of this report.
Anyone with information that could help identify the person seen in the surveillance video is urged to contact Columbus police at 614-645-2228. Anonymous tips also can be submitted to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477.
