More than a week after a Columbus, Ohio, couple was shot lifeless in their home – the similar place they exchanged marriage ceremony vows and were elevating their younger household – their killer remains to be at massive and police have launched few particulars about their investigation.
Spencer and Monique Tepe, 37 and 39, were killed in the early hours of December 30 while their two younger children were inside the residence. Their children, ages 1 and 4, were not bodily harmed, police mentioned; they and the household’s canine at the moment are in the care of relations, their brother-in-law informed NCS.
A notable growth in the case got here Monday, when the Columbus Division of Police released surveillance footage exhibiting a “person of interest” strolling in the alley close to the couple’s home in the Weinland Park neighborhood, simply north of downtown. It was taken throughout the timeframe investigators imagine the couple was killed, police mentioned.
Police haven’t mentioned potential suspects or a motive in a case they’re investigating as a double murder. Mystery has shrouded the killings since police revealed early on there were no apparent indicators of compelled entry and no firearm was discovered at the scene, NCS affiliate WSYX reported.
As legislation enforcement continues to ask the public for info, right here’s a timeline of what we’ve discovered since the Tepes were killed:
The final publicly identified sighting of Spencer Tepe is on this present day, a Monday.
After a buddy informed a dispatcher the following day he noticed a physique, the dispatcher requested when he’d final spoken with Tepe, in accordance with 911 calls reported by WSYX. The buddy responded: “Yesterday, I suppose.”
In a follow-up query, the dispatcher requested whether or not Spencer Tepe had been sick. The buddy responded, “No, no. I was just with him yesterday.”
(*2*)
Sometime between 2 and 5 a.m. is when the Tepes are killed, in accordance with Columbus police. Detectives imagine the Tepes were killed in the upstairs of their home.
Police haven’t responded to NCS’s questions on why or how they remoted that three-hour window. Investigators later requested for any video footage from that point interval.
The first 911 name comes at 8:58 a.m. from Dr. Mark Valrose, the proprietor of Athens Dental Depot, the place Spencer Tepe was a dentist. Valrose, calling from his trip in Florida, says workers informed him Spencer Tepe hadn’t proven up for work.
Valrose asks police to conduct a wellness verify, saying: “He is always on time, and he would contact us if there were any issues,” in accordance with the recording.
“I don’t know how else to say this, but we are very, very concerned. This is very out of character for him,” he continues. “We can’t get in touch with his wife, which is probably the more concerning thing.”
At 9:22 a.m., an officer arrives at the home to carry out the verify, however nobody solutions the door and they depart, WSYX reported, citing police data.
Around half-hour later, Spencer Tepe’s colleagues and a buddy arrive at the home, however in addition they don’t get a response, the dispatch data confirmed. A person at the scene calls 911 at 9:56 a.m., saying he hears children inside.
The dispatcher tells him the police are being despatched again to the home.
Two minutes later comes a third 911 name, this time from one other colleague who says they’ve been unable to succeed in Spencer Tepe for about three hours, in accordance with the recordings.
Around 10:03 a.m., the buddy who mentioned he’d seen Spencer Tepe on Monday calls 911 and is audibly distressed: “There’s a body,” he stories. The buddy doesn’t specify whether or not he’s inside or exterior the home, and he has not responded to NCS’s request for remark.
Columbus cops are dispatched to the home at 10:04 a.m. to conduct a wellness verify. At 10:11 a.m., medical personnel pronounce each victims deceased, the police assertion mentioned.
The Tepe household releases a assertion to NCS saying they’re “devastated by the tragic and senseless loss” of the beloved couple.
“We are heartbroken beyond words,” the assertion reads.
The household says they’re “committed to seeing this tragedy fully and fairly brought to justice” and to honoring them by defending the future of their two children.
The couple, their household says, were “extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and a deep connection to others.”
Columbus police give their first vital replace in days as they launch surveillance footage from the early hours of December 30 exhibiting a particular person carrying light-colored pants and a darkish hoodie pulled over their head.
The particular person retains their head down as they trudge alongside a snow-lined alley in the darkish, the video confirmed. Police don’t say why they’re describing the particular person in the video as a “person of interest” and ask the public for info.
Columbus police acknowledge there are “questions and concerns surrounding this tragic incident,” saying detectives are “working diligently to solve this case.”
“We want to thank the community for the tips we have received,” police say. “We will continue to update you as the investigation progresses.”
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office tells NCS the Tepes’ deaths are “apparent homicides by gunshot wounds” however mentioned the official post-mortem stories might take weeks to finish.
A spokesperson for the Columbus police, Sgt. Joe Albert, responds to NCS’s questions on why they’re thinking about the particular person seen in the surveillance footage and why they aren’t contemplating them a suspect.
“In order to maintain the integrity of the investigation, we cannot answer that question right now,” Albert says.
Columbus police haven’t answered NCS’s questions on whether or not detectives have recognized a suspect or potential motive; how the assailant bought into the home; whether or not the couple was focused; and whether or not there’s any menace to the public.