A tragic incident involving an Ohio dentist and his wife has left the community in shock, following an unsettling phone call made months earlier by a distressed woman from their home. The police have since launched an investigation into what is now viewed as a double homicide.

Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, were found brutally murdered in their Weinland Park residence on December 30. The Columbus police discovered no clear signs of forced entry, nor did they recover any firearms at the scene where Spencer had succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds and Monique had been shot at least once in the chest.

Paramedics arrived swiftly, but tragically, both Spencer and Monique were pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Their deaths occurred just a month shy of what would have been their fifth wedding anniversary, adding a layer of heartbreak to the already devastating situation.

Amidst the chaos, the couple’s two young children, a one-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl, were found safe, alongside the family’s goldendoodle dog. This small solace leaves the community and investigators grappling with the mystery surrounding the couple’s deaths.

Authorities are currently on the lookout for a ‘person of interest’ who was captured by surveillance cameras walking near the Tepe residence during the critical time frame when the couple was believed to have been shot upstairs. As the investigation unfolds, many questions remain unanswered, leaving a cloud of uncertainty hanging over this deeply tragic event.

It now remains unclear what may have happened to the couple, as officers search for a ‘person of interest’ who was caught on camera walking near the Tepe’s home during the narrow window that authorities say the couple were shot upstairs.

But chilling dispatcher records obtained by Fox News show that an unidentified woman called 911 from the Tepe’s home in the early morning hours of April 15 to report what the dispatcher would describe as a ‘domestic dispute.’ 

In an audio recording of the call, the woman could be heard crying as she insisted that she no longer needed police officers to come.

She then told the dispatcher that ‘me and my man got into it.’

Monique Tepe, 39, and Spencer Tepe, 37, were found violently slain inside their Weinland Park home on December 30, in a case Columbus police are now investigating as a double homicide

A woman inside the home (pictured) made a disturbing 911 call to report a ‘domestic dispute’ months prior

The recording began with an operator calling the woman back after she apparently hung up after dialing 911.

The female could then be heard profusely apologizing as she sad she is OK.

‘Well it sounds like you’re crying. Do you need police, paramedics or anything?’ the dispatcher then asked.

‘No, no, no, I’m OK, I promise,’ the woman replies. ‘I’m just emotional.’

Still, the dispatcher pressed on asking what prompted her to call 911 in the first place.

‘Because me and my man got into it, but I’m OK, I promise,’ the woman replied.

The operator then asked if the spat had become physical – to which the woman, who could be heard crying, said ‘no.’ 

‘You guys were just arguing, nobody hit each other?’ the operator tried to confirm.

‘Mhm, yes,’ the woman replied.

Spencer and Monique Tepe were shot to death upstairs while their two young children slept unharmed inside the family home

Police are seen carrying out their investigations following the couple’s killing 

At that point, the dispatcher she would ‘go ahead and tell the officers to cancel heading over to your address.’

‘If anything changes, call us back,’ she said.

Records show a dispatcher at the Columbus Emergency Communications Center then coded the call as a ‘domestic dispute,’ and later wrote that assistance was ‘no longer needed.’

Detectives now believe the Tepes were killed inside their home at some point between 2am and 5am on December 30 as their children were inside.  

Officers then received the first phone call from concerned coworkers just before 9am, when Spencer’s employer, Mark Valrose, who owns Athens Dental Depot, reported that some of his employees were concerned that Spencer did not show up to work – something Valrose said was unlike the dentist.

‘Spencer works with me and he did not show up to work this morning and we cannot get ahold of him or his family,’ Valrose could be heard telling a dispatcher as he asked for a wellness check. 

‘He is always on time and he would contact us if there is any issues whatsoever,’ he continued in his call while on vacation in Florida. 

‘We’re very, very concerned because this is very out of character and we can’t get in touch with his wife, which is probably the more concerning thing.’

Officers received the first phone call from concerned coworkers of Spencer’s at Athens Dental Depot just before 9am on December 30

About an hour later, coworkers and a friend returned to the residence themselves and immediately sensed something was wrong.

But when one of the friends called 911 once again, a dispatcher reported that officers knocked on both the front and back doors, but received no response.

Still, a friend insisted something seemed wrong, telling the dispatcher he ‘thought he heard one of [the kids] yelling, but we can’t get in.

‘At this point, I don’t know if we need to break the door in or just get in the house or what,’ the friend said, according to an audio recording obtained by CBS News.

The dispatcher then relented and said they would send police back out to the house.

Minutes later, a coworker also called police frantically as she was on her way to the Tepe’s home, to which the dispatcher said officers were already on their way.

The fourth and final call then came in at 10.03am.

‘We’ve gotten several calls on that. What’s changed since the last person I talked to?’ the dispatcher asked at that time.

‘Uh, there’s a body, there’s a body,’ one of Spencer’s friends could then be heard saying.

‘Our friend wasn’t answering his phone. We just came here and he appears dead,’ he continued. ‘He’s laying next to his bed, off of his bed in this blood. I can’t get closer to see more than that.’

The friend then went on to say that Spencer did not do drugs and he had just seen his friend the day before. 

Authorities are now looking for any information on a person who was caught on camera just steps from the Tepe’s house during the narrow window when the couple was gunned down upstairs while their two young children slept

Authorities are now looking for any information on a person who was caught on camera just steps from the Tepe’s house during the narrow window when the couple was gunned down upstairs while their two young children slept.

The footage was put out on Monday by the Columbus Police Department, which says the video was taken between 2am and 5am on December 30 in an alley next to the Tepe family’s Weinland Park home.

The brief but unsettling video shows a person dressed in light-colored pants and a dark hooded jacket, head down, hands in pockets, walking calmly through the snowy alley. 

Police say the individual’s presence during such critical hours now makes them a key focus of the investigation.

Authorities are urging anyone who recognizes the person or has additional surveillance footage from the area to come forward. 

An anonymous digital portal has been opened for tips, and detectives say they are actively following up on leads.

Rob Misleh, Monique’s brother, said the couple’s children ‘are young enough to not fully understand the gravity of this situation’

Spencer and Monique Tepe had been married for five years and were described by loved ones as devoted parents who had built a loving family together in Columbus. 

‘Our family is devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of Spencer and Monique,’ the family said in a statement. 

‘They were extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others.’

Monique’s brother, Rob Misleh, said the couple shared a ‘beautiful, strong, and deeply happy relationship.’

‘They loved to travel, to laugh, and to build a life rooted in love,’ he said. 

‘They were proud parents of two beautiful children and their beloved Goldendoodle, and they created a home filled with warmth, happiness, and connection. We are heartbroken beyond words.’

Spencer, a graduate of Ohio State University and a member of the American Dental Association, worked at Athens Dental Depot. He was said to have been a devoted father and a loyal Buckeyes and Cincinnati Bengals fan.

Monique, who also attended Ohio State University and had a background in education, was remembered as a ‘loving, patient, and joyful mother whose warmth defined her.’

The couple’s four-year-old and 17-month-old are now in the care of relatives, and are doing well, Misleh said.

‘They are young enough to not fully understand the gravity of this situation,’ he acknowledged to WBNS.

The family is now raising funds to help support the two young children, garnering more than $171,000 as of Tuesday night.

‘The abrupt loss of Spencer and Monique has changed daily life in ways that are still unfolding,’ the GoFundMe says.

‘This fund exists to help provide stability and care for their children and the immediate family members who are supporting them during this time.’

Misleh, though, said that support means more than the money itself.

‘We also really want to be charitable about it,’ added the uncle. ‘Spencer was very involved in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.’

He said that he is now patiently waiting to see justice be served, as he understands that investigations take time and aren’t like the crime shows on television.

‘Nothing can ever bring them back, but getting the justice that Mo and Spencer so deserve, finding whatever monster is capable of doing something like this, I think it would make not just our family, but a lot of people be able to feel a little bit safer,’ added Misleh.