EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: In a chilling development, records reveal that just months before an Ohio couple was discovered shot to death in their residence, a woman had dialed 911 from the same location. The dispatcher recorded the incident as a “domestic dispute.” After initially disconnecting, the caller informed the 911 operator with a tearful voice, “me and my man got into it,” according to newly unveiled documents.
On December 30, around 10 a.m., police arrived at the Columbus, Ohio home to find the lifeless bodies of Spencer Tepe, 37, and his wife Monique Tepe, 39, both bearing gunshot wounds. Two young children were found unharmed within the house. Authorities have ruled out murder-suicide, noting the absence of forced entry and the fact that no weapon was recovered, as reported by WSYX.
Fox News Digital has acquired a previous 911 call from the same address, made by an unidentified woman. Records indicate that this call occurred in the early hours of April 15 at 2:45 a.m. During the call, the woman could be heard sobbing, later informing the operator that police assistance was no longer required.
The dispatch logs from Columbus officials did not identify the caller by name.
Image of Spencer and Monique Tepe on their wedding day. (Photo Credit: Rob Misleh)
Read a transcript of the call below:
Operator: “Hi, this is 911. We just received a hang-up call. Is everything alright?”
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.”
A dispatcher at the Columbus Emergency Communications Center coded the call as a “domestic dispute,” later writing that assistance was “no longer needed.”
The Columbus Division of Police on Monday evening released surveillance video showing a “person of interest” walking in the alley near the Tepes’ residence in the early morning hours of Dec. 30. Detectives believe the murders took place between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Dec. 30.
Spencer and Monique Tepe were found dead on Dec. 30. (Rob Misleh)
The video, released by the Columbus Division of Police, shows the man walking slowly in an alley near the Weinland Park home where Spencer and Monique lived. He’s seen in what appears to be a dark coat and light-colored pants.
The first 911 call placed on Dec. 30 came from Spencer’s employer, Mark Valrose, who owns Athens Dental Depot. While Valrose said he was vacationing in Florida at the time, several of Spencer’s co-workers became worried after he didn’t show up for work, saying that’s extremely unlike him.
“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 said. “He is always on time and he would contact us if there is any issues whatsoever… 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.”
Timeline of key events in the murders of Spencer and Monique Tepe. (Fox News)
At 10:03 a.m., one of Spencer’s friends went to the Tepes’ house and told a 911 operator that he could see a body inside.
“There’s a body,” the person can be heard saying. “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.”
Spencer and Monique Tepe pictured in wedding photos. (Rob Misleh)
In a statement released Friday, the couple’s family said they are “heartbroken beyond words,” and called the deaths “tragic and senseless.”
“They were extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others,” read the statement. “Spencer, a graduate of The Ohio State University, was known as a devoted and proud father, a loving partner, and a friend to everyone he met,” the family statement said, adding that he was “intelligent, warm, and endlessly welcoming.”
Spencer and Monique Tepe were preparing to celebrate their five-year wedding anniversary. (Rob Misleh)
Monique was described by family members as a “loving, patient and joyful mother whose warmth defined her.”
Rob Misleh, Spencer’s brother-in-law, told WSYX that the couple was going to celebrate their five-year anniversary next month after getting married in 2021.
