Columbus, Ohio is reeling tonight as police announce a major breakthrough in the double homicide of a beloved local dentist and his wife, with the arrest of the wife’s ex-husband. Dr. Michael McKe, a vascular surgeon, is now in custody in Illinois, charged with the murders of Dr. Spencer Tepee and Monnique Tepee, who were found shot to death in their bedroom just over a week ago.
The ππ½πΈπΈππΎππ development comes on the eve of the couple’s joint funeral, scheduled for Sunday. Spencer and Monnique Tepee, parents to two young children aged one and four, were discovered in their downtown Columbus home on the morning of December 30th after Spencer failed to arrive at his dental practice. The children were found unharmed inside the residence.
According to a criminal affidavit, Columbus homicide detectives identified McKe as a suspect through neighborhood video surveillance. Investigators tracked a vehicle seen arriving at the Tepee home just prior to the homicides and departing shortly after. That vehicle was later located in Rockford, Illinois, with evidence allegedly placing McKe in possession of it before and after the killings.
McKe, who was briefly married to Monnique Tepee in 2015, is currently being held at the Winnebago County Jail awaiting extradition to Ohio to face formal murder charges. The affidavit states the couple divorced using a private judge, and sources suggest McKe “didn’t want to let go” following the short-lived marriage.
The gruesome discovery was made by concerned friends after a series of frantic 911 calls began around 9:00 a.m. on December 30th. Spencer Tepee’s employer, calling from Florida, expressed deep alarm that the reliable dentist was a no-show without any contact. “This is very out of character,” the boss told a dispatcher, noting the inability to reach Monnique was “the more concerning thing.”
Initial police response was marked by a critical error, as confirmed by Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant in recent interviews. An officer dispatched for a welfare check approximately 20 minutes after the first call mistakenly went to a similar address on a parallel street. Body camera footage shows the officer knocking and checking the exterior of the wrong home before leaving.
It was friends of the Tepees who later arrived, heard the children inside, and ultimately gained entry to the correct townhome. One caller, who knew the family well enough to access the home, made the horrific discovery. “There’s a body,” the caller told 911, his voice strained. “Our friend… he appears dead.” The sounds of the couple’s young children can be heard in the background of the call.
Police arrived to find both victims deceased from gunshot wounds in a second-floor bedroom. Preliminary reports indicate Spencer Tepee suffered multiple gunshot wounds, while Monnique Tepee was shot at least once in the chest. Investigators recovered 9mm shell casings at the scene and have stated they do not believe the tragedy was a murder-suicide.
For days, the investigation focused on a grainy surveillance video released by police, showing a person of interest walking down an alley behind the Tepee home between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. on December 30th. The individual, whose face is not visible, wore gray pants, black shoes, and a black coat. Despite national circulation of the video, no one came forward to identify the person.
Chief Bryant addressed several public questions in interviews with local media, including a mysterious 911 call from April that originated near the Tepee address. In that call, a crying woman reported a disagreement with “her man” but said she was okay and canceled a police response. Bryant confirmed the voice was not Monnique Tepee’s and noted that cell tower data in the dense neighborhood could place the caller within a half-mile radius.
The chief emphasized the department is pursuing countless tips and reviewing substantial video evidence from the public. She urged patience, stating investigators are being as transparent as possible while maintaining the integrity of the active case. The motive behind the targeted killings remains under investigation.
Spencer Tepee, 37, was a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and practiced in Athens. Described as a family man who loved golf and his hometown Cincinnati Bengals, he was remembered in a joint obituary as being “the life of the party.” Monnique Tepee, also an Ohio State graduate with a master’s in early childhood education, was a stay-at-home mom known for her “bright smile, infectious laugh, caring heart, and bubbly personality.”
The couple’s two children and their family dog, a Goldendoodle, are now in the care of relatives. As a community prepares to say a final goodbye this weekend, the arrest offers a grim measure of closure, though countless questions about the events of that tragic December night remain unanswered. The case continues to develop as authorities work to formally bring the accused killer back to Ohio to face justice.