Chilling surveillance footage released by the Columbus Police shows a hooded person of interest walking through a snowy alley near the Weinland Park home where a beloved local dentist and his wife were found shot to death. The video was made public as investigators continue to chase leads and ask neighbors for any additional footage or tips that could finally bring this killer to justice.
Authorities identified the victims as Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, and his wife Monique Tepe, 39, who were discovered inside their home on December 30, 2025. The discovery of the couple — both described by friends as devoted parents — has rocked the community and left two very young children suddenly orphaned and in the care of relatives.
Police say the couple were likely killed sometime between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. and the newly released footage places a lone figure in the alley during that critical window. The person is seen in light-colored pants and a dark hooded coat, head bowed and hands in pockets, moving slowly as if trying not to attract attention.
Investigators have been clear that there were no signs of forced entry, no weapon was recovered at the scene, and authorities have ruled out murder-suicide as the cause — all the more chilling because this suggests a predator who slipped in and out like a ghost. The couple’s two children, a 1-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, were found unharmed, but nothing about this case should make any parent feel safe about the state of our streets and neighborhoods.
Local supporters have rallied for the children, with community fundraisers already raising significant sums to help care for them while police pursue leads. Family members, while grieving, have cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the person in the video, but the release itself was the right move — transparency puts pressure on whoever is hiding the truth and invites the public to help.
This case is a hard reminder that soft-on-crime politics and budget cuts to the tools that help police solve crimes cost real lives. Law-abiding Americans are tired of platitudes; we want police empowered with resources, prosecutors who will pursue violent offenders without letting them back on the streets, and elected leaders who will defend families, not coddle criminals.
Columbus deserves answers and the Tepes’ children deserve justice and permanent safety, not empty promises. If you have information, contact law enforcement immediately and demand the full force of the law be used to bring the person in that hooded coat to account for what happened in their family’s home.
