For more than 10 days, a manhunt for the suspect in the killings of Spencer and Monique Tepe in their Ohio home with their two young children inside gripped their community and captured national attention.
The ex-husband of Monique Tepe, identified by court records as Michael David McKee, 39, was arrested on two counts of murder on Saturday, an incident report shows.
Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39, were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds on December 30 in their upscale house in Columbus. The couple’s two children, ages 4 and 1, were not physically harmed when they were found inside, police said.
The arrest marks a major development in a case which has been shrouded in mystery as police have been reluctant to provide any details about the investigation. Police officials still have not released any information about a possible motive.
Questions about how the killings unfolded and what motivated the attack only intensified Monday when police revealed surveillance footage showing “a person of interest” walking in the alley near the couple’s home in the Weinland Park neighborhood.
The video was taken during the timeframe investigators believe the respected dentist and his wife – a stay-at-home mother – were killed, police said at the time, but did not explain why they were seeking information about that individual.
McKee is in custody in Winnebago County, Illinois, according to inmate records with the sheriff’s office. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday, records show, after police said he was taken into custody “without incident” in Rockford, Illinois.
In the days following the killings, a memorial of roses and sunflowers adorned the home where the Tepes had exchanged vows before it became the site of unspeakable tragedy.
It was just days after Christmas, a month before their five-year anniversary.
Authorities did not find any obvious signs of forced entry or any firearm at the scene, CNN affiliate WSYXpreviously reported.
Police will release further information “as appropriate” to avoid compromising the “active and ongoing case progress” and urged people to contact them with any information related to the tragedy.
Colleagues in Spencer Tepe’s dental practice Athens Dental Depot, located about 75 miles southeast of the family’s Columbus home, called 911 after he uncharacteristically didn’t show up to work. He and his wife were always responsive, according to the owner of his practice, Dr. Mark Valrose, but no one could get a hold of them that morning.
“I don’t know how else to say this, but we are very, very concerned. This is very out of character for him,” Valrose told a dispatcher, according to the 911 call. He asked police to conduct a wellness check and officers responded, but no one answered the door, WSYX reported, citing police records.
Spencer Tepe’s colleagues and a friend arrived at the home around 30 minutes later, when one of them called 911 to report he heard children crying inside the home.
Around 10:30 a.m., a friend of Spencer Tepe peered inside and saw a gruesome scene next to a bed, sounding audibly distressed as he told dispatchers: “There’s … there’s a body,” according to emergency dispatch audio. “We just came here. And he appears dead.”
Asked if Tepe had been ill, the friend responded, “No, no. I was just with him yesterday.”The couple’s two children and dog are now in the care of relatives, the Tepes’ brother-in-law said.
The Tepes’ deaths are apparent homicides by gunshot wounds, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office told CNN. The official autopsy reports could take weeks to complete.
By CNN
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