The 911 recordings from Dec. 30 show how Spencer Tepe’s absence triggered a welfare check that ultimately led to the discovery of Spencer and Monique Tepe’s bodies. Spencer’s employer placed the first call after he missed work; officers briefly checked the residence but left after receiving no answer. A friend who arrived later, Alex Ditty, told dispatchers he could hear children inside, could not enter and then reported seeing a body near a bed with pooled blood. Police have not named suspects and are seeking tips while circulating surveillance footage.
911 Recordings Reveal How Ohio Dentist Spencer Tepe Was Discovered: Friend Reported “There’s a Body”
Courtesy of Rob Misleh; USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesSpencer Tepe Monique Tepe; A Columbus police officer adjusts crime scene tape
A set of 911 call recordings from the morning Spencer and Monique Tepe were found dead in their Columbus, Ohio, home sheds new light on how the scene was discovered and what witnesses encountered before officers entered the residence.
What the Calls Describe
According to dispatch records obtained by PEOPLE, the first emergency call came from Dr. Mark Valrose, the owner of the dental practice where Spencer worked, placed after Spencer failed to arrive for his shift. Officers were dispatched to the couple’s home that morning for a welfare check, knocked repeatedly, received no answer and left the scene, the records indicate.
Not long after, a friend of Spencer’s arrived at the house and called 911 from outside. That friend, later identified in the records as Alex Ditty, told dispatchers he could hear children crying inside but could not gain entry. In a subsequent call from the same location, Ditty reported seeing what he believed to be a body.
Courtesy of Rob Misleh (2)Spencer Tepe Monique Tepe
“There’s a body, there’s a body,”
Ditty is audible sobbing in the recording and tells the operator,
“Our, our friend wasn’t uh answering the phone… he appears dead.”He described the scene to dispatchers:
“There’s blood, he’s laying next to his bed off of his bed, I can’t get closer to see more than that.”When asked whether the blood was pooled, he replied,
“It’s puddled, I can’t look.”
Other Calls and Timeline
A co-worker identified only as Kim called 911 while en route to the residence and told dispatchers she had been attempting to reach Spencer for about three hours. By that time, dispatch had already received multiple calls from people at or near the home.
Columbus police have not publicly named any suspects or persons of interest. Authorities later released surveillance footage of an individual they believe may be connected to the investigation and have asked the public for tips.
How To Help
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Columbus Police Homicide Unit at (614) 645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477).
Help us improve.
