A car that appeared near the crime scene at the exact time of the incident became a crucial clue, helping police track down the suspect in the murder of a dentist couple in Ohio.
 

According to court records, suspect Michael David McKee was arrested after police tracked a vehicle to a residential area near the victims’ home in Columbus on the night of December 30th. The vehicle was recorded traveling more than 500 kilometers from the suspect’s residence to the crime scene and then leaving shortly afterward.

The two victims were Monique Tepe, 39, and her husband Spencer Tepe, 37, a practicing dentist in Ohio. Both were found dead in their home in Weinland Park after Spencer’s colleagues became concerned because he hadn’t shown up for work and couldn’t be contacted for hours.

Investigative documents indicate the suspicious vehicle “arrived just before the crime and left immediately.” The vehicle was later found near the suspect’s workplace in Illinois, reinforcing police’s belief that he was present at the scene on the night of the incident.

The Tepe couple, dentists, were described as cheerful, kind, and sociable before their murder.

Monique was married to the suspect between 2015 and 2017 before they divorced amicably, with no children together. In 2020, she remarried Spencer and has two young children, currently one and four years old.

Police stated there were no signs of forced entry upon accessing the house, and the victims died from gunshot wounds. Nearly a week after the murders, authorities released surveillance video showing a hooded figure walking down an alley near the victims’ home at the time of the crime, but have not yet confirmed whether this person was directly involved.

[Image of the ‘suspect’ near the scene where the dentist couple were murdered. Video: Columbus Police Department]

The suspect has been arrested and faces two murder charges, awaiting extradition to Columbus to stand trial. The motive for the crime has not yet been released by police.