> At a Glance
> – Columbus police went to the wrong house during the first welfare check on Dec. 30
> – Monique and Spencer Tepe were found shot dead hours later
> – Their two young children were found physically unharmed inside the home
> – Why it matters: The delay raises questions about emergency-response protocols when multiple 911 calls flag the same concern.
A mistaken address pulled officers away from the home where Monique and Spencer Tepe lay fatally shot, buying the killer critical hours while worried co-workers kept calling for help.
The First Check
Officers arrived at the Tepes’ Columbus address around 9:22 a.m. on Dec. 30, knocked several times, marked the call unfounded and left.
Police now admit they were at the wrong location. The error surfaced after Spencer’s co-workers and a friend flooded 911 when the 37-year-old dentist failed to answer three hours of phone calls and never showed up for work.
- A friend who arrived at the house told a dispatcher he could hear the couple’s 4- and 1-year-old children crying inside.
- “I swear I think I heard one yell,” the friend said, asking if he should break in.
- Dispatch informed him officers had already “knocked there multiple times and there was no answer.”
Second Attempt Ends in Tragedy
When patrol units returned to the correct address later that morning, they discovered Monique, 39, and Spencer dead from gunshot wounds. The children were physically unharmed.
| Call Timeline | Caller | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-dawn Dec. 30 | Multiple co-workers | Spencer no-show at work |
| ~9:22 a.m. | Police | Wrong address checked |
| Late morning | Friend outside house | Hears kids crying, asks to kick door in |
Investigators have released surveillance footage of a person walking in a nearby alley during the estimated time of the killings but have not named a suspect or person of interest.
Police also confirmed an earlier April 911 domestic-dispute call from the couple’s address did not come from Monique.
Key Takeaways
- Officers misidentified the Tepe residence on the first welfare check, delaying discovery of the bodies
- Multiple 911 calls from co-workers and a friend flagged the couple’s silence hours earlier
- Two young children survived the incident unharmed
- No arrests have been made; police are seeking the individual captured on neighborhood security footage
The Columbus Division of Police has not explained how the wrong-address error occurred, citing an ongoing investigation.
