California Children Make Grim Discovery on Easter Egg Hunt | Crime Alert 04.07.26

When Dr. Spencer Tepe doesn't show up for work at Athens Dental Depot in Columbus, Ohio, coworkers are shocked. They call their boss, the owner of Athens Dental, Dr Mark Valrose. Valrose is on vacation in Florida, but Spencer not showing up is so unusual that coworkers felt they needed to let Valrose know. Valrose tries to contact Spencer, and failing at that, Tepe's wife, Monique, is even more predictable than her husband. Unable to reach either Tepe, Valrose calls 911 in Columbus, Ohio, at 9:03 a.m., requesting a wellness check. Their bodies are found inside their house, which is now for sale.  Early reports indicated Monique was shot once in the chest, and Spencer was shot more than once, with three shell casings found at the scene. In fact, the killer unloaded a full clip, 16 rounds, and both were shot in the head: Monique in her right cheek, and Spencer in his left ear. A total of 16 gunshot wounds are discovered. A standard magazine for a handgun holds 15 to 17 rounds, depending on the size of the bullet. Spencer and Monique likely died within "seconds to minutes" of being shot. The injuries suffered and the trajectories of bullets indicate some movement by Spencer and Monique; the range of fire is indeterminate, and there is no way to tell in which order the injuries are inflicted. Michael McKee, 39, arrested in the murders of his ex-wife and her new husband, is being held without bond in the Franklin County Jail. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated burglary. According to a newly unsealed affidavit, witnesses claimed McKee was abusive during his marriage to Monique and had threatened to kill her. Court documents indicate McKee had previously visited the couple's home on Dec. 6, 2025, while they were away. McKee, a vascular surgeon from Illinois, drove 900 miles to commit the murders. He was tracked through surveillance video, which showed a silver SUV. Police also reportedly found multiple weapons in his Chicago-area condo, with one being  connected to the crime scene. McKee faces a minimum of life in prison with parole eligibility after 32 years if convicted.      Joining Nancy Grace today: Dr. Bethany Marshall -  Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker,"  featured on Peacock and Bravo, www.drbethanymarshall.com , Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter: @DrBethanyLive  Cory Chalmers - CEO and Founder of Steri-Clean Inc, a nationwide leader in crime scene, trauma, biohazard, hoarding, and extreme cleaning services with over 31 years of experience,  seen on A&E’s e,,y-nominated series “Hoarders,” website: CrimeCleaners.com and Steri-Clean.com, Facebook: TheCoryChalmers, Instagram: Cory.Chalmers, YouTube: Steri-Clean  Joseph Scott Morgan  - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan", Instagram @JoScottForensic Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

California children searching for colorful easter eggs find what police have confirmed are human remains. NYPD officers forced to shoot 'crazed' man wielding 13-inch knife. 51 years after the discovery of her body, Ted Bundy confirmed as Laura Ann Aime's killer. Sydney Sumner reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony and Megan Todt meet in college, marrying shortly after graduation. The couple opens a practice together in Colchester, Connecticut. When the couple welcomes children Aleksander, Tyler, and Zoe, Megan stays home fulltime to care for them. In 2019, the family moves to Florida, just miles away from Disney World. Anthony Todt  continues working in Connecticut, travelling back to Florida for family weekends.  Anthony Todt struggles to support his family in Florida.  He loses his lease on the Connecticut Physical Therapy Office, and is in default on several loans. Todt begins charging insurance for care patients did not receive. By December, the feds discover Todt’s fraudulent activity. The father claims his family has no idea of his crimes and he will cooperate fully to keep it that way. Todt stops communicating with authorities, and in January, they have a warrant for his arrest. Investigators stake out the Todts’ seemingly vacant Florida home. Mail is piled on the porch and an eviction notice is taped to the door. The feds are leaving when Todt walks outside, stumbling and convulsing. They miss their chance to arrest Todt before he returns inside, but worried about his health, officers push open the front door to a horrible stench. Todt tells officers his wife is sleeping and he doesn’t know where his children are. Investigators find Megan, Aleksander, Tyler, Zoe, and the family dog badly decomposing in the Todts’bedroom. Investigators find Aleksander and Tyler on a mattress in the Todts’ bedroom, next to the bed, where Megan is covered with a blanket. Officers search the whole house for Zoe, before realizing her badly decomposed body is under a blanket at her mom’s feet. The bodies were ‘black as leather’ and an autopsy could not determine exactly how the victims died. All of the victims were drugged with Benadryl and had stab wounds. The children’s wounds we wereinflicted post-mortem, and the medical examiner says they were likely suffocated.  Todt initially confesses to the killings, saying both he and Megan were concerned about the possible 2020 apocalypse, and wanted to make sure their family died together and without pain. Todt claims the parents came up with a plan to drug, then kill the children and then themselves. At trial, Todt claims he made that confession out of a desire to protect his wife, claiming she actually killed the children while he was away, and killed herself in front of him after confessing what she had done.   Joining Nancy Grace today:  Cheryln Cadle - Author of “Suffer the Little Children: Into the Hands of Evil” and "The Murders of Christopher Watts” and “The Many Faces of Christopher Watts: A 5-year Update”, website: www.cherylncadle.com Caryn Stark - Forensic Psychologist,   www.carynstark.com, Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice Joseph Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan", Instagram @JoScottForensic Sydney Sumner -  Investigative Reporter, ‘Crime Stories’  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New details in the gang-related Brooklyn shooting that left 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore dead Wednesday afternoon.  A Stuart, Florida man now behind bars, charged with second-degree murder after what investigators are calling a "random, vicious" stabbing of an elderly woman walking her dog. Sydney Sumner reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More sex related charges, nine in fact, filed against a youth soccer coach also accused of killing a 13-year-old boy.  Oscar Hernandez is out playing soccer at Whitsett fields when he meets Coach Mario Garcia-Aquino.  Garcia-Aquino approaches Oscar about joining the Huacane Club, telling the boy he’s impressed with his skills. When Garcia-Aquino offers him one on one lessons without charge, Oscar jumps at the chance!  On a Friday afternoon, Coach Garcia-Aquino gives his star student a call, inviting Oscar Hernandez to make some money doing a few odd jobs at his Lancaster home. The teen is immediately interested. Before the 13-year-old gets permission from family, he grabs the next train to Lancaster, a 2-hour trip. Oscar facetimes his brother Josue from the train, telling him Coach will drop him back at home tomorrow morning. Later that night, Josue tries to call Oscar again, but it’s not his little brother that answers, but Coach Garcia-Aquino. Coach tells Josue that Oscar can’t come to the phone because his hands are dirty. Josue tries to ask exactly what time he can expect Oscar home, but the coach waves him off, once again promising he’ll bring Oscar home at a reasonable time Saturday. Saturday morning comes and goes, and Oscar still isn’t home. The teen isn’t answering his phone either. It’s already dark when the Hernandez family finally gets Coach Garcia-Aquino on the phone. The coach says he dropped Oscar off that afternoon in North Hollywood, but strangely, he claims he can’t remember exactly where Oscar got out of the car. The Hernandez’s pray Oscar will come home that night but when he does not, first thing Sunday morning, they report the teen missing.  Joining Nancy Grace today: Philip Dubé  - Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law; Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy   Caryn Stark -  Psychologist, Renowned TV and Radio Trauma Expert and Consultant; Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice Moses Castillo - Private Investigator for the Dordulian Law Group, Former Supervisor Detective-Los Angeles Police Department Dr. Michelle Dupre - Forensic Pathologist and former Medical Examiner, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & "Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide", Ret. Police Detective Lexington County Sheriff’s Department  Sierra Van Der Brug - Crime and Safety Reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News; IG: @sierravanderbrug  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In January 1981, during a severe winter storm, Lonene “Lonnie” Rogers disappeared from her home in rural Pennsylvania, leaving behind her children, her car, and no clear explanation for how she could have survived the conditions. In this episode of Zone 7, Sheryl McCollum speaks with Lonnie’s daughter, Alison Duiker, about the final hours before the disappearance, the instability that followed, and the long search for answers that began when Alison was just five years old. Joined by clinical hypnotherapist Monica Miller, their conversation revisits the timeline of that night and the challenges of examining long-dormant cases when physical evidence is scarce. Highlights: • (0:00) Sheryl McCollum shares Zone 7’s 2026 plans and the upcoming 10-8 Tour • (1:15) January 7,1981: the blizzard night Lonnie Rogers vanished • (2:45) Alison Duiker remembers her mother before the disappearance • (5:15) Writing A Daughter’s Journey and preserving her mother’s story • (10:00) The home environment leading up to Lonnie’s disappearance • (13:00) Neighbors report arguing during the storm and unusual sounds in the duplex • (14:45) The middle-of-the-night trip to the babysitter and unanswered time gaps • (16:45) Growing up in instability after her mother vanished • (19:15) The night Alison was abandoned at a police station • (21:45) A teacher’s phone number and the moment that everything changed • (26:15) Finding safety, stability, and resilience through guardianship • (28:00) Revisiting the case decades later and considering hypnosis as an investigative tool • (31:30) Monica Miller explains memory, trauma, and timeline-based hypnosis • (41:45) Creating a controlled, quiet setting to organize memory without suggestion • (43:45) A key detail: snow wiped from Lonnie’s car • (50:15) Recovered memory and its investigative implications • (54:15) The call Alison never expected: a reported confession and arrest after forty-four years • (58:15) Thanksgiving reflections and plans for a future case update Guest Bios: Alison Duiker is a special education teacher with more than twenty years of experience working with young children. She is the author of "A Daughter’s Journey: A Story of Resilience," a memoir documenting her childhood, her mother Lonnie Rogers’ disappearance, and the lasting impact of unresolved loss. Alison has spent decades advocating for answers in her mother’s case and raising awareness about cold cases. Monica Miller is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist based in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than ten years in private practice. She holds a B.A. from the University of Florida and is also a Licensed Massage Therapist and registered yoga teacher, integrating a mind-body approach in her work. Monica works with a wide range of clients, including professional athletes and individuals in high-stress careers, using a collaborative and client-centered method. About the Host Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an active crime scene investigator for a Metro Atlanta Police Department and the director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. With more than four decades of experience, she has worked on thousands of cold cases using her investigative system, The Last 24/361, which integrates evidence, media, and advanced forensic testing. Her work on high-profile cases, including The Boston Strangler, Natalie Holloway, Tupac Shakur and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching, led to her Emmy Award for "CSI: Atlanta" and induction into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023. Social Links: • Email: [email protected] • Twitter: @149zone7 • Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum • Instagram: @officialzone7podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow "Crime Alert Hourly Update" now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.chtbl.com/Crime_Alert Stay informed, stay safe, and stay ahead with "Crime Alert Hourly Update.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*TIPLINE: 520-351-4900* Nancy Guthrie, TV host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, now missing 8 weeks.  Her home, according to police, no longer considered a crime scene, having been returned to the family.  Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:30 p.m. outside her Tucson home. She was reported missing at noon the next day. Police say scenes at her home indicate "she didn't leave on her own." Nancy Guthrie is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs about 150 pounds, and has brown hair and blue eyes. Workers at the home including home security techs, HVAC and more have been questioned, as the FBI tries to trace any bitcoin movement and track the source of the ransom notes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ashley Loring Heavy Runner was last seen in June 2017 on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana.  That night, a video taken and shared online of a party in which Ashley attended.  No one heard from Ashley for days afterward. The family was at first unconcerned, but when Ashley didn't visit her father in the hospital, worry set in.   A couple of weeks later information came in that a young woman had been spotted running from a vehicle on U.S. Highway 89 on the reservation. Was it Ashley? Family members searched the area finding a sweater and a pair of boots with red stains, thought to be Ashley's.  Investigators told the family however that Ashley was adult free to come and go as she pleased.   In February 2018, a nearly a year later,  the FBI joined the investigation. By then,   the case was cold. Joining Nancy Grace today:  Kimberly Loring Heavyrunner -  sister  Payne Lindsey - Podcast Host & Executive Producer of “Up and Vanished  Brian Fitzgibbons - Director of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security,  website: www.uspasecurity.com, Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security Dave Mack  - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories'   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigators identify suspect in decades-old Riverside County homicide case Sentences in Alabama Sweet 16 shooting draw mixed reactions from victims’ families Manslaughter charges filed after inmate death in New York custody Search continues for U.S. journalist kidnapped in Baghdad See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.