Aspiring Mexican singer and music producer Maria Mathus Tenorio, 25, decided to go on a solo adventure around the world to share her music. Sadly, the first country she set foot in was also the last.
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The first destination on her itinerary was Costa Rica, where, unfortunately, her body was found face down on the beach of El Carmen, in the popular surf resort of Santa Teresa del Cobano, just a week after she had started her journey, said the Ministry of Public Security of Costa Rica.
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According to the police, Maria was with a British woman she had met while travelling when they were assaulted by two men who tried to rob them.
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The British woman managed to escape and inform a security guard, asking for help. However, Mathus Tenorio was cornered and her attacker reportedly assaulted, raped, and then drowned Maria in the sea.
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Official sources report that two suspects have been arrested for the crime, identified as Esquivel Cerdas, who is suspected of attacking the Mexican woman and Benavides Mendoza, who is accused of rape.
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Maria posted a photo on Instagram before starting the trip with the message: "Today my trip starts after a long time wish to travel all around the planet alone.
“The time has arrived to be full of nature. Costa Rica, pure life".
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After the incident, hundreds of people, locals and foreigners participated in the “Marcha de Blanco” (Protest in White), in Santa Teresa, Cobano, Puntarenas, an event organized to pay tribute to María Trinidad Matus, which also had the purpose of raising awareness to battle insecurity and stop violence against women.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The ex-husband of an Ohio woman charged this weekend in the killings of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois.
Michael David McKee, 39, a doctor from Chicago, has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of 39-year-old Monique Tepe, whom he divorced in 2017, and dentist Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, in their Columbus home on Dec. 30.
McKee appeared in court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he has been jailed since his arrest on Saturday. He appeared expressionless while he walked into the courtroom wearing a yellow jumpsuit with shackles around his wrists. Judge Donald Shriver did not say when McKee will be returned to Ohio, but he scheduled a hearing for Jan. 19 to confirm the status of the transfer.
The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate McKee’s return to Franklin County, where the trial will take place, according to Tom Jakeway, trial court administrator for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois.
His arrest caps off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes' home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple's two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.
In a statement, their family said the arrest was “an important step toward justice” and that they trusted the justice system to hold the person accountable.
“Monique and Spencer remain at the center of our hearts, and we carry forward their love as we surround and protect the two children they leave behind," it said. "We will continue to honor their lives and the light they brought into this world.”
Dispatchers first received calls of concern when Spencer Tepe didn’t show up on Dec. 30 at the dental practice where he worked in Athens, a college town about 75 miles (120.70 kilometers) southeast of Columbus. His manager told police his tardiness was “out of character.” It was when Columbus police conducted a wellness check at the home later that day that they discovered the couple's bullet-stricken bodies on the second floor.
Official reports from the Franklin County Coroner’s Office won’t be completed for several weeks, but a spokesperson said last week that they died in an “apparent homicide by gunshot wounds.”
Police had released security footage on Tuesday of a person of interest dressed in a dark hoodie and light colored pants walking in an alley near the couple’s home between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. — the window of time in which investigators believed the two were attacked. The release generated dozens of tips and took the manhunt across multiple state lines to McKee's apartment.
McKee and Monique Tepe, then-Monique Sabaturski, married in 2015, according to Franklin County court records. They filed for divorce two years later.
According to the Tepes' obituaries, Monique married Spencer Tepe in 2020. Family members described the couple as “extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy and deep connection to others.”
Spencer Tepe was a graduate of the Ohio State University. He was a member of the American Dental Association and had been involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Monique Tepe was described as a “loving, patient, and joyful mother,” an avid baker, and a “thoughtful planner.”
AP reporter Mark Scolforo contributed to this report from Harrisburg, Pa.
This image taken from video shows Michael David McKee walking into the courtroom on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Rockford, Ill. (WIFR News/Pool Photo via AP)
Flowers and other items sit on the front porch of Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
This photo made from security footage shows a person of interest walking on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (Columbus Police Department via AP)
Spencer and Monique Tepe's home in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos)
