Attempts to contact McKee through former colleagues were also unsuccessful. One of those colleagues, Dr. Peter Caravella, who was also named in the medical malpractice lawsuit, told Laird that he did not know McKee’s whereabouts. “He said that he doesn’t know where Dr. Michael McKee is now. He simply disappeared,”…

We are learning more about a malpractice lawsuit involving Dr. #MichaelMcKee that was pending before the deaths of #SpencerTepe and #MoniqueTepe.

The lawsuit was filed in 2023 by Las Vegas attorney Dan Laird, who alleged that McKee failed to properly train a physician assistant at Las Vegas Surgical Associates LLP, resulting in a patient being injured.

While there is no evidence that this malpractice case is connected to the Tepe murders, court records show behavior that Laird described as highly unusual during attempts to serve McKee with the lawsuit.
According to those records, McKee avoided being served for several months. Laird said multiple attempts to locate him revealed fake or invalid addresses and questionable state-issued contact information linked to McKee.

Laird stated that his process server made at least nine documented attempts to locate McKee. The address provided by the medical group did not exist, and the phone number McKee listed with the state medical board connected only to a fax machine.
Efforts to reach McKee through former colleagues were also unsuccessful. One of those colleagues, Dr. Peter Caravella, who is also named in the malpractice suit, told Laird he had no idea where McKee was.

“He said he has no idea where Dr. Michael McKee is now. He just disappeared,” Laird said.
Although Laird later discovered that McKee’s medical license had been transferred to Rockford, Illinois, repeated phone calls made in November went unanswered. Laird said he was unaware of the Columbus murders until ABC6 Investigates informed him this week.
“Shocking,” Laird said. “If you listed out the people who would likely be accused of committing a double homicide, a fully trained vascular surgeon would be at the bottom of my list.”

Laird also said he found it unusual that no attorney ever contacted him on McKee’s behalf, noting that malpractice claims are typically handled by lawyers retained through professional liability insurance.
In October, a judge granted a declaration of due diligence, a legal finding that allows a defendant to be served through public notice—such as a newspaper—after reasonable efforts to locate them have failed. Laird said this is only the second time in his 12-year legal career that he has had to use this method.