Two Ohio men have been charged federally for their roles in concealing the body of a pregnant woman who died from an overdose. Walter Edward Wade and Rick Sheppard allegedly helped hide the remains of 28-year-old Brittany Fuhr-Storms after her death in July 2025. Their state trials have been vacated in favor of federal proceedings in the Southern District of Ohio.
Brittany Fuhr-Storms, 28, was found dead on August 3, 2025, in a storage tote in Montgomery County, Ohio. She was pregnant at the time, and her body was ratchet-strapped, bound tightly, and wrapped in a blue tarp. The baby, delivered postmortem, was wrapped in a towel inside the tote with her. An autopsy determined the cause of death as undetermined but revealed no evidence of violence. Toxicology results showed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and ethanol in Fuhr-Storms's system, with fentanyl also present in the baby.
The death occurred on or around July 18, 2025, in an apartment belonging to James Rothenbusch, 52, who pleaded guilty to complicity in tampering with evidence and received a 30-month prison sentence. Rothenbusch, who had a sexual relationship with Fuhr-Storms and sold her drugs, stated she became unresponsive in the bathtub after he left to get food. He called his friend Rick Sheppard, and together they attempted revival using multiple doses of Narcan, chest compressions, and rescue breaths. Believing she had revived, they left her alone in the bathroom.
Rothenbusch later avoided the bathroom, and Sheppard reportedly said he would "take the wheel" and contacted Walter Edward Wade, 44, for help with a "clean out." On July 23, 2025, Sheppard searched Facebook Marketplace for a 55-gallon storage tote, urgently requesting one that was empty with a lid. Wade claimed he was told the tote contained tools, but Sheppard later informed him it held a body; Wade did not contact authorities. Sheppard admitted during his interview that he failed to call 911 and assisted in disposing of the body.
Wade, 44, and Sheppard, 47, now face federal charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice by concealing an object, concealing an object to impair its availability for an official proceeding, and accessory after the fact. Their trials are set for the Southern District of Ohio.