Background: News footage of James Rothenbusch during his sentencing hearing on Feb. 12 (WLWT). Inset: Brittany Fuhr-Storms (GoFundMe).
A troubling case involving the tragic death of a pregnant woman in Ohio has led to one of the accused, James Rothenbusch, 52, receiving a prison sentence. Rothenbusch pleaded guilty to complicity to tampering with evidence related to the death of 28-year-old Brittany Fuhr-Storms. On Thursday, a judge handed down a 30-month prison term, following the grim discovery of Fuhr-Storms’ body on August 3, 2025. Her body was found in a storage tote in a wooded area, and authorities suggest her death resulted from an alleged overdose.
Rothenbusch’s legal troubles do not stand alone, as two other men, Rick Sheppard, 47, and Walter Wade, 44, face similar charges, with their trials scheduled for next month. The men are accused of failing to report Fuhr-Storms’ death, which occurred in a Middletown, Ohio home linked to Rothenbusch and Sheppard. According to reports, Sheppard admitted to police that Fuhr-Storms’ body remained in the home’s bathtub for four days before being wrapped in towels and a tarp, and then placed in a sealed plastic storage tote that was discarded in a nearby wooded area.
During his sentencing, Rothenbusch expressed remorse, telling the judge that he had been under the influence of methamphetamine when Fuhr-Storms died and was paralyzed by fear, unsure of how to handle the situation. His apology, however, did little to assuage the grief and anger of Fuhr-Storms’ family. Nathan Isaacs, her brother, spoke emotionally in court, highlighting the devastation of losing his sister and unborn nephew and lamenting the loss of what should have been a celebration of life.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Sheppard told police that he and Rothenbusch kept Fuhr-Storms’ body in the bathtub of the home for four days after she died. Her naked body was found “wrapped in towels and a tarp” inside a plastic storage tote that was sealed shut with screws. The tote was dumped in a wooded area in neighboring Montgomery County.
During his sentencing, Rothenbusch told the judge that he was high on methamphetamine at the time of Fuhr-Storms’ death and “just didn’t know what to do. I was scared to death.”
Rothenbusch was remorseful during the hearing and apologized for his actions. Fuhr-Storms’ brother, Nathan Isaacs, was not immediately forgiving. When he spoke, he told the court, “She died in his house with my nephew,” and instead of celebrating the birth of her baby boy and her birthday, the family had to plan a funeral.
Isaacs said, “The fact that that person did not call when that happened, and she laid in there, in that tub for a few days, and they planned on doing God knows what to her body, and to dispose of her body in a tote tells me that they’re guilty of so much more.”
Rothenbusch was originally charged with tampering with evidence, complicity to tampering with evidence, corrupting another with drugs, aggravated possession of drugs, and failure to report knowledge of a death. All but the complicity charge were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Sheppard and Wade were both charged with gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. Wade is scheduled to go on trial on March 9; Sheppard’s trial is scheduled for March 16.
