Trigger Warning: This article mentions details about death.
A 28-year-old Ohio woman, Brittany Fuhr‑Storms, was discovered dead in a storage tote earlier this month. Now, two men have been arrested in connection with her death, which authorities are treating as suspicious. An autopsy confirmed that Storms was pregnant at the time of her death, too. The details of how the poor soul was killed would shock you.
On August 3, police in Jackson Township responded to a report of a body found inside a large plastic tote. The container, initially mistaken for a cooler, was sealed shut with screws. Inside, Fuhr-Storms’ naked body was found wrapped in towels and a tarp. Investigators later traced her last known address to a home in Middletown, Ohio. A narcotics search warrant was executed at the Middletown residence, where police arrested two men.
As per Law&Crime, two men named James Rothenbusch and Rick Sheppard were arrested on August 5, and both men admitted knowing what happened to Brittany. A second warrant was also issued after cops found items that led to Brittany Fuhr‑Storms’s unexpected demise. During a press conference addressing the issue on August 7, Jackson Township Police Chief Mark Bruner described the container as something typically used for storing large household items, such as a Christmas tree.
The case was then handed over to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Despite having evidence that Strom’s death was a murder, James and Rick claimed she died from a suspected overdose and that her body had been kept in the shower for four days before they tried to dispose of it. Both suspects allegedly knew she was pregnant.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of a fatality & disposal of a body.
Two men in Ohio have been arrested after police found the body of a pregnant woman, Brittany Fuhr-Storms, 28, stuffed inside a plastic tote on the side of a road. An autopsy determined… pic.twitter.com/8OalP4rArc
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) August 11, 2025
Consequently, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Jeremy Roy commented on the troubling lack of action taken to seek help, “These men were present when she died. There were no 911 calls, no attempts to get help that’s a serious concern.” During their initial search, police found fentanyl and drug paraphernalia at James and Rick’s residence.
Currently, James faces five felony charges, which include corrupting another with drugs (involving a pregnant woman), tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse, and drug trafficking and drug possession. He also faces two misdemeanors, which include drug paraphernalia and failing to report a crime or death.
Details about the investigation into Brittany Fuhr-Storms’ death whose body was found in Jackson Township on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/GBAKIK7jNS
— Dayton 24/7 Now (@dayton247now) August 8, 2025
Meanwhile, Rick Sheppard has been charged with tampering with evidence (felony) and the gross abuse of a corpse (felony). The two convicted felons are expected to appear in court on August 13, 2025. The tragic case of a pregnant woman’s death highlights the brutal crimes against would-be mothers that go beyond a mere homicide. It fuels a cycle of health and socio-economic inequality for the next generation. ( via Economics Observatory).
