Ohio men accused of keeping pregnant woman’s body in a shower for a week before sealing her in a plastic tote

Two Ohio men have been formally indicted for their roles after the death of a pregnant woman, Brittany Fuhr-Storms, whose body was discovered last month literally screwed shut inside a plastic tote in rural Montgomery County, and honestly, the details of this story are truly awful. Ricky Sheppard, 47, and James Rothenbusch, 52, are now facing charges for tampering with evidence and the truly gut-wrenching crime of gross abuse of a corpse. On top of that, Rothenbusch is also facing a failure to report a death charge, along with several drug-related counts.

Warning: Description of murder to follow.

The whole terrible situation came to light on August 7, when two hikers in Jackson Township, walking along Fort Anthony Road, found the large plastic storage tote. You’d think a big bin on the side of a country road would be suspicious enough, but they were initially drawn in by an overwhelming odor. As one of the hikers reportedly told the 911 dispatcher, “I didn’t want to open it… The smell was so bad, you know, I mean there’s a difference between dead smells and this is not a normal dead smell”.

When authorities got to the scene, they found the 28-year-old Brittany Fuhr-Storms’ body inside. The details about how they sealed the body away are night and day disturbing: she was wrapped in towels and a tarp and then sealed into that plastic container with wood screws, according to WHIO. This is how the pregnant corpse was kept.

Senseless killing of pregnant woman leads to two arrests

Now, to be fair, neither Sheppard nor Rothenbusch has been charged with her death yet, as the investigation is still ongoing and the coroner’s office hasn’t determined the cause and manner of death. However, the indictment is all about what they did with the body once she was deceased, and that’s where things get really grim.

According to police, Rothenbusch and Sheppard had a truly shocking explanation for where Fuhr-Storms had been before she was dumped. She had reportedly met with both men at Rothenbusch’s apartment in Middletown, which was her last known address. The men told police they kept the pregnant woman’s body in the shower at the apartment for nearly a week before they finally decided to dump it.

And that claim isn’t just something they threw out there, either. When police executed a search warrant at the apartment, they found a whole lot of unsettling evidence that backed up that story. Investigators found towels that were similar to the ones wrapped around Fuhr-Storms’ body, along with a blue tarp and, you guessed it, wood screws. They also found a suspected blood stain on the carpet, which is just chilling.

During a press conference, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Chief of Staff Jeremy Roy offered the horrifying official account, stating that Rothenbusch “Left Brittany’s body in the shower of the home for several days before putting her body in a tote and driving it out to Fort Anthony Road”.

Sheppard, who apparently “attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended and detained,” offered his own version of events to the police. Deputy Chief Ryan Morgan said Sheppard “later stated that the deceased died from a drug overdose and she remained in the house for approximately a week”. Both men admitted to police that they knew Fuhr-Storms was pregnant at the time of her death, which makes their actions even more incomprehensible.

For now, the investigation into how Brittany Fuhr-Storms died continues, and we’ll have to wait for the coroner’s office to finish its work. The two men remain behind bars, with a court appearance set for next month.