Fuhr-Storms died of an apparent overdose on or around July 18, 2025, at a Logan Avenue apartment in Middletown, according to an affidavit.
Her body — and the body of her unborn child — were found Aug. 3 inside a plastic tote left along a rural road in Montgomery County. She was discovered bound with ratchet straps and wrapped in a tarp; her baby had been delivered postmortem. The coroner ruled the baby’s cause of death “undetermined,” with no signs of violence.
Investigators said several people confirmed Fuhr-Storms overdosed, though the time lapse before the autopsy complicated conclusions.
James Rothenbusch, 52, who lived at the apartment, previously admitted to investigators that Fuhr-Storms died at his home. Rothenbusch pleaded guilty in January to complicity to tampering with evidence and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Now, two additional men — Ricky J. Sheppard, 47, and Walter Edward Wade — face federal charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing an object to impair an investigation and accessory after the fact. Their separate Butler County trials were vacated after federal prosecutors filed charges involving “many of the same allegations.”
According to the affidavit, Rothenbusch said Fuhr-Storms went to shower the day she died and likely used drugs. Rothenbusch allegedly sold the drugs to Fuhr-Storms that she used on the day of her death.
Rothenbusch then left to pick up food and returned to find Fuhr-Storms unresponsive. He and Sheppard administered eight or more doses of Narcan and performed CPR until she began breathing shallowly.
Believing she would recover, both men left her alone in the bathtub and did not call 911, according to the affidavit.
Rothenbusch told investigators he avoided looking in the bathroom when he returned.
Sheppard allegedly told Rothenbusch he would “take the wheel,” then contacted Wade, who allegedly helped cover the body and move it into the plastic tote.
Cell phone records show Sheppard attempted to purchase one or two 55‑gallon drums days after Fuhr-Storms’ death. Wade later claimed he didn’t know what was in the tote until Sheppard told him.
Wade did not report this or contact the police with this information, according to the affidavit.
Sheppard claimed Wade and Rothenbusch loaded Fuhr-Storms’ body into a tote, drove the tote to another location with Wade, where they offloaded the tote and left.
Sheppard admitted to being present when Fuhr-Storms died and that he left without calling 911. He also admitted to assisting with the disposal of her body, according to the affidavit.
In his own interviews, Wade disputed much of the information provided by Sheppard and claimed Wade was threatened, high or drugged during his involvement.
Wade and Sheppard appeared in court for a detention hearing Wednesday at the Potter Stewart United States Courthouse in Cincinnati.
Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser told Journal-News the federal court wanted to take jurisdiction of the case to explore additional evidence.
The state reserves the right to seek a new indictment at a later time provided by law, according to court documents.
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