Background: Brittany Fuhr-Storms (GoFundMe). Insets (top): Walter Edward Wade (Butler County Sheriff”s Office). Inset (bottom): Rick Sheppard (Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office).
Two Ohio men who were accused of trying to hide the remains of a pregnant woman now face federal charges in connection with her death.
Walter Edward Wade, 44, and Rick Sheppard, 47, had their state trials vacated after they were charged in federal court with conspiracy to obstruct justice by concealing an object, concealing an object to impair its ability for an official proceeding, and accessory after the fact. According to an affidavit written by an FBI special agent based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wade and Sheppard both played an active role in hiding the overdose death of 28-year-old Brittany Fuhr-Storms.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Fuhr-Storms’ body was found in a storage tote in Ohio’s Montgomery County on Aug. 3, 2025. She was determined to have been pregnant at the time of her death, which was allegedly due to an overdose.
In the complaint, the agent wrote that Fuhr-Storms was found “ratchet-strapped and bound tightly” and wrapped in a blue tarp. Her baby, which was determined to have been delivered after her death, was found wrapped in a towel inside the tote with her. The agent said an autopsy ruled her cause of death was still undetermined, but there was no evidence that she was the victim of violence. The autopsy results found that Fuhr-Storms had several drugs in her system, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and ethanol. The baby also had fentanyl in his system.
The investigation into Fuhr-Storms’ death led authorities to an apartment where an unnamed individual lived; James Rothenbusch, 52, pleaded guilty to complicity to tampering with evidence in connection with Fuhr-Storms’ death and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Fuhr-Storms’ brother referred to the apartment where Fuhr-Storms died as Rothenbusch’s house during sentencing.
The agent wrote that the unnamed individual said Fuhr-Storms occasionally stayed at his apartment and they had a sexual relationship. He also told the agent that he regularly sold her drugs. On the day she died, believed to be on or around July 18, 2025, the individual said Fuhr-Storms went to take a shower while he went out to get food. When he returned, she was unresponsive in the tub. He told investigators, “That’s when I knew she was overdosed.”
He told the agent that he called his friend “Rick,” identified in the document as Sheppard, and the two men attempted to revive Fuhr-Storms with “eight or more doses of Narcan,” chest compressions, and rescue breaths. The individual said she “started looking at him and breathing shallowly,” so he believed that she was successfully revived. He and Sheppard then left her in the bathroom alone.
After leaving Fuhr-Storms by herself, the individual said he “refused” to go back into the bathroom and admitted to detectives that he was “avoiding” the room, the affidavit states. Sheppard allegedly said he would “take the wheel” and called Wade to help dispose of Fuhr-Storms’ body. After Wade was arrested, he told police that Sheppard contacted him for help with a “clean out,” feds say.
When Sheppard was interviewed following his arrest, he admitted that he did not call 911 after realizing his rescue attempts on Fuhr-Storms did not work. He also allegedly admitted to helping get rid of her body.
According to the affidavit, Sheppard searched Facebook Marketplace on July 23, 2025, for a 55-gallon storage tote that was empty and had a lid. He told one seller that he needed it “asap.”
Wade said that when he arrived at the home and saw the tote, he was told that it was filled with tools. Once he and Sheppard were on their way to dispose of the tote, Sheppard allegedly told him there was a dead body inside it. Wade allegedly admitted that he never contacted authorities after getting that information.
Wade and Sheppard had been scheduled to go on trial in Butler County this month. They now face trial in the Southern District of Ohio.
