HAMILTON, Ohio (TCN) — A man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty to evidence tampering in connection with a woman who was found dead in August 2025.
WKRC reports James Rothenbusch, 52, pleaded guilty in connection with the death of Brittany Fuhr-Storms, 28, and her unborn baby. Two other men, 47-year-old Rick Sheppard and 44-year-old Walter Wade, were also charged in connection with Fuhr-Storms’ death and the disposal of her body.
As part of the plea agreement, WKRC reports the judge included more than $3,400 in restitution for the family to cover funeral costs. If the other men are convicted, the amount will be split between them.
According to Law & Crime, on Aug. 3, 2025, police responded to a report of a dead body in a wooded area. They discovered the naked body of Fuhr-Storms in a large plastic storage tote, described as the kind that would hold a Christmas tree, that had been screwed shut. She was wrapped in towels and a tarp. An autopsy later revealed she was pregnant at the time of her death; her unborn child did not survive.
Rothenbusch and Sheppard were both arrested on Aug. 5, 2025, and Sheppard told authorities Fuhr-Storms had overdosed and they kept her body in the shower for several days, Law & Crime reports.
According to WKRC, no one called for help after Fuhr-Storms overdosed. During his sentencing, Rothenbusch reportedly blamed the incident on the fact that he was high on methamphetamine at the time. He said, “I definitely would have called the police. I just was scared. I now fear that call, the shots, and the drugs, and I just didn’t know what to do. I was scared to death.”
Fuhr-Storms’ older brother Nathan Isaacs spoke, saying that the family had been planning a birthday party for her and then had to plan her funeral, WKRC reports. Rothenbusch told Fuhr-Storms’ family at the sentencing, “I’m sorry. I wish I had done things differently.”
Wade and Sheppard are scheduled to go on trial in March, per Law & Crime.
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