JACKSON TOWNSHIP, OH – The “suspicious circumstances” of a 28-year-old Ohio woman’s death are currently being investigated after authorities arrested two men under charges including gross abuse of a corpse after the deceased woman’s body was found stuffed inside of a plastic tote that had reportedly been held inside the suspects’ home for days before being discarded.
According to officials, Jackson Township police were alerted to a report of a deceased subject reportedly stuffed inside of a plastic storage container along Fort Anthony Road on the evening of August 3rd.
Upon the arrival of officers, Jackson Township Police immediately secured the area and contacted the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to aid in the investigation via the office’s “Special Investigation Unit and Evidence Technicians,” according to a press release from MCSO.
Authorities later identified the victim as 28-year-old Brittany Fuhr-Storms, which an autopsy conducted on the deceased woman revealed she was pregnant at the time of her death.
Following the findings of the autopsy report, as well as determining Fuhr-Storms’ last known address, the sheriff’s office looped the Middletown Division of Police into the investigation and obtained a narcotics search warrant at a residence on Logan Avenue on August 6th.
Per MCSO’s press release regarding the investigation, a man identified as James Rothenbusch, a resident of the Logan Avenue home, was arrested at the home following the discovery of “narcotics and other drug paraphernalia,” as well as evidence “related to the death investigation,” which resulted in a secondary search warrant being drafted.
“During an interview, Rothenbusch admitted to drug trafficking and stated Brittany died in his home under suspicious circumstances,” according to the MCSO press release, further adding, “He admitted to keeping her body in the residence for approximately four days before it was disposed of.”
A second suspect, identified as Rick Sheppard, was taken into custody after being located along Baltimore Street in Middletown, which a subsequent police interview with the suspect revealed a corroborating story aligning to Rothenbusch's previous divulgement to investigators.
According to officials, Shepperd allegedly admitted to authorities of him being aware of Fuhr-Storms’ death inside the Logan Avenue residence and detailed how her body was kept sealed inside a storage container in the shower for four days before being disposed of outside.
Since the arrest of Rothenbusch and Sheppard, both have been charged with gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, but Rothenbusch is facing a litany of additional and more serious charges in connection with what appears to be Fuhr-Storms’ passing via a suspected drug overdose.
Alongside the two aforementioned felony counts, Rothenbusch was also charged with corrupting another with drugs (specific to a pregnant woman), drug trafficking, narcotics possession, failure to report a crime/death, and drug paraphernalia charges.
During an August 7th press conference relating to the investigation, MCSO Chief of Staff Jeremy Roy told members of the press, “The fact of the matter is, these gentlemen have some guys in custody that were there at the time she died. That's a problem. They don't have any 911 calls, they don't have anybody going for help. That's an issue.”
According to officials, Jackson Township police were alerted to a report of a deceased subject reportedly stuffed inside of a plastic storage container along Fort Anthony Road on the evening of August 3rd.
Upon the arrival of officers, Jackson Township Police immediately secured the area and contacted the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) to aid in the investigation via the office’s “Special Investigation Unit and Evidence Technicians,” according to a press release from MCSO.
Authorities later identified the victim as 28-year-old Brittany Fuhr-Storms, which an autopsy conducted on the deceased woman revealed she was pregnant at the time of her death.
Following the findings of the autopsy report, as well as determining Fuhr-Storms’ last known address, the sheriff’s office looped the Middletown Division of Police into the investigation and obtained a narcotics search warrant at a residence on Logan Avenue on August 6th.
Per MCSO’s press release regarding the investigation, a man identified as James Rothenbusch, a resident of the Logan Avenue home, was arrested at the home following the discovery of “narcotics and other drug paraphernalia,” as well as evidence “related to the death investigation,” which resulted in a secondary search warrant being drafted.
“During an interview, Rothenbusch admitted to drug trafficking and stated Brittany died in his home under suspicious circumstances,” according to the MCSO press release, further adding, “He admitted to keeping her body in the residence for approximately four days before it was disposed of.”
A second suspect, identified as Rick Sheppard, was taken into custody after being located along Baltimore Street in Middletown, which a subsequent police interview with the suspect revealed a corroborating story aligning to Rothenbusch's previous divulgement to investigators.
According to officials, Shepperd allegedly admitted to authorities of him being aware of Fuhr-Storms’ death inside the Logan Avenue residence and detailed how her body was kept sealed inside a storage container in the shower for four days before being disposed of outside.
Since the arrest of Rothenbusch and Sheppard, both have been charged with gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence, but Rothenbusch is facing a litany of additional and more serious charges in connection with what appears to be Fuhr-Storms’ passing via a suspected drug overdose.
Alongside the two aforementioned felony counts, Rothenbusch was also charged with corrupting another with drugs (specific to a pregnant woman), drug trafficking, narcotics possession, failure to report a crime/death, and drug paraphernalia charges.
During an August 7th press conference relating to the investigation, MCSO Chief of Staff Jeremy Roy told members of the press, “The fact of the matter is, these gentlemen have some guys in custody that were there at the time she died. That's a problem. They don't have any 911 calls, they don't have anybody going for help. That's an issue.”
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