TEDDY FOLTZ - 14 yo - /Charged: Mother and her boyfriend, Shain Widdersheim and Zaryl Bush - Struthers, OH

Accused killer in court
Police: Suspect ran ‘boot camp’ in home


January 31, 2013
By JOE GORMAN - Tribune Chronicle


STRUTHERS - A man who police say raped and killed his girlfriend's 14-year-old son ran a virtual ''boot camp'' inside their home, according to detectives.

Zaryl Bush, 43, of Creed Street, is in the Mahoning County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bond after being arraigned in Municipal Court on Wednesday on charges of murder and rape for the death of Teddy Foltz, who died Monday at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown.

After Bush was arraigned, Foltz's mother, Shain Widdersheim, was arrested on charges of complicity to rape, complicity to murder, obstructing official business and tampering with evidence. She is expected to be arraigned Friday.

Detectives Jeff Lewis and Ray Greenwood said that for the last three years, Bush had cut Foltz and his mother off from the outside world and from the prying eyes of strangers.

''This kid did not have a pleasant life,'' Lewis said.

Lewis said police and the county Children Services Board were called by neighbors to investigate claims of abuse but they were stymied by Bush and Widdersheim.

Article Photos

Tribune Chronicle / Joe Gorman

Zaryl Bush, right, accused of killing his girlfriend’s 14-year-old son, listens to his court-appointed lawyer Lou DeFabio on Wednesday during his arraignment in Struthers Municipal Court.

''They refused to open doors,'' Lewis said.

Lewis said Foltz was injured Jan. 21 and taken to Akron Children's Hospital Boardman Campus and then transferred to St. Elizabeth's because his injuries were so severe. On Jan. 23, a relative contacted police and asked them to investigate because of the suspicious nature of Foltz's head injury, Lewis said.

As soon as they began, neither Bush nor Widdersheim cooperated, Lewis said.

''She was uncooperative. She declined to give a statement,'' Lewis said.

The boy died Monday and Bush was arrested Tuesday afternoon. The Mahoning County Coroner's Office said Wednesday the cause of Foltz's death was head trauma and that the case is still under investigation.

Widdersheim was arrested because she continued to hinder the investigation, and Lewis said she seemed to be bereft of any feelings.

''She's still not cooperating,'' Lewis said Wednesday afternoon. ''She's not showing much emotion. She just sits there. It's sick and it's scary.''

Lewis said Bush ran a tight ship in the three years he lived with Widdersheim, who also has 10-year-old twins who were apparently not abused by Bush. The twins are in the custody of Mahoning County CSB. He said when Struthers city schools reported suspected abuse in October, the couple withdrew the children from the district and opted to home school them.
''It appears the suspect ran it (home) like a boot camp,'' Lewis said. ''From everything we learned, the victim and his mother were cut off from their own family.''

Dave Arnold, executive of the Mahoning County CSB, said he could not discuss the Foltz case specifically, but said if case workers are rebuffed in their efforts to make contact with family members during an investigation they will leave notes and keep coming back to try and make contact.

The case has been a tough one for the investigators, especially Greenwood, who said his daughter was a classmate of Foltz and he would occasionally walk by his home.

''It did take a toll on me. It still has,'' Greenwood said.

Neighbors did not see the children much but said they were well behaved, Greenwood said.

''The neighbors said he was extremely polite,'' Greenwood said. ''He would shovel driveways.''

https://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/582587/Accused-killer-in-court--video-.html

Zaryl Bush pleads not guilty to murder, other charges


Wed, March 13, 2013 @ 3:35 p.m.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Struthers man accused of beating a 14-year-old boy to death pleaded not guilty late this morning in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court and received future court dates.

Zaryl G. Bush, 43, of 533 Creed St., faces charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, six counts of endangering children, two counts of intimidation and one count of tampering with evidence in the death of 14-year-old Teddy Foltz and endangering his younger brothers.

His ex-girlfriend, Shain Widdersheim, 32, of 28 Creed St., Struthers, the mother of Teddy and the younger boys, was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter, four counts of child endangering and one count of obstructing justice.

The case against Bush has been assigned to the courtroom of Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. He will be back before the judge Friday for a status hearing.

Bush, according to county records, is tentatively set for trial early next month.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/mar/13/zaryl-bush-pleads-not-guilty-murder-other-charges/

Judge won’t separate trial

Mother and boyfriend accused in teen’s death


April 27, 2013

YOUNGSTOWN - Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge R. Scott Krichbaum ruled against a motion Friday by the mother of a slain teen to have a separate trial.

Krichbaum ruled against the motion filed by lawyers for Shain Widdersheim, 32, of Creed Street in Struthers, who faces several charges for the January death of her son Teddy Foltz, 14.

Widdersheim's boyfriend, Zaryl Bush, 43, also of Creed Street, is also charged in Foltz's death. Bush faces charges of murder, child endangering, tampering with evidence and felonious assault.

Widdersheim is accused of allowing the abuse to happen and lying to police when they began investigating once Foltz was hospitalized.

Earlier this month her attorney, Douglas King, asked for Widdersheim's trial to be separated from Bush's, saying his client faces several different counts than Bush and that if Bush takes the stand in his own defense he may incriminate Widdersheim.

Additionally, the nature of the charges are so "heinous'' that they may prejudice the jury against his client, King argued.

Krichbaum wrote that King failed to offer any argument that jurors would be so repelled by Bush that they would hold his actions against Widdersheim. Krichbaum also wrote that witnesses for each defendant are expected to be the same and a separate trial would force them to testify twice ''about the exact same things."

A trial date of June 24 has been set for both.

The Mahoning County Coroner's Office ruled Foltz's death a homicide as a result of head trauma. Police were alerted that something was wrong when a relative called them while he was being treated for his injuries.

Prosecutors allege that Bush treated Foltz and his twin 10-year-old brothers like recruits at a boot camp, forced them to do chores and forbade them having any outside contact. They say when school officials noticed signs of abuse, Widdersheim took the boys out of the school district.

The twins are in the custody of the county Children Services Board.

http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content.detail/id/586690/Judge-won-t-separate-trial.html?nav=5021

Godmother of child who was beaten to death speaks out

Posted: Jun 16, 2013 11:28 PM EST Updated: Jun 16, 2013 11:28 PM EST


STRUTHERS, Ohio - Signs have been popping up around Front yards calling for "Justice for Teddy Foltz", as jury selection begins for a trial that is set for June 24 in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

At that time, more information will be revealed about how extensive the abuse was that allegedly took place at the hands of Zaryl Bush.

Police say the boy's mother, Shain Widdersheim, allowed the abuse to happen.

Teddy's godmother, Kelly Mathews Plummer, says Widdersheim painted a picture perfect life with Bush and her children on Facebook, but that was a lie.

Plummer says there were dozens of calls to police and children service agencies in Trumbull and Mahoning counties. But she believes the 14-year-old was ordered not to tell and was too scared to tell the truth.

Plummer says she wished someone would have investigated further looking for bruises and physical injuries. There were photos showing Teddy had a black eye, but he denied being abused to police.

She says Struthers police did separate interviews but tell her Teddy denied ever being physically or verbally abused.
Investigators also tell Plummer that Widdersheim's twins also denied abuse at that time.

She wants all kids and teens to know they can get help by telling police and social workers the truth if they are punched, burned or abused.

http://www.wfmj.com/story/22605802/godmother-of-murdered-child-speaks-out

Mom pleads guilty in connection with 14-year-old Teddy Foltz case


Posted: Jun 17, 2013 2:22 PM EST Updated: Jun 17, 2013 10:17 PM EST



YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Shain Widdersheim cried as she stood before a Judge, admitting that she allowed her former boyfriend Zaryl Bush to allegedly beat her son to death.

Fourteen-year-old Teddy Foltz of Struthers died on January 26th. Investigators say the child was punched repeatedly on that day, and his head slammed against a wall until the he was bleeding and eventually lost consciousness.

Prosecutors now say the victim's twin brothers witnessed his murder, and are now safe and in the custody of Mahoning County Children Services.

Widdersheim is now cooperating with authorities, after initially pleading not guilty to the charges.

She has pleaded guilty to four counts of child endangerment, and one count of obstructing justice. Mahoning County Prosecutor Becky Doherty explained the obstruction charge, "The twins were instructed to give the original story of the brother fell in the bathroom, and initially that was the information provided to the police and obviously that is not correct."

The involuntary manslaughter charge against Widdersheim was dismissed. Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Krichbaum questioned the dismissal of the charge, and Prosecutor Doherty said, "I'm certainly not diminishing anything she did. But she was not present during the actual beating that caused his death. She has cooperated with us, she's given us a full statement, as far as the conduct she was aware of with Zaryl Bush, and what occurred that day."

Widdersheim could face to years in prison, and her plea agreement comes just one week before her former boyfriend is set to go on trial for her son's murder.

Widdersheim's own mother, Sara Foltz, wants her daughter sentenced to the most severe penalty, "The maximum. I do believe she deserves it because she let it go on for so long. I'm sorry. She's my daughter, I love her, but still she did wrong."

The Struther's woman's own sister is still so emotionally distraught, she hasn't talked to her sister, "I haven't spoken to her. I can't right now. All I want is justice for my nephews. They deserve it."

There's no some speculation with this latest development in this tragic case that Zaryl Bush could also consider a plea deal, his murder trial is expected to begin June 24th.

http://www.wfmj.com/story/22612194/mom-pleads-guilty-in-connection-with-13-year-old-teddy-foltz-case