Missouri woman pleads guilty to kidnapping and killing pregnant Arkansas woman

A Missouri woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to kidnapping and killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child .

Amber Waterman, 44 of Pineville, admitted that she kidnapped Ashley Bush from Arkansas in order to claim her unborn baby, Valkyrie Willis, as her own, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Western District of Missouri.

What did Amber Waterman do?

In the fall of 2022, Waterman used a fake name to contact Bush, who was approximately 31 weeks pregnant, via Facebook pretending to offer her an employment opportunity. The two met in person Oct. 28, 2022, at the Gravette, Ark., public library and agreed to meet again three days later.

The two women met again on Oct. 31, 2022, at the Handi-Shop convenience store in Maysville, Ark. Thinking that Waterman was taking her to meet a supervisor to further discuss employment, Bush got into the truck. Waterman abducted her, driving from Maysville to her home in Pineville roughly 25 miles away.

Later that day, first responders reported to the Longview store in Pineville for a call of a baby who was not breathing. Waterman claimed to emergency personnel that she had given birth to the child in the truck while en route to the hospital. According to the probable cause statement filed in court, Waterman maintained this lie in interviews with detectives. In reality, it was Bush's child who had died in utero as a result of Waterman's kidnapping and killing of Bush.

An autopsy indicated that Bush died as a result of penetrating trauma of the torso, and her death was classified as a homicide, according to the release.

Waterman was arrested and the federal charges were filed in November 2022. She was indicted on one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of causing the death of a child in utero.

Waterman is now subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole on each count, though the sentencing will be determined during a hearing scheduled on Oct. 15 based on advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Waterman is also facing two felony counts of capital murder and one count of kidnapping in Benton County Circuit Court in Arkansas. In Arkansas, capital murder could be punishable by the death penalty.

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Husband accused of involvement

Amber Waterman's husband, Jamie Waterman, has also been indicted in relation to the crime. According to the probable cause statement, while Jamie Waterman was not initially aware of Bush's kidnapping and death and Amber Waterman had also told him that she experienced a miscarriage, after she confessed to her crimes, he allegedly helped her dispose of Bush's body.

The two allegedly burned the body near their home before driving it on Jamie Waterman's truck bed to an area within a short distance of the house. According to the probable cause statement, Jamie Waterman led detectives to where the two had taken the body.

He was indicted on one count of being an accessory after the fact and pleaded not guilty July 2023, according to documents filed on PACER. The maximum sentence for this crime is 15 years imprisonment. His jury trial is set to begin Oct. 21 in federal court in Springfield. He remains in the Greene County Jail without bond.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri woman pleads guilty to kidnapping and killing pregnant Arkansas woman