Amber Waterman is a killer from Missouri who would kidnap and murder pregnant Ashley Bush in order to steal her unborn child
According to court documents Amber Waterman had been telling Ashley Bush that she would be able to find her a job in order to establish trust. Ashley would be dropped off at a store where she would be picked up by Waterman. Ashley would later tell her fiance they were headed back to the store however the fiance would see the pair drive past. That was the last time Ashley was seen alive
Ashley Bush body would be found two days later near a property owned by Amber Waterman. The unborn baby body would be found in a separate location
Amber Waterman would be arrested and would ultimately plead guilty to kidnapping and murder. She will now be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Ashley Bush lived in Arkansas which is why this case was in Federal court
Amber Waterman Case
A Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting in court that she kidnapped and killed a pregnant Arkansas woman in what prosecutors say was an attempt to claim her baby.
Amber Waterman, 44, of Pineville, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Springfield to one count each of kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero. U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said Waterman’s mandatory sentence will be life in prison without parole. Formal sentencing is Oct. 15.
In her plea, Waterman admitted that she used a false name to contact Ashley Bush of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, on Facebook. Bush, 33, was about 31 weeks pregnant at the time.
Federal prosecutors said Waterman and Bush agreed to meet at an Arkansas convenience store on Oct. 31, 2022, under the guise of Waterman helping Bush get a job. Instead, Waterman drove Bush to Waterman’s home in Pineville.
Hours later, first responders were called to the home on a report that a baby was not breathing. The baby was pronounced dead. Waterman at first claimed she had given birth. In her plea, she admitted the baby was Bush’s. Bush was also the mother of three other children.
Bush’s body was found in a separate location. Arkansas authorities said she died from a gunshot wound, but police and prosecutors declined to provide more information on how the baby died.
Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, was charged with being an accessory after the fact for allegedly helping dispose of Bush’s body. His trial is scheduled for October.
https://www.kait8.com/2024/07/31/missouri-woman-admits-kidnapping-killing-pregnant-arkansas-woman
Amber Waterman Sentencing
A judge sentenced a Pineville, Mo., woman in federal court for the kidnapping and murder of a pregnant Arkansas woman and her victim’s unborn child.
Amber Waterman, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to two consecutive life sentences in federal prison without parole.
On July 30, 2024, Amber Waterman pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of thereby causing the death of a child in utero. Waterman admitted that she kidnapped Ashley Bush to claim her unborn child, Valkyrie Willis, as her own. Waterman transported Ashley Bush from Maysville, Ark., to Pineville. The kidnapping resulted in the deaths of both Ashley Bush and Valkyrie Willis.
Her husband, Jamie Waterman, 44, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to one count of being an accessory after the fact to the kidnapping resulting in death. Jamie Waterman admitted that he knew Amber Waterman had kidnapped Bush, causing the death of her unborn child, and provided assistance in order to hinder or prevent the apprehension, trial, and punishment of Amber Waterman.
Amber Waterman, using a false name, contacted Bush, who was approximately 31 weeks pregnant, via Facebook. Amber Waterman pretended to help Bush obtain employment, suggesting she had a job opportunity for her. That prompted an in-person meeting between the two women on Oct. 28, 2022, at the Gravette, Ark., public library. They agreed to meet again on Oct. 31, 2022.
On Oct. 31, 2022, at roughly 11:45 a.m., Bush met Amber Waterman at the Handi-Stop convenience store in Maysville, Ark. Under the pretext that Amber Waterman was taking her to meet a supervisor to discuss employment further, Bush got into a truck driven by Amber Waterman. Amber Waterman then kidnapped and abducted Bush, driving her from Maysville to the Waterman residence in Pineville.
According to court documents, Amber Waterman led Jamie Waterman to Bush’s body. Jamie Waterman assisted in hiding and disposing of the body.
At about 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2022, first responders reported to the Longview store in Pineville for an emergency call of a baby who was not breathing. Amber Waterman admitted that she claimed to first responders that she had given birth to the child in the truck while on the way to the hospital. But in reality, she admitted, the child was Bush’s child, who died in utero as a result of Amber Waterman’s kidnapping that resulted in the death of Bush.
An autopsy indicated Bush died as a result of penetrating trauma of the torso, and her death was classified as a homicide.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie L. Wan and James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the FBI, the Benton County, Ark., Sheriff’s Department, and the McDonald County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Arkansas and the Benton County, Ark., Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.