A Missouri woman, Amber Waterman, 44, has been handed a life sentence for the brutal murder of a pregnant woman and her unborn child in a chilling plot to steal the baby. Waterman confessed to the crime, admitting that she lured her victim, Ashley Bush, 33, to her death in October 2022 under the guise of a job opportunity, only to forcibly remove the unborn child from her body.
“This horrific act resulted in the tragic loss of two innocent lives,” said US Attorney Teresa Moore. “Today’s guilty plea holds the defendant accountable for her actions and ensures that justice will be served.” In her confession, Waterman admitted to shooting Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant, before extracting the unborn child from her body.
However, the sinister plot did not unfold as Waterman had planned. The baby did not survive, and authorities quickly identified Waterman as the suspect when she tried to pass off the deceased fetus as her own stillborn child, allegedly delivered in a truck on the way to the hospital.
Waterman later admitted that the fetus was not hers and disclosed that she had disposed of the mother’s mutilated body by burning it in a fire pit. She had lured Bush to her death by creating a fake Facebook account under the name “Lucy Barrows,” offering a non-existent work-from-home job opportunity on a mothers’ group.
Bush, an Arkansas resident, and her fiancé, Josh Willis, met “Lucy” at a public library in Gravette, Arkansas. Waterman then suggested that the two women needed to travel together to the neighboring town of Gravette to meet the supposed employer. Bush left with Waterman three days later and was never seen alive again.
Waterman then took Bush to her home in Pineville, Missouri, where she committed the heinous murder. Bush, a mother of three other children, had lovingly named her unborn child Valkyrie Willis in anticipation of her birth.
Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, has been charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly assisting in the disposal of Bush’s body. His trial is scheduled for October, and he could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.