PINEVILLE, MISSOURI: Amber Waterman, who was earlier indicted for the abduction of pregnant Ashely Bush, has now been federally prosecuted for the murder of her unborn baby. Amber Waterman has been accused of kidnapping and murdering Ashley Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant, in 2022.
The 43-year-old suspect also allegedly went on to cut out Bush’s fetus from her body "for the purpose and benefit of claiming Ashley Bush's child as the defendant's child," as per court documents. However, the unborn child, named Valkyrie Grace Willis, also eventually died, and Waterman threw the baby away. At the time, Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said, “This is just a reminder that there is evil in the world. People do evil things. That someone would prey upon a pregnant woman in her most vulnerable state is unimaginable," as per People. Smith added, “That's the world we live in. Our hearts and prayers go out to Ashley's family. It is a terrible thing.”
Who is Amber Waterman?
Waterman is from Pineville, Missouri. She reportedly trapped the 33-year-old victim through a fake job post on Facebook. The alleged murderer used “Lucy Barrows” as her name to execute her evil plan. The two women initially met on October 28, 2022, at a Gravette library in Arkansas. Then their second meeting happened on October 31 at a convenience store in Maysville.
Bush reached the location with her fiancee, Joshua Willis, who left after dropping her off. As per federal authorities, the pregnant woman was under the impression that she and “Lucy” would go to Bentonville to meet the supposed employer before coming back to the convenience store. However, Bush went missing after that, leading Willis to file a report.
Bush was discovered dead
A few days later, cops discovered Bush’s body, which suffered an apparent gunshot injury. Waterman’s husband, Jamie, reportedly told the investigators his wife took the life of Bush and they both burnt her body before discarding it.
Sheriff Shane Holloway shared at the time, “We have found Ashley Bush, who was murdered in our opinion. We also found her baby, Valkyrie Grace Willis, who is deceased as well, [and] who was found at a separate location. I won't get into details about that.” Now, it has been said that Water can get life behind bars if found guilty while her husband might get up to 15 years in prison.
