Timeline | The kidnapping and murder of pregnant Arkansas mother and her unborn baby
An Arkansas woman, pregnant and hopeful for a job, was kidnapped by a stranger she met online with a motive to take her unborn child.
Amber Waterman is accused of kidnapping and killing Ashley Bush, a 31-week pregnant Arkansas woman. In Waterman's alleged plot to claim Bush's baby as her own, she is also charged with the death of the unborn baby.
Bush was first reported missing in Oct. 2022, here's a look at the timeline of events that led up to the arrests of Amber and her husband Jamie.
Background Ashley Bush and the Watermans
Amber Waterman is charged with one count of kidnapping resulting in death and the death of an unborn child.
Jamie Waterman has been charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death. The federal criminal complaint alleges that he helped Amber Waterman after the kidnapping and murder.
Oct. 25, 2022 The Fake Account
Investigators believe Amber created a fake Facebook account under the name of "Lucy Barrows" on Oct. 25, 2022, to lure Bush into meeting her so she could kidnap her unborn child, and raise the baby as her own.
Josh Willis, Bush's fiancé, said the mother of three, soon to be four, had complications in her pregnancy.
"With Ashley being pregnant, she has been having complications with this pregnancy and the doctor took her off work," he said in an interview after Bush was reported missing.
He said that's when Bush started looking for a work-from-home job in a Facebook group for moms. A few days later on Oct. 28, Bush and Willis met "Lucy" at the Gravette Public Library to talk about a potential job opening. During that meeting, "Lucy" mentioned she had baby supplies she could give the family.
Willis said he felt uneasy about the situation. "She handed Ashley a bunch of paperwork, that they would email her and told her to wait for the boss to contact her for another interview."
The next steps, according to Willis, were for Bush to travel with "Lucy" to Bentonville for an interview with "the boss."
Oct. 31, 2022 The Disappearance
Willis told 5NEWS that he dropped Bush off at the Handi-Stop in Maysville on the morning of Monday, Oct. 31. He said he went to pick her up at around 3 p.m. the same day.
The last time Willis said he heard from his fiancée was when he received a text from her saying she was in Gravette and he could come to pick her up.
"All I saw was her and the lady she rode with both pass me, neither one stopped, the driver looked at me and kept going," he said.
Willis said he tried following the truck but lost it heading north on Hwy. 43. He and his family quickly started searching for Bush.
Later that day, the family was able to ping and locate Bush's phone. Willis said it was found in a ditch about a half mile away from the location where he last saw her in Maysville.
While Bush's loved ones searched for her and answers for her disappearance, Amber Waterman was back in Missouri.
According to an arrest affidavit, Amber told detectives that she had been home all day on Oct. 31 with her son and another child, and she "went into labor" that afternoon.
After calling 911, Amber traveled to meet an ambulance at a store in McDonald County, Missouri. Amber told detectives that she had delivered a stillborn child that evening.
According to KOAM, our CBS affiliate, McDonald County Sheriff Evenson said they responded to reports of a newborn baby not breathing on Monday night. EMS intercepted the couple near Longview, Mo. as they were on the way to a hospital.
A medical helicopter was on standby to take both Amber and the baby to the hospital.
The McDonald County Coroner, BJ Goodwin, was called to take the baby to an area funeral home after EMS was unable to revive her.
Goodwin said Amber refused medical treatment. While the baby was taken to the funeral home, the placenta was retrieved from Amber. Goodwin later told 5NEWS that it appeared the baby was "cut out" of the mother.
Nov. 1, 2022 Police Question the Watermans
On Nov. 1, detectives met with the Watermans who let them search their home and the tan-colored truck, matching the description of the one Bush was last seen in, according to prosecutors.
When detectives asked for Amber's phone, she told them that she had lost it. She also told investigators that she was the only person who had access to the tan-colored truck.
When asked if she had known about Bush, Amber told detectives that she did not know her. When asked about "Lucy Barrows," Amber said that she previously had worked with her at Walmart but they were not close, according to court records.
Also on Nov. 1, the Watermans showed up at the funeral home to plan a memorial ceremony for "their" baby on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Goodwin said they wanted to cremate the baby's remains.
Nov. 2, 2022 The Memorial Service
Goodwin said the memorial service for the baby was scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2. He said that morning the Benton County Coroner called asking for a DNA swab from the baby.
Goodwin said he was very cautious as it seemed "far-fetched" and the Waterman's family said Amber had already miscarried four times, so they were very "emotionally upset."
He told 5NEWS the funeral was exactly what you would expect of parents who lost a child. Goodwin says nothing was out of the ordinary at the time and less than a dozen people were there.
According to Goodwin, the Benton County Coroner arrived after the memorial service to take the baby for an autopsy. Goodwin said the Waterman’s demeanor changed when they found out an autopsy would be performed, and Amber allegedly asked multiple times if DNA tests would be performed.
“Hands down craziest things I have ever dealt with as a coroner for 16 years," Goodwin said. He believes, based on court documents, that the Watermans had burned and disposed of Bush's body before arriving at the funeral for the service.
"They got cleaned up after burning and disposing of her body and showed up for a funeral," the coroner said.
Nov. 3, 2022 The Confession
A vehicle at the Waterman's home was seized by law enforcement and search warrants were obtained on Thursday, Nov. 3, for their vehicle and home. During the search, detectives found what they believed to be blood stains on the inside of the vehicle.
Detectives questioned Jamie again on Nov. 3.
According to the affidavit, Jamie told detectives that, after they had questioned them and left their home on Nov. 1, Amber told him she had killed Bush and then quickly changed her story and said “Lucy” had killed her.
Court records state that Amber led Jamie to the body of Bush. Jamie allegedly told police he then burned the body in a fire pit behind their home before moving it onto the bed of Jamie's blue GMC pickup, and driving a short distance to dispose of the remains.
The Watermans were arrested on Nov. 3.
After the Arrests
In court on Nov. 4, the Watermans were assigned a public defender and the federal prosecutor asked the court to hold them without bond until their trial.
Both of the suspects were booked into the Greene County Missouri jail late Nov. 4.
These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie L. Wan and James J. Kelleher. They were 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.
Nov. 10, 2022 Benton County Charges
Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith announced on Thursday, Nov. 10, that he is charging Amber Waterman with two counts of capital murder and one count of kidnapping in the abduction and murder of Ashley Bush and her baby.
The announcement was made after Amber Waterman had made appearances in federal court in Missouri. He is seeking the death penalty.
“I also have alleged aggravating circumstances and declared my intention to seek the death penalty," Smith said. After the prosecutor spoke with Bush's family, he said they "supported the decision to seek the death penalty, which is currently easier to do at the state level."
Smith also said Bush's family preferred the case be tried in Benton County so they wouldn't have to travel out of state.
Jamie Waterman has been accused of helping his wife Amber dispose of Bush's body, and hasn't been charged in Benton County due to there not being "clear evidence" that he participated in a crime in Arkansas.
Jamie was charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death. The federal criminal complaint alleges that he helped Amber Waterman after the abduction and murder.
On Dec. 2, 2022, Waterman pleaded not guilty to charges in connection to the kidnapping and murder of Ashley Bush.
Amber's Plea Change July 30, 2024
On July 30, 2024, nearly 2 years after Ashley Bush and her unborn baby's death, Amber Waterman pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death, and causing the death of an unborn child.
Her sentencing date is set for Oct. 15. However, U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said Amber's charges and plea will only result in one kind of sentence — life without parole.
5NEWS will continue to follow this story as it develops.
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