A Missouri woman faces life imprisonment after confessing in court to kidnapping and murdering a pregnant Arkansas woman, in what prosecutors describe as an attempt to steal her baby.
Amber Waterman, 44, from Pineville, Missouri, admitted guilt on Tuesday in the US District Court in Springfield to charges of kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of an unborn child. US Attorney Teresa Moore stated that Waterman will receive a mandatory life sentence without parole, with formal sentencing set for October 15.
Waterman confessed to using a fake name to connect with 33-year-old Ashley Bush from Siloam Springs, Arkansas, on Facebook. Bush was approximately 31 weeks pregnant at the time for the charges of kidnapping.
Federal prosecutors revealed that Waterman and Bush arranged to meet at an Arkansas convenience store on October 31, 2022, under the pretense of Waterman offering Bush a job. Instead, Waterman transported Bush to her home in Pineville.
Hours later, emergency responders were summoned to the residence due to a report of a non-breathing baby. The baby was declared dead upon arrival. Initially, Waterman claimed she had given birth, but later admitted in her plea that the baby belonged to Bush. Bush, a mother of three other children, was found dead at a separate location.
Amber and Jamie Waterman have successfully been transferred to Missouri to face charges. They have plenty more of them coming their way. pic.twitter.com/zWfNUrsvKl
— Rose (@901Lulu) November 5, 2022
Arkansas authorities reported that Bush died from a gunshot wound, although details on the baby’s cause of death were not disclosed by police and prosecutors in kidnapping and death case.
Jamie Waterman, Amber Waterman’s husband, faces charges of being an accessory after the fact for allegedly assisting in disposing of Bush’s body. His trial is scheduled for October.