PINEVILLE, MO – A Missouri woman, Amber Waterman, 44, pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping and murder of a pregnant woman and her unborn child. The U.S. Attorney’s Office report stated that Waterman conceded to kidnapping Ashley Bush with the intent of claiming Bush’s unborn child as her own.
According to court files, Waterman faced U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on July 30, charged with kidnapping that led to death and causing the death of a child in utero. She confessed to having used a pseudonym to contact Bush on Facebook and established a ruse to offer Bush a job opportunity.
The women had their first meeting on October 28, 2022, at a public library in Gravette, Arkansas. On the agreed second meeting on October 31, Waterman abducted Bush under the pretense of taking her to meet a job supervisor.
Waterman called in an emergency later that day, claiming she had given birth in her truck and that the baby was not breathing. The reality, she later confessed, was that the child was Bush’s, who had died in utero due to Waterman’s actions. An autopsy later confirmed that Bush’s death was due to “penetrating trauma of the torso” and was ruled as a homicide.
Waterman now faces life in federal prison without parole on each charge. A sentencing hearing has been slated for October 15, 2024.