Amber Waterman, a Missouri woman, has admitted to kidnapping and murdering a pregnant Arkansas woman in an attempt to claim her unborn child.
In U.S. District Court in Springfield, the 44-year-old Pineville resident pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of causing the death of a child in utero.
Waterman’s mandatory punishment will be life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to US Attorney Teresa Moore, with a formal sentencing date of October 15.
Waterman admitted to using a fictitious identity to contact Ashley Bush, a 33-year-old woman from Siloam Springs, Arkansas, who was about 31 weeks pregnant at the time. Federal prosecutors revealed that on Oct. 31, 2022, Waterman lured Bush to an Arkansas convenience shop under the guise of assisting her in finding work before bringing her to her house in Pineville.
Reports of a baby not breathing prompted the dispatch of emergency services to the residence. On the scene, they pronounced the infant deceased.
Waterman first claimed to have given birth, but then revealed the baby was Bush’s. Bush, who was also the mother of three other children, was discovered dead in a separate place.
Authorities in Arkansas confirmed that the baby died from a gunshot wound, but neither police nor prosecutors have provided any additional details.
Jamie Waterman, Waterman’s spouse, faces accessory after the fact charges for allegedly aiding in the disposal of Bush’s body. The court has scheduled his trial for October.
