Missouri Woman Admits Fatal Kidnap Plot to Steal Pregnant Woman’s Baby

A Missouri woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to the fatal kidnapping of a pregnant woman in a failed plot to claim the victim’s baby as her own, federal authorities said.

Amber Waterman admitted to the Oct. 31, 2022, murder of Ashley Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant with Valkyrie Grace Willis at the time, the federal prosecutor’s office for the Western District of Missouri said in a statement.

Waterman, 44, filed the lawsuit in connection with two counts of kidnapping resulting in death, the release said.

She was charged with Bush’s murder in November 2022. Seven months later, Waterman was indicted in Valkryie’s death.

Waterman admitted to luring Bush, 33, from Arkansas to Missouri through Facebook with a fake name and a false promise of a job offer, according to the release.

They met at an Arkansas library three days before his death, the statement said. On October 31, just before noon, Waterman and Bush met at a convenience store in Maysville, Arkansas. Waterman — who authorities previously said introduced herself as “Lucy” — said she would take Bush to meet with a supervisor.

At 5 p.m. that day, emergency responders were dispatched to a store in a nearby Missouri town, where Waterman said she gave birth in her truck on the way to the hospital, according to the release.

Authorities previously said Waterman told investigators the baby was stillborn. In reality, the statement said, the child was Bush’s.

An autopsy said Bush died of “penetrating trauma to the torso,” according to the statement.

Benton County District Attorney Nathan Smith previously told reporters that the bodies of Bush and her baby were found in different locations.

Bush’s body is believed to have burned in a bonfire, authorities previously said, citing Waterman’s husband.

The husband, Jamie Waterman, was accused of helping his wife kidnap and preventing her arrest. It is unclear whether he has entered a plea.

Attorneys for Amber and Jamie Waterman did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri Teresa Moore said Amber Waterman’s guilty plea ensures she will be held accountable. She faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Moore said.