Federal court records obtained on Friday reveal that a Missouri woman detained in connection with the deadly kidnapping of a pregnant woman reportedly carried out the abduction to claim the child as her own.
A lawsuit was submitted on Thursday in federal district court in Missouri accusing Amber Waterman of kidnapping Ashley Bush, 33, and moving her across state lines.
According to the documents, Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, was accused of helping his wife and attempting to stop her arrest.
The complaint states that Amber Waterman might be sentenced to death or a life sentence in jail. Jamie Waterman could receive a sentence of up to 15 years.
Bush, an Arkansas native from Benton County who was 31 weeks pregnant, was discovered dead on Thursday and is thought to have been shot, according to local authorities.
Jamie Waterman allegedly informed investigators that Amber Waterman allegedly burned Bush’s body in a fire pit, according to an affidavit that was submitted to a federal court.
According to the affidavit, Amber Waterman also allegedly burned towels that she used to wipe up blood from her pickup truck.
Amber Waterman, who was interviewed by officials at her residence in Pineville, Missouri, denied knowing Bush and claimed to have given birth to a stillborn child on Monday, the day Bush vanished, according to the affidavit.
Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith earlier informed the media that Bush’s fetus, Valkyrie Grace Willis, was discovered dead this week in a separate location from Bush.
What transpired to Valkyrie is not mentioned in the affidavit. The method used to remove the fetus from Bush’s body had previously been kept a secret by the authorities.
According to the affidavit, Bush communicated online with a person going by the name of “Lucy” before she vanished. According to the paper, the two met at a nearby public library after talking about potential jobs.
According to the affidavit, Bush thought she was travelling with “Lucy” on Monday to meet a work supervisor in Bentonville, Arkansas.
According to the affidavit, Bush’s fiancé dropped her off at a convenience shop where she intended to meet up with her new acquaintance before the work event. According to the affidavit, Bush later instructed him through text to pick her up at the same store.
The affidavit claims that after arriving, the fiancé, who declined to talk to NBC News, observed “Lucy” drive past the store without dropping Bush off.
According to the complaint, the fiancé observed Bush in the truck’s passenger seat, but calls went to voicemail.
According to the paper, Bush’s cell phone was later discovered abandoned alongside an Arkansas state highway.
Amber Waterman identified Lucy as someone she had previously worked with at Walmart and last saw a few weeks prior during a home interview with detectives, according to the affidavit.
After an initial visit and a voluntary search by law enforcement, Jamie Waterman told investigators that Amber Waterman told him that she killed Bush. However, she then blamed the incident on “Lucy,” according to the affidavit.
Then Amber Waterman took her husband to where he claimed to find Bush’s body, which was laying face down next to a boat and covered by a blue tarp. According to the affidavit, he admitted to aiding her in dragging Bush’s body to a fire pit where she lit it on fire.
According to the affidavit, the couple drove Bush’s body to a nearby site and dumped it there. According to the complaint, Jamie Waterman directed investigators to the burned remains later on Thursday.
