Missouri woman admits to fatal kidnapping plot to steal pregnant woman's baby

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

Amber Waterman admitted Tuesday to the Oct. 31, 2022, killing of Ashley Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant with Valkyrie Grace Willis, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri said in a statement.

Waterman, 44, entered the plea in connection with two counts of kidnapping resulting in death, the statement said.

Waterman was charged in Bush's killing in November 2022. Seven months later, she was indicted in Valkyrie's death.

Waterman admitted to luring Bush, 33, from Arkansas to Missouri by Facebook with a fake name and a false promise of a job offer, the statement said.

They first met at an Arkansas library three days before Bush died, the statement said. Shortly before noon on Oct. 31, Waterman and Bush met at a convenience store in Maysville, Arkansas. Waterman — who authorities have said introduced herself as "Lucy" — said she would take Bush to meet a supervisor.

At 5 p.m. that day, first responders were sent to a store in a nearby Missouri town where Waterman said she had given birth in her truck on the way to the hospital, according to the statement.

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

Bush’s body was believed to have been burned in a fire pit, authorities have said, citing Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman.

Jamie Waterman was charged with one count of assisting his wife in the kidnapping and preventing her apprehension. It isn’t clear whether he has entered a plea.

Lawyers for Amber and Jamie Waterman have not responded to requests for comment.

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