A Pineville woman appeared in a Springfield courtroom Tuesday morning and — for the second time — pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and murdering a pregnant Arkansas woman. This time around, Amber Waterman faced an additional charge of killing the fetus the woman was carrying.
Waterman, 43, had been previously indicted for the kidnapping and murder of Ashley Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant when she was reported missing on Oct. 31, 2022. Bush’s body was found two days later.
A federal grand jury in Springfield returned a superseding indictment in June that included the additional charge of killing the unborn child, Valkyrie Grace Willis.
The case made national headlines last year and will be litigated in the federal courthouse in Springfield.
Amber Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, is charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death. The indictment alleges that he assisted his wife in order to hinder and prevent her apprehension, trial, and punishment, knowing she had committed the offense of kidnapping resulting in death.
Jamie Waterman will appear in court on Thursday. He is being held at Greene County jail. It’s unclear where Amber Waterman is being held, but she appeared in court Tuesday wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs and is in federal custody.
The indictment alleges that between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, 2022, Amber Waterman kidnapped Ashley Bush in order to claim Bush’s unborn child as her own. Amber Waterman allegedly transported Bush across the state line from Maysville, Arkansas, to Pineville, Missouri. The indictment alleges the kidnapping resulted in Bush’s death.
According to court documents, Jamie Waterman told investigators that his wife told him she killed Bush, that she led him to Bush’s body and that he helped his wife move and then attempt to burn the body. Jamie Waterman led detectives to where he said he and his wife left the body behind their home in Pineville.
Bush, of Benton County, Arkansas, was found dead Nov. 3, 2022. The baby’s body was found elsewhere in Missouri.
