In the fall of 2022, Ashley Boone Bush, a 33-year-old Caucasian mother of three from Arkansas, was excitedly awaiting the birth of her fourth child, a daughter she planned to name Valkyrie Grace Willis. Eager to find a work-from-home job to support her growing family, she turned to online community groups for opportunities. It was there that she connected with a woman who called herself "Lucy," who offered not only the prospect of a job but also free baby supplies.
This seemingly kind stranger was, in fact, a woman named Amber Waterman, who had created the fictitious online persona to ensnare a pregnant woman and steal her unborn child.
On October 31, 2022, under the guise of taking her to a job interview, Amber Waterman picked up Ashley from a convenience store in Maysville, Arkansas, where she had been dropped off by her fiancé. Instead of driving to an interview, Waterman drove Ashley across the state line to her home in Pineville, Missouri. During this journey, the horrific plot culminated in Ashley's murder. An autopsy would later reveal that she died from penetrating trauma to the torso.
The chilling events continued to unfold at the Waterman residence. Amber Waterman cut the baby from Ashley's womb, an act that resulted in the infant's death. In a brazen attempt to pass the child off as her own, Waterman had her husband, Jamie Waterman, call for emergency services, claiming she had just given birth to a baby who was not breathing. Paramedics intercepted the couple on their way to a hospital, but the baby could not be revived.
The investigation into Ashley’s disappearance quickly led law enforcement to the Watermans. After being questioned, Jamie Waterman confessed that his wife had admitted to killing Ashley. He then led investigators to his wife's body, which had been wrapped in a tarp, burned in a fire pit, and then moved to another location on their property. The remains of Ashley and her baby, Valkyrie, were found in separate locations in McDonald County.
Amber Waterman and her husband, Jamie Waterman, were arrested and faced federal charges. Amber Waterman pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero. In October 2024, she was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Jamie Waterman pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the kidnapping resulting in death for his role in helping to cover up the crime. He was sentenced to just over six years in federal prison.
