In late October 2022, a tragic sequence of events unfolded beginning in Benton County, Arkansas, and concluding in McDonald County, Missouri, involving the death of an unborn female infant named Valkyrie Grace Willis. Her mother, 33-year-old Ashley Bush, was thirty-one weeks pregnant with Valkyrie when she began communicating online with a woman she believed to be 'Lucy Barrows.'
This woman, later identified as 43-year-old Amber Waterman of Pineville, Missouri, had created a fictitious Facebook profile to lure expectant mothers under the guise of offering free baby items and employment opportunities. Bush, seeking a work-from-home job, agreed to meet 'Lucy' to discuss a potential position.
On October 31, 2022, Bush met Waterman at a convenience store in Maysville, Arkansas, believing she was being driven to a job interview in Bentonville. Instead, Waterman kidnapped Bush and transported her across state lines to her residence in McDonald County, Missouri. During this abduction, Bush was murdered by a gunshot wound. As a result of the mother's death and the violent circumstances, Valkyrie Grace Willis also died. Conflicting initial reports and testimony from the subsequent investigation suggested the infant may have been removed from the womb, as Waterman later presented a deceased infant to first responders, claiming she had given birth in her truck while en route to the hospital.
Authorities launched a search after Bush’s fiancé reported her missing when she failed to return from the interview. The investigation quickly led law enforcement to the Waterman residence in Pineville. Amber Waterman and her husband, Jamie Waterman, were taken into custody. During questioning, Amber Waterman's story regarding the sudden birth unraveled, and she eventually directed authorities to the separate locations where the bodies were concealed. Valkyrie’s remains were found on November 2, and her mother's body was discovered the following day, hidden and burned near the Waterman home.
Amber Waterman was charged federally with kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child in utero. In July 2024, she entered a guilty plea to both counts in a federal court in Springfield, Missouri. The plea agreement revealed she had intended to claim the unborn child as her own. In October 2024, she was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Her husband, Jamie Waterman, was charged with being an accessory after the fact for assisting in the disposal of the bodies and attempting to hinder the investigation.
