chipwhitley
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I wonder when this horrible murder took place. AW and JW called EMS for the baby yesterday, correct?
Found Deceased AR - Ashley Bush, 33, *31 wks pregnant, met woman online for job interview*, Maysville, 31 October 2022
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FruitTingles
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Why would AW & JW think a baby could survive at only 31 weeks without medical intervention at a hospital?
MrsWatson
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I wonder what is on Amber's bookshelf or in her Kindle or what she's checked out of the library. There is a Harlan Coben book that details an elaborate fake pregnancy. Sure it's not the only one.
The Stranger
The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives ar...
www.goodreads.com
bestill
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How did she subdue Ashley during that ride? So many questions.
Unsolved
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Hmm! The McDonald County Collector property site has a different house address (1848 instead of 1783) for them:
The 1783 address shows H****** as the owners last name? Now wondering who that is, and why Ashley would have been found there?
chipwhitley
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Answered my own question:
“Additionally, Sheriff Evenson tells KOAM’s Shannon Becker they responded on Monday night to reports of a newborn baby not breathing. EMS intercepted the couple near Longview, Mo. as they were on the way to a hospital.”
www.koamnewsnow.com
“Additionally, Sheriff Evenson tells KOAM’s Shannon Becker they responded on Monday night to reports of a newborn baby not breathing. EMS intercepted the couple near Longview, Mo. as they were on the way to a hospital.”
Investigators: Body in southwest Missouri is missing pregnant Arkansas woman, Ashley Bush
Authorities say human remains found in southwest Missouri are those of Ashley Bush, who was reported missing out of Benton County, Arkansas.
FruitTingles
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Investigators: Body in southwest Missouri is missing pregnant Arkansas woman, Ashley Bush
Authorities say human remains found in southwest Missouri are those of Ashley Bush, who was reported missing out of Benton County, Arkansas.
So the baby was born on the Monday night after Amber was witnessed driving with Ashley past Josh at the pick up point. Horrific.
Going by the baby part, I feel they maybe hadn’t connected AW & JW to the abduction of Ashley at that point yet, so perhaps were not aware it was Ashley’s baby, and Amber claimed it was hers. JMO.
cvaldez1975
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so many times the baby doesnt survive, its all for nothing, so evil and dumb. get help.
Allabouttrial
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Press Conference
3rd October
Sheriff - Thank you for coming today. Sad news. Over the course of my career this is one of the most horrific cases that I have been involved with. This is still an active case, I'll put that out first that we'll be limited to details that we can give because this is a fluid working case at this moment.
This Sheriff's Office on October 31st started working a case of a missing person, Ashley Bush. Sad news to report that we have found Ashley Bush, who was murdered, in our opinion. We also have found her baby Valkery Grace Willis, who's deceased as well and was found in a separate location. I won't be able to get into details of that. We do have two people in custody. This has been a joint case that we've been working with the FBI, Benton County Sheriff's Office and McDonald County, Missouri Sheriff's Office. The two people they have in custody right now are Amber Waterman and Jamie Waterman of Jane, Missouri, who are currently being held on kidnapping first degree charges. We expect further additional charges to come and I'll let Nathan Smith speak on where we're going with all that.
DA - Well, obviously, our hearts and prayers go out to Ashley's family and it's a terrible thing. We have been in touch with multiple jurisdictions. It's clear in this case that there are multiple venues, if you will, that would have jurisdiction for the prosecution of this case. I've spoken to our US Attorney and going to have conversations going forward with our federal partners to determine which venue is proper to proceed. The investigation still is ongoing. There are some things that we don't know now and then there are some things that we can't say at the moment since it's ongoing, but at this point both of these individuals are in custody. I believe their federal charges relate to kidnapping that led to murder. And so there will be certainly overlapping charges as this case goes forward. And so that's kind of where that is. So at this point, if you guys have questions, we'll be happy to answer them.
Reporter - What's the relationship of Amber and Jamie Waterman?
DA - So, at this point what we believe is that they are husband and wife.
Reporter - Do we believe that Amber was the woman that was called Lucy?
DA - Yes, we believe that Lucy was a fictitious name and invented persona, and that Amber was the real person.
Reporter - What was the name of the baby again?
Sheriff - The baby's name was Valkry Grace Willis.
Reporter - Can you go into more details about where they were found? How far from that Handi stop in Maysville?
DA - Well at this point the bodies were recovered in the state of Missouri and so I won't going any further than that, but they were recovered in Missouri.
Reporter - We've heard rumours that the Watermans were trying to adopt or struggling to have a child. Is that something you guys can confirm?
DA - I don't know that at this point.
Reporter - I know you guys posted they met online. Can you tell us the nature of how these two met and the relationship between Ashley and Waterman's?
DA - Well, I think that's going to be an ongoing issue. I've certainly heard things reported on that and you know facts are still developing at this point. Interviews are still being done. So I can't say more beyond that. They did meet online, I believe, that's already been reported that they did meet that way and so that's all I know at this point.
Reporter - What time and date were the bodies found?
Sheriff - I can't give you that information right now to be exact on it. I believe two separate days they were found, one yesterday and one today. I can't really getting into details on that.
Reporter - Did you say Ashley was found today and the baby found yesterday? Can you tell us days?
Sheriff - The baby was found yesterday and Mrs Bush was found today.
Reporter - How close were they to each other?
DA - I don't think we want to get into that. I think that's going to be an investigative detail that's going to become important later.
Reporter - Can you say whether they cut the baby out or..
LE - We don't want to get into that at this point for investigative reasons. It's still ongoing and so facts have to be developed, but clearly the baby was not found with the mother.
Reporter - Do you know what was used to kill Ashley and her baby?
DA - At this point, what I can say.. the mother we believe at this point the investigation leads us to believe that it was a gunshot wound. So I think beyond that that's all we can say.
Sheriff - There's autopsies that will be conducted and they'll be official reports on that at some point but like the Prosecutor said we believe the manner of death, certainly is partly going to be gun related.
Reporter - Do you that each of the suspects should be charged with two counts of murder?
DA - Well in Arkansas if you kill a pregnant woman, then you can be charged with two counts of murder. So certainly in the state of Arkansas, I would charge them with two counts of homicide. Now that's all going to have to be worked out jurisdictionally. And the fact could be that multiple different jurisdictions can bring charges in this case. So, if the facts develop in a way that justifies bringing charges here in Benton County we would charge in that fact pattern for two murders because you can in the state of Arkansas do that.
Reporter - Was there evidence, can y'all say, was there an effort to keep the baby alive?
DA - I don't know those details.
Reporter - Why is Jamie being charged when we know Amber is the one that the fiancé has talked about - Why is Jamie being charged?
DA - Well, at this point law enforcement have reason to believe that both of them were involved in this crime and obviously as the facts play out and the investigation continues, we'll know the extent of that involvement for both of them. But evidence is at this point that there was reason to hold both of them for charges.
Reporter - When will they be in court?
DA - I'm not sure in federal court, Missouri, when they will appear, but I'm sure that will be relatively soon. They'll have to make it a bond decision soon.
Reporter - So they're in Benton County jail?
DA - Yes.
Reporter - Do you know if they died in Arkansas or Missouri?
DA - We're still determining that. I think the investigation will lead us there. That's obviously going to be a very important detail in how the case gets charged. At this point, we know that the bodies were found in the state of Missouri. The investigation will help us know exactly where the deaths occured.
Reporter - And when do you expect the jurisdiction rights to be worked out?
DA - Well, I know that, in conversations I've had today I expect to have phone calls and visit with federal prosecutors in both Arkansas and Missouri in the next several days. And so that may not be a decision we make in a week, but we're certainly going to began working on it immediately to determine which is the best venue to go for first.
Reporter - Do you know if they ever made it to Bentonville because the whole thing was a job in Bentonville. Did Ashley ever make it there?
DA - I don't know that.
Reporter - Are there any other people of interest in this case?
Sheriff - No. We believe that we have everyone in custody involved with this, that there's no danger to the public at this time in point. On your other question, we don't believe she went to Bentonville, but, like I said before it's an ongoing investigation. There's a lot of things we have to follow up between here and Missouri. So it will be a working case for a little while there's lots of things we need to get answered first.
Reporter - And where did you arrest Amber and Jamie at?
DA - It was in the State of Missouri.
Reporter - Any motive at this point? Has the family been notified?
DA - Ashley's family has been notified. As far as motive - we're just going to have to let that play out with the facts. It's too early to say.
Reporter - And do you know if they met any other women, pregnant women?
DA - No, I don't believe so.
Reporter - Sheriff, you called this is the most horrific you've ever dealt with. Have you guys ever anything like this here in the county?
Sheriff - No, I have not.
Reporter - Just how awful is it that someone would prey on someone online and do this?
DA - Well, look, this is just a reminder that there is evil in the world. People do evil things. That someone would prey upon a a pregnant woman, you know, at her most vulnerable state is unimaginable, but unfortunately that's the world we live in.
Reporter - When will you hope to have the autopsy results back?
DA - That usually depends on the backlog they have at the crime lab in terms of getting those things done. So, that maybe that usually is.. you get initial reports in a few days. Formal reports take longer, sometimes a few weeks to a couple of months to get a formal report.
Sheriff - Typically a homicide investigation will get moved to the front in most cases.
DA - Yeah. We'll have initial reports fairly quickly. Formal reports will come later.
Reporter - Can you guys confirm that they met on social media for a job interview. Is there anything you guys can confirm about the fiancés story?
DA - So basically what I know now, based on the information that we know now, I think that is accurate that it was a meeting online and that it was a job interview that Ashley believed that she was going to. I can confirm that's what the evidence tells us now. Now it's important to remember is that this is still early, right?. We have an obligation to tell the public what we know at this point so that they can know that we have unfortunately found them and they were murdered, based on the events we know now. But it is ongoing and so facts can change or our understanding of what the facts are, can change based on the investigation. But as I stand here now, I believe that's accurate that she did believe that she was going to meet someone for help with a job interview.
Reporter - Has there been any... what happened when she was dropped off for the interview in the morning and she was seen in the afternoon. Any evidence of might have happened between those hours?
Sheriff - We're still sorting through that. We have a lot of facts and information. It'll take us a little while to figure out exactly what happened and where.
DA - And I should also point out too, saying that people have been arrested for a crime, I also have to point out that they are innocent until proven guilty. So an arrest is not proof of guilt. That will be weighed out in a court of law.
Reporter - Do you know if there was a struggle?
DA - I don't.
Reporter - What would you like to tell people who you know... like this could happen to anyone and you can trust people but at the end of the day things happen.
Sheriff - Like what Nathan was saying, there's evil in our world. This is a safe place to live, but that doesn't mean evil can't happen here. You know, you should always be diligent and make sure that you're taking care of your loved ones and yourself and meeting strangers that you've met online, at any aspect, is dangerous and in itself when you don't know who they are. We just advise people to be very cautious on people you don't know, regardless of what you're meeting them for.
LE - We appreciate everyone coming out. I know that there's a lot of questions that everybody has and hopefully they'll be more information to share in the near future. But feel free to ask questions and at a later date if we do get more information that we can share, certainly we will, but thank you for coming out.
3rd October
Sheriff - Thank you for coming today. Sad news. Over the course of my career this is one of the most horrific cases that I have been involved with. This is still an active case, I'll put that out first that we'll be limited to details that we can give because this is a fluid working case at this moment.
This Sheriff's Office on October 31st started working a case of a missing person, Ashley Bush. Sad news to report that we have found Ashley Bush, who was murdered, in our opinion. We also have found her baby Valkery Grace Willis, who's deceased as well and was found in a separate location. I won't be able to get into details of that. We do have two people in custody. This has been a joint case that we've been working with the FBI, Benton County Sheriff's Office and McDonald County, Missouri Sheriff's Office. The two people they have in custody right now are Amber Waterman and Jamie Waterman of Jane, Missouri, who are currently being held on kidnapping first degree charges. We expect further additional charges to come and I'll let Nathan Smith speak on where we're going with all that.
DA - Well, obviously, our hearts and prayers go out to Ashley's family and it's a terrible thing. We have been in touch with multiple jurisdictions. It's clear in this case that there are multiple venues, if you will, that would have jurisdiction for the prosecution of this case. I've spoken to our US Attorney and going to have conversations going forward with our federal partners to determine which venue is proper to proceed. The investigation still is ongoing. There are some things that we don't know now and then there are some things that we can't say at the moment since it's ongoing, but at this point both of these individuals are in custody. I believe their federal charges relate to kidnapping that led to murder. And so there will be certainly overlapping charges as this case goes forward. And so that's kind of where that is. So at this point, if you guys have questions, we'll be happy to answer them.
Reporter - What's the relationship of Amber and Jamie Waterman?
DA - So, at this point what we believe is that they are husband and wife.
Reporter - Do we believe that Amber was the woman that was called Lucy?
DA - Yes, we believe that Lucy was a fictitious name and invented persona, and that Amber was the real person.
Reporter - What was the name of the baby again?
Sheriff - The baby's name was Valkry Grace Willis.
Reporter - Can you go into more details about where they were found? How far from that Handi stop in Maysville?
DA - Well at this point the bodies were recovered in the state of Missouri and so I won't going any further than that, but they were recovered in Missouri.
Reporter - We've heard rumours that the Watermans were trying to adopt or struggling to have a child. Is that something you guys can confirm?
DA - I don't know that at this point.
Reporter - I know you guys posted they met online. Can you tell us the nature of how these two met and the relationship between Ashley and Waterman's?
DA - Well, I think that's going to be an ongoing issue. I've certainly heard things reported on that and you know facts are still developing at this point. Interviews are still being done. So I can't say more beyond that. They did meet online, I believe, that's already been reported that they did meet that way and so that's all I know at this point.
Reporter - What time and date were the bodies found?
Sheriff - I can't give you that information right now to be exact on it. I believe two separate days they were found, one yesterday and one today. I can't really getting into details on that.
Reporter - Did you say Ashley was found today and the baby found yesterday? Can you tell us days?
Sheriff - The baby was found yesterday and Mrs Bush was found today.
Reporter - How close were they to each other?
DA - I don't think we want to get into that. I think that's going to be an investigative detail that's going to become important later.
Reporter - Can you say whether they cut the baby out or..
LE - We don't want to get into that at this point for investigative reasons. It's still ongoing and so facts have to be developed, but clearly the baby was not found with the mother.
Reporter - Do you know what was used to kill Ashley and her baby?
DA - At this point, what I can say.. the mother we believe at this point the investigation leads us to believe that it was a gunshot wound. So I think beyond that that's all we can say.
Sheriff - There's autopsies that will be conducted and they'll be official reports on that at some point but like the Prosecutor said we believe the manner of death, certainly is partly going to be gun related.
Reporter - Do you that each of the suspects should be charged with two counts of murder?
DA - Well in Arkansas if you kill a pregnant woman, then you can be charged with two counts of murder. So certainly in the state of Arkansas, I would charge them with two counts of homicide. Now that's all going to have to be worked out jurisdictionally. And the fact could be that multiple different jurisdictions can bring charges in this case. So, if the facts develop in a way that justifies bringing charges here in Benton County we would charge in that fact pattern for two murders because you can in the state of Arkansas do that.
Reporter - Was there evidence, can y'all say, was there an effort to keep the baby alive?
DA - I don't know those details.
Reporter - Why is Jamie being charged when we know Amber is the one that the fiancé has talked about - Why is Jamie being charged?
DA - Well, at this point law enforcement have reason to believe that both of them were involved in this crime and obviously as the facts play out and the investigation continues, we'll know the extent of that involvement for both of them. But evidence is at this point that there was reason to hold both of them for charges.
Reporter - When will they be in court?
DA - I'm not sure in federal court, Missouri, when they will appear, but I'm sure that will be relatively soon. They'll have to make it a bond decision soon.
Reporter - So they're in Benton County jail?
DA - Yes.
Reporter - Do you know if they died in Arkansas or Missouri?
DA - We're still determining that. I think the investigation will lead us there. That's obviously going to be a very important detail in how the case gets charged. At this point, we know that the bodies were found in the state of Missouri. The investigation will help us know exactly where the deaths occured.
Reporter - And when do you expect the jurisdiction rights to be worked out?
DA - Well, I know that, in conversations I've had today I expect to have phone calls and visit with federal prosecutors in both Arkansas and Missouri in the next several days. And so that may not be a decision we make in a week, but we're certainly going to began working on it immediately to determine which is the best venue to go for first.
Reporter - Do you know if they ever made it to Bentonville because the whole thing was a job in Bentonville. Did Ashley ever make it there?
DA - I don't know that.
Reporter - Are there any other people of interest in this case?
Sheriff - No. We believe that we have everyone in custody involved with this, that there's no danger to the public at this time in point. On your other question, we don't believe she went to Bentonville, but, like I said before it's an ongoing investigation. There's a lot of things we have to follow up between here and Missouri. So it will be a working case for a little while there's lots of things we need to get answered first.
Reporter - And where did you arrest Amber and Jamie at?
DA - It was in the State of Missouri.
Reporter - Any motive at this point? Has the family been notified?
DA - Ashley's family has been notified. As far as motive - we're just going to have to let that play out with the facts. It's too early to say.
Reporter - And do you know if they met any other women, pregnant women?
DA - No, I don't believe so.
Reporter - Sheriff, you called this is the most horrific you've ever dealt with. Have you guys ever anything like this here in the county?
Sheriff - No, I have not.
Reporter - Just how awful is it that someone would prey on someone online and do this?
DA - Well, look, this is just a reminder that there is evil in the world. People do evil things. That someone would prey upon a a pregnant woman, you know, at her most vulnerable state is unimaginable, but unfortunately that's the world we live in.
Reporter - When will you hope to have the autopsy results back?
DA - That usually depends on the backlog they have at the crime lab in terms of getting those things done. So, that maybe that usually is.. you get initial reports in a few days. Formal reports take longer, sometimes a few weeks to a couple of months to get a formal report.
Sheriff - Typically a homicide investigation will get moved to the front in most cases.
DA - Yeah. We'll have initial reports fairly quickly. Formal reports will come later.
Reporter - Can you guys confirm that they met on social media for a job interview. Is there anything you guys can confirm about the fiancés story?
DA - So basically what I know now, based on the information that we know now, I think that is accurate that it was a meeting online and that it was a job interview that Ashley believed that she was going to. I can confirm that's what the evidence tells us now. Now it's important to remember is that this is still early, right?. We have an obligation to tell the public what we know at this point so that they can know that we have unfortunately found them and they were murdered, based on the events we know now. But it is ongoing and so facts can change or our understanding of what the facts are, can change based on the investigation. But as I stand here now, I believe that's accurate that she did believe that she was going to meet someone for help with a job interview.
Reporter - Has there been any... what happened when she was dropped off for the interview in the morning and she was seen in the afternoon. Any evidence of might have happened between those hours?
Sheriff - We're still sorting through that. We have a lot of facts and information. It'll take us a little while to figure out exactly what happened and where.
DA - And I should also point out too, saying that people have been arrested for a crime, I also have to point out that they are innocent until proven guilty. So an arrest is not proof of guilt. That will be weighed out in a court of law.
Reporter - Do you know if there was a struggle?
DA - I don't.
Reporter - What would you like to tell people who you know... like this could happen to anyone and you can trust people but at the end of the day things happen.
Sheriff - Like what Nathan was saying, there's evil in our world. This is a safe place to live, but that doesn't mean evil can't happen here. You know, you should always be diligent and make sure that you're taking care of your loved ones and yourself and meeting strangers that you've met online, at any aspect, is dangerous and in itself when you don't know who they are. We just advise people to be very cautious on people you don't know, regardless of what you're meeting them for.
LE - We appreciate everyone coming out. I know that there's a lot of questions that everybody has and hopefully they'll be more information to share in the near future. But feel free to ask questions and at a later date if we do get more information that we can share, certainly we will, but thank you for coming out.
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ashhouston
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so sad
This is awful. I'm confused by the facts so far. Seems they intercepted the couple with the baby on Monday night but then in PC said baby was found yesterday and mother found today? It makes sense that the murder happened on Monday. I'm just confused how the baby didn't survive when intercepted on Monday but they didn't check the "mother" or figure out at that time that the baby wasn't her's? Unless the baby initially survived and they took it home and then it died? That makes no sense though....the baby would've been hospitalized if she had survived on Monday.
I was really thinking this was a hoax....which would've left everyone safe. Such a tragedy that it turned out like this. I remember the first time a case like this was reported....Lisa Montgomery....and it was horrific. Now it seems to be a trend. I can't even imagine....
I was really thinking this was a hoax....which would've left everyone safe. Such a tragedy that it turned out like this. I remember the first time a case like this was reported....Lisa Montgomery....and it was horrific. Now it seems to be a trend. I can't even imagine....
cvaldez1975
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its been conflicting info on when the baby was treated by EMS so im going to go w bad reporting. i think it was monday. unless they kept mom alive until whichever day.
I was really skeptical too. It's like a lifetime movie. What sickos the waterman's are.
FruitTingles
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I am wondering if Amber first met with Ashley on the Friday to ‘scope’ her out and see just how easy of a target she was going to be then made her plan from there and decided she would abduct Ashley at the second meeting on Monday. Maybe she needed to get husband on board? I still do not understand Amber driving past Josh with Ashley in the truck like she was going to drop her off to him at the pick up point and then just driving off. Wth? JMO.
vls12345
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Only thing I can think of is Amber had planned it, then decided not to follow through, so was taking Ashley back. But, at the last minute, steeled herself to go through with her original, horrible plans & sped off.
My speculation only. MOO.
I just heard about this case this afternoon. Absolutely heartbroken for Ashley & her family.
EmmieA
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I bet that’s what happened. I’ll have to find the interview but didn’t Ashley’s fiancé say that she was supposed to be interviewing with some man from the company for the 2nd interview? I wonder if that was where the husband first got involved
MOO
Canadianmom2three
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bestill
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Oh interesting, was the man from the company she met Amber's husband? Continuing the "job interview"...
gliving
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Amber Waterman – Courtesy: MCSO
(Jamie Waterman booking photo unavailable at this time.)
Pregnant woman and baby found dead
BENTON COUNTY, Ark. — The search for a missing pregnant woman came to a gruesome end after authorities discovered the bodies of her and her unborn child in separate locations in southwest Missouri.…
www.fourstateshomepage.com
There's a little bit of justice seeing her in orange.
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