FOX NEWS – A Missouri woman accused of kidnapping and murdering a pregnant Arkansas woman is facing new charges of killing the unborn baby who was ripped from its mother’s womb.
Amber Waterman, 43, and her husband, Jamie Waterman, 43, were charged in a three-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Missouri, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri announced Tuesday.
Amber Waterman was previously indicted on one count of kidnapping resulting in the death of 33-year-old Ashley Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant when she went missing in October. Police found her shot dead on Nov. 3.
According to police, Waterman kidnapped and killed Bush in an attempt to claim her unborn child as her own. She is accused of transporting Bush from Maysville, Arkansas, to Pineville, Missouri, and killing her there.
After murdering the mother, Waterman allegedly cut the unborn baby out of her, authorities said.
An indictment obtained by KFSM-TV alleges that Waterman lured Bush to Missouri with a phony job offer.
Bush was last seen in the passenger seat of a stranger’s vehicle on Halloween at the intersection of Highways 72 and 43 in Maysville.
Bush met the driver, identified under the false name of “Lucy,” online as part of her search to find a job that would let her work from home, according to authorities.
Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said that investigators believe “Lucy” was the “invented persona” of Amber Waterman.
According to the indictment, Waterman created a fake Facebook account under the name “Lucy Barrows” and posted about a made-up work-from-home job opportunity.
She shared the phony job offer in a Facebook group for mothers, authorities said.
Bush answered the false advertisement and went with her fiancé, Josh Willis, to the Gravette Public Library to meet “Lucy” about the opportunity.
“Lucy” told Bush she had to come with her to Bentonville, Arkansas, to meet the fictitious boss, and Bush never returned.
Authorities said Bush was found dead with gunshot wounds in a separate location from her baby, who was also found dead.
McDonald County Coroner BJ Goodwin said in November that it appeared the baby had been “cut out” of the mother, KFSM reported.
“Today’s superseding indictment also alleges, in a new count, that Amber Waterman thereby caused the death of a child in utero,” the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Missouri said Monday.
Jamie Waterman was previously indicted on one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death. Prosecutors allege that Jamie assisted his wife in the alleged kidnapping and attempted to hinder her apprehension.
He confessed to investigators that he and his wife burned Bush’s body in a fire pit and attempted to hide the remains.
If convicted, Amber Waterman could face up to a life in prison. Her husband faces a maximum of 15 years.
Both have pleaded not guilty.
