Couple indicted in kidnapping, death of woman
Grand jury returns charges
A Missouri couple has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the kidnapping and killing of a Maysville woman.
Amber and Jamie Waterman, both 42 and of Pineville, Mo., were charged in Wednesday’s two-count indictment returned by the grand jury in Springfield, Mo., according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Amber Waterman is charged with one count of kidnapping resulting in death. The indictment alleges between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, she kidnapped Ashley Bush in order to claim Bush’s unborn child as her own, according to the release.
She’s accused of taking Bush from Maysville to Pineville. The indictment alleges the kidnapping resulted in Bush’s death.
Jamie Waterman is charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death. The indictment accuses him of assisting his wife to hinder and prevent her apprehension, trial and punishment, knowing she committed the offense of kidnapping resulting in death, according to the release.
The indictments replace separate criminal complaints that charged the Watermans with the same crimes Nov. 3.
The Watermans remain in federal custody and are being held without bond in the Greene County jail in Springfield.
Amber Waterman is also charged in Benton County with two counts of capital murder and kidnapping. Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said he plans to seek the death penalty.
Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant, was last seen in the passenger seat of an older, tan pickup Oct. 31 at the intersection of Arkansas 72 and Arkansas 43 in Maysville, according to a Nov. 1 post on the Benton County sheriff’s office Facebook page.
A person who called herself “Lucy” picked Bush up Oct. 31 in Maysville, according to court documents. Authorities said they suspect Amber Waterman was “Lucy.”
Bush’s body was found three days later in Missouri. The body of Valkyrie Grace, the child Bush had been carrying, was found in a different location in Missouri, according to court documents.
Jamie Waterman told authorities his wife showed him Bush’s body, which was near their home, according to court documents. He said they burned the body and took the charred remains to another location, the documents say.
Jamie Waterman later led authorities to Bush’s charred body, according to an affidavit in the case. FBI agents found a charred human hand and bone fragments in a burn pit behind the residence, the affidavit says.
Charges beyond the federal kidnapping charge haven’t been filed against Jamie Waterman because the evidence hasn’t revealed he participated in a crime in Arkansas, Smith said.
Amber Waterman’s next court appearance is scheduled for Monday in Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green’s court.