Found Deceased AR - Ashley Bush, 33, *31 wks pregnant, met woman online for job interview*, Maysville, 31 October 2022

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Allabouttrial said:
Press Conference

2th 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.
Click to expand...
So much appreciated @allabouttria
 
EmmieA said:
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
Click to expand...
Yes! I forgot about that! I bet the "boss" was Jamie W. I had been thinking he was just an imaginary person. Maybe that's why he's charged too? How could he go along with such a horrendous crime?

"She handed Ashley a bunch of paperwork, that they would email her and told her to wait for the boss to contact her for another interview."
The next steps, according to Willis, were for Bush to travel with "Lucy" to Bentonville for an interview with the boss. He says he dropped his fiance off Monday morning and then went to pick her up at around 3 p.m. at the Handi-Mart in Maysville.
www.5newsonline.com

Fiancé of missing pregnant woman in Benton Co. pleads for her safe return

Ashley Bush was last seen in a vehicle with another woman in Maysville around 3 p.m. on Oct. 31. The woman allegedly drove Bush to a job interview in Bentonville.
www.5newsonline.com www.5newsonline.com
 
MsMarple said:
Yes! I forgot about that! I bet the "boss" was Jamie W. I had been thinking he was just an imaginary person. Maybe that's why he's charged too? How could he go along with such a horrendous crime?

"She handed Ashley a bunch of paperwork, that they would email her and told her to wait for the boss to contact her for another interview."
The next steps, according to Willis, were for Bush to travel with "Lucy" to Bentonville for an interview with the boss. He says he dropped his fiance off Monday morning and then went to pick her up at around 3 p.m. at the Handi-Mart in Maysville.
www.5newsonline.com

Fiancé of missing pregnant woman in Benton Co. pleads for her safe return

Ashley Bush was last seen in a vehicle with another woman in Maysville around 3 p.m. on Oct. 31. The woman allegedly drove Bush to a job interview in Bentonville.
www.5newsonline.com www.5newsonline.com
Click to expand...
What an awful thing.

This quote from the news article, sounds like Ashley was dropped off Monday morning for the so called second interview, and then not back at the Handi-Mart until 3pm? So like a 4 hour plus interview for that sort of job? I wonder what the heck the defendants were doing with the poor lady for all that time. Maybe trying to convince her to get her to let them adopt her baby, or did they have murder on their mind the whole time? And if so how did they think they could get away with it given the digital trail they left behind? So senseless and pathetic.
 
Mariposa said:
What an awful thing.

This quote from the news article, sounds like Ashley was dropped off Monday morning for the so called second interview, and then not back at the Handi-Mart until 3pm? So like a 4 hour plus interview for that sort of job? I wonder what the heck the defendants were doing with the poor lady for all that time. Maybe trying to convince her to get her to let them adopt her baby, or did they have murder on their mind the whole time? And if so how did they think they could get away with it given the digital trail they left behind? So senseless and pathetic.
Click to expand...
If it wasn't for the 3 pm sighting of Ashley and Amber/Lucy I'd say that Amber drove Ashley directly to Missouri to kill her and take the baby. But there's no reason for her to backtrack to the Handi Mart.

I wonder who texted Josh to say she was ready to be picked up, Ashley or Amber?
 
MsMarple said:
If it wasn't for the 3 pm sighting of Ashley and Amber/Lucy I'd say that Amber drove Ashley directly to Missouri to kill her and take the baby. But there's no reason for her to backtrack to the Handi Mart.

I wonder who texted Josh to say she was ready to be picked up, Ashley or Amber?
Click to expand...
Almost made me wonder if fiancé was mistaken about it being so-called Lucy’s truck zooming past him at the Handi Mart. And that maybe Lucy never passed back to Maysville. But then again Ashley’s phone was seemingly dumped on that road and had just been used to text him, so that tends to support that it was really them in the truck at the Handi Mart at 3pm.

I just shiver at the idea of someone thinking, OK I’ll shoot this pregnant woman dead and violently remove the baby, and bring it up pretending it’s mine. Just utterly without conscience, and I’m just glad they are no longer roaming the world freely tonight.
 
This is horrific. I can't even grasp this. My sincere condolences to the family. What a horrific loss in so many ways. My prayers are with all of them!

I honestly didn't see this coming,I try to give the benefit to the family however with no picture/sketch of "Lucy" and nothing from LE I really thought this was going to be a situation closer to home. I'm glad it wasn't but the loss for this family is excruciating. Again my prayers are with them and Ashley's entire family. Absolutely heart breaking.

editing to add that LE and FBI did a great job!!!
 
Allabouttrial said:
Press Conference

2th 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.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
 
In a statement, Bush's fiance Josh Willis said: "I'm disgusted in the whole situation. I wish that Ashley and Valkyrie were alive and home with us all. I cant believe that there are people out there that would do something like this. She was a great mother, a wonderful wife, a very outgoing, caring, and kind person. They didn't deserve any of this. There are 3 amazing kids here that just lost their mother/best friend and little sister. I just lost my wife and daughter. We are all going to support each other through this but we are all devastated in the whole thing. We all were hoping and praying they would come home safely. I've lost all hope in humanity. I appreciate all the help out there from everyone."

www.4029tv.com

Arkansas pregnant woman and her baby found dead; married couple in custody

A pregnant Arkansas woman and the 31-week-old baby she was carrying were found dead in southern Missouri. A married couple is in custody.
www.4029tv.com www.4029tv.com

:(
 
Snoopster said:
Perhaps.
But LE said in the presser that he was arrested because that's where the evidence has led them so far. They also said that further info might arise that might change their best understanding at this time, as the investigation is active and ongoing.
Click to expand...
Sometimes your best recourse is to go along with crazy until another option becomes available. MOO, JMO, IMO!
 
Spyralflare said:
There are - what? - 600,000 kids in the foster care system right now. Even if you removed those that these people might not consider, surely there were better options than abduction and murder to try and steal an unborn child???
Click to expand...
She appears mentally unstable. Thank goodness she didn't have foster children.
 
Spyralflare said:
There are - what? - 600,000 kids in the foster care system right now. Even if you removed those that these people might not consider, surely there were better options than abduction and murder to try and steal an unborn child???
Click to expand...
I have a feeling she possibly has tried to adopt, but was denied given she appears to be mentally unhinged. JMO
 
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