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

[shefner]

What I don't understand is why "Lucy" would be at the pick up spot in the first place. If something criminal happened, then that makes no sense.

I also don't understand why law enforcement hasn't released images of this Lucy, as that library they did the initial interview at should have cameras.

Same.

If Lucy had nefarious plans for Ashley, why return to the Handi-mart? She could have long been gone with her victim by 3pm. And if she had criminal intentions towards Ashley, she certainly wouldn't be worried about gaining her trust at that point. Once Lucy had Ashley in the truck, the trust-building exercise was complete.

 

[MassGuy]

Same.

If Lucy had nefarious plans for Ashley, why return to the Handi-mart? She could have long been gone with her victim by 3pm. And if she had criminal intentions towards Ashley, she certainly wouldn't be worried about gaining her trust at that point. Once Lucy had Ashley in the truck, the trust-building exercise was complete.

Exactly. What's also weird is the location of the phone. It was found a half mile away from the home, right?

ETA: I see it was near that pickup location, and not the home. It still makes no sense, as that would indicate any kidnapping occurred after they sped away from the pickup location.

 

[deoneta]

I agree that it's odd that "Lucy" would return to the Handi-Mart. Maybe despite obvious pre-planning, "Lucy" was wavering as to whether to actually go through with her crime. She could have got up her nerve and made a last minute decision to go ahead with the abduction. A person contemplating the kind of crime we all fear is not likely to be clear headed or logical. MOO

 

[tlcya]

What I don't understand is why "Lucy" would be at the pick up spot in the first place. If something criminal happened, then that makes no sense.

I also don't understand why law enforcement hasn't released images of this Lucy, as that library they did the initial interview at should have cameras.

Because there needed to be a reason why Ashley's phone was found by some unnamed individual alongside the road nearby?

Had JW not received a text from Ashley's phone to come pick her up at handimart then he wouldn't have seen her drive past without stopping, wouldn't have attempted to give chase and ultimately report her missing.

Curious, what would have happened had he not gotten that text from Ahsley's phone? Would he have waited several hours trying to text and call her before reporting her missing? If she were abducted she would not have had an actual interview that day and her phone would likely have been disposed of somewhere after getting into Lucy's vehicle earlier that day. disposed of literally Anywhere. Because Bentonville wasn't a real destination. How very odd that Lucy returned to the handi mart with Ashley in tow and then drove right past JW.

Trying to understand the bizarre alleged drive by at 3ish and none of it adds up to anything good.

 

[squareandrabbet]

MOO and YMMV; if her fiancée saw "Lucy" with his own eyes - twice, according to the new articles - he could provide details for a composite sketch or render of the woman, no?

It's closing in on 48 hours since Bush disappeared. Her poor children.

Yeah, or a nosy librarian.

As a former small town librarian, I should think if someone were sitting around pretending to be official, presenting packets of job forms, it would be noticed and idly inquired upon, since libraries know if they have sponsored someone to come to the library to offer something like official tax form help, etc.

Also, I'd love to know which public library; or what its interior setup is like.

I would assume the sheriff has thought of this as well.

 

[Hexe]

What I don't understand is why "Lucy" would be at the pick up spot in the first place. If something criminal happened, then that makes no sense.

I also don't understand why law enforcement hasn't released images of this Lucy, as that library they did the initial interview at should have cameras.

Same for that Handi-Market, or Handi-Stop as it is named on Google Maps. It's basically a gas station with small market, so hard to believe there aren't any cams.

 

[SteveP]

We also don't have much information regarding the older model tan pick up.
I think LE needs to have the fiance help with nailing down a few more details. 2 door, 4 door, dents, stickers, maybe get an idea of the model.
A sketch maybe of Lucy and the truck would help. JMO

ETA
Wish the reporter who interviewed the fiance would have asked for a physical description of Lucy.

I agree that it would be very helpful to get a better description, or preferably a pic, of the pickup truck, but 'tan' is not a very popular color for a truck, and an older one would perhaps be more easily noticed than a newer black or silver one. I also find it a bit strange that her hubby somehow lost it while attempting to follow it.

A still pic, or at least a composite sketch and better description of this 'Lucy' would be most helpful, if LE are hoping to get any assistance from the public. JMO

 

[MassGuy]

Same for that Handi-Market, or Handi-Stop as it is named on Google Maps. It's basically a gas station with small market, so I hard to believe there aren't any cams.

Ok. So the narrative is basically an abduction, yet law enforcement isn't doing a very key thing, and releasing photos or video of the person who allegedly did this. Nothing on the vehicle either. Time is of the essence, yet nothing.

That's bizarre.

 

[doublestop]

Fiancé - All I saw was her and the lady she rode with.. both past me and neither one of them stopped. The woman that she was riding with, the driver, looked right at me and kept going.

"Neither one of them stopped"? IF Ashley was a passenger, how could she stop?

 

[squareandrabbet]

I am very interested to hear if there is any sort of CCTV of the library they allegedly met Lucy at for the first "interview", such as the parking lot, interior? Same for the Handi Mart. any video of the parking lot where this meetup and later the drive past situation is alleged to have occurred?

It's weird, I am not getting the vibe that the fiancé is being untruthful necessarily but his tale is odd and makes no sense. I am currently leaning toward genuine abduction (premeditated) by unknown female with an unknown but easily speculated motivation.

What I don't understand is why "Lucy" would be at the pick up spot in the first place. If something criminal happened, then that makes no sense.

I also don't understand why law enforcement hasn't released images of this Lucy, as that library they did the initial interview at should have cameras.

Yeah, I wouldn't pin too many hopes on cameras at what looks overwhelmingly likely to be a tiny standalone library in a largely dead strip mall...

Maysville Arkansas library - Google Search

On the bright side, I can’t imagine any librarian missing this going on in a building of that size.

 

[MsMarple]

On Tuesday, Oct. 31, the family was able to ping and locate Bush's phone. Willis says it was found in a ditch about a half mile away from the location he last saw her in Maysville.
Fiancé of missing pregnant woman in Benton Co. pleads for her safe return

Do we know who allegedly located the phone?

I'm still fuzzy on the timeline. Monday, Oct. 31 prior to 3 pm the Fiancé got a text from Ashley saying she was in Gravette and he could pick her up. After seeing them drive by without stopping, the family kept calling and texting all night on Monday, trying to get hold of Ashley with no luck.

The next day, Tuesday Nov. 1 (the news article has a typo) the fiancé pinged her phone and discovered it in a ditch about a half mile from the Handi Mart. I'm not sure how they pinged the phone or why they didn't do it the day before. In any case it appears that the phone was thrown away either just before or just after Ashley and "Lucy" were sighted.

So much seems to have happened in the vicinity of the Handi Mart. IMO that's a strange way to kidnap someone. Plus "Lucy" put herself at risk by meeting in public where it's almost assured there would be cameras.

Are we dealing with a brazen kidnapper or just a careless one? None of "Lucy's" behavior makes any sense IMO.

 

[FlossyMay]

Has anyone besides the fiance spoken to the media?

 

[LaborDayRN]

Does anyone know what P.D. has jurisdiction in Maysville AR? Would it be Benton P.D?
According to Wikipedia:
Maysville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. It is the westernmost settlement in the state of Arkansas.[3] Per the 2020 census, the population was 117.

Maysville, Arkansas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Benton AR is also very small: In 2019 the population was estimated at 36,820.

Benton, Arkansas - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It makes me wonder how well equipped the local police are to handle this.

 

[doublestop]

According to the article below, the initial meeting with "Lucy" was in the Gravette Public Library.
Fiancé of missing pregnant woman in Benton Co. pleads for her safe return

This is the Gravette public library. On the downside, I doubt it has cameras. On the upside, I don't see how the staff could NOT have noticed the meeting taking place. (I chose this link to show it because in google maps that building hasn't become the library yet.)
Gravette Public Library (AR): Address, Phone Number - Tripadvisor

 

[Hexe]

According to the article below, the initial meeting with "Lucy" was in the Gravette Public Library.
Fiancé of missing pregnant woman in Benton Co. pleads for her safe return

This is the Gravette public library. On the downside, I doubt it has cameras. On the upside, I don't see how the staff could NOT have noticed the meeting taking place. (I chose this link to show it because in google maps that building hasn't become the library yet.)
Gravette Public Library (AR): Address, Phone Number - Tripadvisor

So how comes there is not even a semi decent composite available? The fiance saw Lucy, the library staff most probably too, if they do not walk around the premises with their eyes tightly shut, and? Where is the composite?

 

[chipwhitley]

FYI -- Benton COUNTY is different from the city of Benton. The city of Benton is in Central Arkansas. Benton County is in the northwestern part of the state.

I am also curious why we have no sketch or a more detailed description of "Lucy."

I am assuming the fiance was not given an address of where this second interview was supposedly taking place. What did Ashley and "Lucy" do all day? Did "Lucy" set up a fake interview with a "boss?" Also it looks like Maysville to Bentonville is only 35 minutes.

 

[squareandrabbet]

There is a county library, which I include as a long shot, just in case the reporter was imprecise in their transcriptions of direct conversation.

Bentonville Public Library -

bentonvillelibrary.org

According to the article below, the initial meeting with "Lucy" was in the Gravette Public Library.
Fiancé of missing pregnant woman in Benton Co. pleads for her safe return

This is the Gravette public library. On the downside, I doubt it has cameras. On the upside, I don't see how the staff could NOT have noticed the meeting taking place. (I chose this link to show it because in google maps that building hasn't become the library yet.)
Gravette Public Library (AR): Address, Phone Number - Tripadvisor

 

[iamnotagolem]

Does “Lucy” exist?

 

[tlcya]

According to the article below, the initial meeting with "Lucy" was in the Gravette Public Library.
Fiancé of missing pregnant woman in Benton Co. pleads for her safe return

This is the Gravette public library. On the downside, I doubt it has cameras. On the upside, I don't see how the staff could NOT have noticed the meeting taking place. (I chose this link to show it because in google maps that building hasn't become the library yet.)
Gravette Public Library (AR): Address, Phone Number - Tripadvisor

interesting, a very small library located on main street in what appears to be the heart of the downtown area of Gravette. Parking spots appear to be in front of the storefronts. I cannot imagine two females coming in to make use of such a small library and going unnoticed by a librarian on duty. In doing a google street view pan around the library I am no longer confident that there will be any cctv from that area.

 

[tlcya]

Does “Lucy” exist?

THAT is the $100,000 question right there. I am beginning to have my doubts