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

[heatherEdc]

This is horrifying. I don't know how they ever thought they'd get away with this.

That explains why they drove to meet the ambulance. They brought the baby in the car with them.

Maybe also they couldn't risk EMTs finding Ashley

 

[FruitTingles]

“The baby was cut out of the mother after the mother was killed,” he said. “I don’t know if the baby came out alive or dead.”

From link below

Missing pregnant Arkansas mom and baby found dead in Missouri after couple allegedly kidnaps her | CNN

A Benton County, Arkansas, woman last seen on Monday and the baby she had been pregnant with are both dead in McDonald, Missouri, and a couple is facing charges in connection to the case.

edition.cnn.com

 

[LaineyJ]

I can’t believe they actually had a memorial service AND planned to have a cremation—an awfully thoughtful way to get rid of evidence, for two people who clearly made dumb decisions throughout the rest of this whole thing.

My brain can’t make it make sense. A service for the baby YOU killed….I think AW is mentally unwell at the very least, so I don’t doubt she actually was mourning. After all, she did commit murder just to get her hands on this precious baby. Ugh. So sick and twisted.

I sadly expected this to be a plot to steal Ashley’s baby. I did not expect these awful details that have been coming out lately. What is wrong with people, ugh

eta: I don’t mean to call the baby ‘evidence’ that way and sound insensitive. I’m just not sure a better way to word it at the moment

 

[FruitTingles]

The Coroner sure got caught up in the middle of an insanely messy situation, didn’t he?

 

[cvaldez1975]

Unless I'm misreading, it sounds like her body was at their house when LE was there

the body and the baby were at brooke crews apt when the police came by.

 

[caradana]

For what it’s worth I think Goodman handled this really well, at least based on what has been reported thus far. Holding that service in case there was a mistake was the right move, can you imagine if this had all been different, and a true, grieving new mother was told her baby’s funeral was postponed because they suspected her baby may not be hers? I’ve had a stillbirth and cannot.even.imagine. So, good for Goodman (and excellent work getting a potentially incriminating question about DNA out of her as well, the prosecution will thank him for that later) …

 

[Marysmith]

(RSBM) They were definitely struggling. The posts she made in the "Give Me Your Money Please" group show an extremely precarious situation. Posts about needing help with truck repairs, gas, also that her husband was not working/applying for disability.

Not intending to victim shame, either; just bringing some sleuthing to the table.

Ugh. So sad. Another reason for universal maternity/EI leave IMO as Ashley was working until she could not physically - and in a lot of other countries she would have gotten full maternity benefits for at least a year because of that, as you can start the claim anytime you are pregnant when you can no longer work. Not trying to make this political but obviously she was feeling financially desperate and it’s clear why and so did what she felt she had to…

 

[MsBetsy]

“The baby was cut out of the mother after the mother was killed,” he said. “I don’t know if the baby came out alive or dead.”

From link below

Missing pregnant Arkansas mom and baby found dead in Missouri after couple allegedly kidnaps her | CNN

A Benton County, Arkansas, woman last seen on Monday and the baby she had been pregnant with are both dead in McDonald, Missouri, and a couple is facing charges in connection to the case.

edition.cnn.com

I'm thinking the baby was alive. Otherwise why call 911 and rush to meet the ambulance?

 

[Marysmith]

For what it’s worth I think Goodman handled this really well, at least based on what has been reported thus far. Holding that service in case there was a mistake was the right move, can you imagine if this had all been different, and a true, grieving new mother was told her baby’s funeral was postponed because they suspected her baby may not be hers? I’ve had a stillbirth and cannot.even.imagine. So, good for Goodman (and excellent work getting a potentially incriminating question about DNA out of her as well, the prosecution will thank him for that later) …

I agree and it was just an aside about him owning that funeral home as I thought that odd. But it’s a smaller county and I know these things go like that sometimes. He handled this difficult situation well for sure as far as I can tell!

 

[FruitTingles]

the body and the baby were at brooke crews apt when the police came by.

?? Brooke Crews is the murderer in Savannah Greywind’s case (and her body was later found on a river, not at the apartment with the baby). Nothing to do with Ashley.

 

[Eli9]

I'm thinking the baby was alive. Otherwise why call 911 and rush to meet the ambulance?

Because she had convinced her husband she was pregnant and that was how she was able to hold on to him I guess. MOO

 

[FruitTingles]

I'm thinking the baby was alive. Otherwise why call 911 and rush to meet the ambulance?

I saw this in the article that’s just been posted:

“Goodwin is awaiting the results of the autopsy which will determine if the baby took a breath before death.”

So I’m conflicted on whether baby was alive or not. Perhaps Valkyrie was dead when she was born, but AW called the ambulance etc so it would help corroborate the story for the coroner and thus leading to the quick funeral/memorial service? If that makes sense…

 

[Mariposa]

I'm thinking the baby was alive. Otherwise why call 911 and rush to meet the ambulance?

I don’t think these are bright thinkers, given what AW did, so I could see some magical thinking that the baby could be revived by EMS. Or, AW wanted 911 called to support her cover story to others that she was really pregnant.

 

[Tracey4AU]

I am utterly gobsmacked. The baby was cut out? A funeral service was had? Attempt to have this baby cremated to hide their disgusting actions? Not to mention whatever it turns out they did to Ashley!

I continue to be amazed at the depravity.

 

[cocomod]

How can someone of Amber's age not realize that 31 weeks is still very early for a baby to survive without a lot of intervention?

I am wondering if she shot Ashley in the truck after passing the fiancé because Ashley panicked when she saw him. Then, the delay in cutting the baby out may have caused additional trauma that made the baby unable to survive this horrible person's actions.

I had C-sections with my babies. I cannot even imagine how someone would think they could cut a baby out of a momma safely, let alone a baby at only 31 weeks gestation. This case has me soooo sad!

 

[MsBetsy]

I saw this in the article that’s just been posted:

“Goodwin is awaiting the results of the autopsy which will determine if the baby took a breath before death.”

So I’m conflicted on whether baby was alive or not. Perhaps Valkyrie was dead when she was born, but AW called the ambulance etc so it would help corroborate the story for the corner and thus leading to the quick funeral/memorial service? If that makes sense…

That's possible, although I'm not sure these two have the capacity to think that far ahead.

 

[FruitTingles]

That's possible, although I'm not sure these two have the capacity to think that far ahead.

AW was said to have changed demeanour when she thought the coroner was going to do DNA testing on the baby, IMO when she called the ambulance and was possibly planning to do a memorial, I think she definitely didn’t think that would be something they’d do given she’d tried to pass the baby as her own. So I don’t think she would have thought much of having the ambulance attend. JMO

 

[Hoss569]

Reminds me of this case :

Murder_of_Bobbie_Jo_Stinnett

 

[LeBlack]

Goodwin said the service was set for Wednesday and would include the couple in addition to 6 or 8 family members.

Shortly after the appointment, Goodwin received a phone call from the Benton County Coroner expressing suspicions about the identity of the baby.

“The Benton County Coroner calls me and says, ‘Hey, there is something going on with this baby. We think this is connected to the kidnapping,’” Goodwin said.

Goodwin was told the vehicle descriptions matched and that Benton County wanted to do an autopsy on the baby. Goodwin agreed but insisted the funeral happen first in case there was a mistake.

“When they get here Wednesday, we do the service with their family – everyone was very distraught – which is normal after parents who go through something so traumatic,” he said.

When Goodwin explained to Amber Waterman that the Benton County Coroner would be doing an autopsy on the baby, he said her demeanor changed and she asked if DNA tests would be conducted.

Goodwin is awaiting the results of the autopsy which will determine if the baby took a breath before death.

Does it matter if she took a breath? Her cause of death is still murder.

 

[Eli9]

AW was said to have changed demeanour when she thought the coroner was going to do DNA testing on the baby, IMO I think she definitely didn’t think that would happen. So I don’t think she would have thought much of having the ambulance attend. JMO

She really didn't have much choice as she had already painted herself into a corner with all of her lies. MOO