Amber Waterman: arraignment delayed again for woman accused of kidnapping and murdering pregnant woman to steal baby

Another delay has prevented the arraignment hearing of a Pineville, Missouri woman accused of kidnapping and murdering a pregnant woman with the intention of stealing the baby, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Amber Waterman, 42, faces both local and federal charges after allegedly kidnapping 33-year-old Ashley Bush, who was 31-weeks pregnant, then killing her in order to steal the unborn baby to pass off as her own, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement.

Amber faces one federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, the statement says. She and her husband, Jamie, were both indicted on Nov. 16, 2022. Jamie also faces a federal charge for being an accessory after the fact to kidnapping resulting in death, as he allegedly confessed to helping Amber dispose of and burn Ashley’s body.

Prosecutors in Benton County, Arkansas, plan to seek the death penalty, the Gazette previously reported.

However, since Amber allegedly lured Ashley to a convenience store in Pineville, Missouri, federal prosecutors in that state get to take her to trial first, delaying any legal proceedings in Arkansas, the Gazette says. Benton County prosecutors haven’t yet been given access to Amber for her to appear in court, despite her scheduled court date for Monday, Feb. 6, 2023 having already come and gone.