Evil woman pretended to help pregnant mum - but secretly plotted the unthinkable

As a 33-year-old expectant mum with just two months left of her , was looking for a way to make ends meet when she was manipulated by a cruel stranger.

She joined a group made for mums, hoping to find a remote job to support her growing family. But instead of the opportunity she sought, she crossed paths with a twisted woman posing as a friend - who was secretly plotting the unthinkable.

Ashley already had three children with her fiancé, Joshua Willis. The couple were eagerly awaiting to welcome a fourth into their family - a baby girl they'd already named Valkyrie Grace Willis. But the mum was worried about the costs of their growing brood as she was the main breadwinner.

She began searching Facebook for secondhand baby clothes when she received a message from someone using the name 'Lucy Barrows', who said she had some baby items available. But more importantly, she claimed she could help Ashley secure a remote job she'd be perfect for.

It seemed like the answer to all of Ashley's worries and she met 'Lucy' at a public library on 28th October, 2022. She was then invited to meet 'a supervisor' for a final interview just three days later - on Halloween. But the whole process turned out to be a cruel, fake plot to lure the vulnerable mum in.

The morning of the so-called second interview came, and Joshua dropped Ashley off to a shop, 13 miles away from their home. He watched her get into a truck with the same woman from the library. But he didn't know this would be the very last time he saw his fiancé. Later that day, he received a text from Ashley's phone saying she was on her way home. But she never arrived. By 6:30pm, Joshua reported her missing.

Meanwhile, police in Missouri received a worrying call about a baby who wasn't breathing. When they arrived, they found a woman, Amber Waterman, holding the lifeless infant. Her husband, Jamie, was by her side. Amber had a placenta stuffed inside her trousers.

Paramedics fought to save the baby, but it was too late. Amber and Jamie began preparing for a funeral - despite knowing the child wasn't theirs. Because Amber Waterman was no grieving mother. She was 'Lucy'. And the baby she cradled was Valkyrie - taken from Ashley's womb after she was cruelly murdered by Amber. The killer then went on to act like the baby was her own, telling first responders that the infant died while she gave birth in her vehicle on her way to hospital.

But soon, the killer's lies began to unravel. Deceitful Amber proceeded to plan funeral arrangements along with her husband, set for 2 November. The coroner came to the memorial to take the baby for an autopsy, 5 News Online reports. But the couple's demeanour quickly changed after they discovered an autopsy would be preformed, and they asked multiple times if they would DNA test the baby as well. The infant's deceased body was then found that same day.

Police then obtained a search warrant for Waterman home and found blood in Amber's truck on 3 November. Jamie initially told police that he believed the blood to be from his wife's pregnancy complications, according to . Amber reportedly didn't initially acknowledge where the blood came from. 

In the same interview, Jamie told investigators that he was aware mum Ashley had gone missing after seeing social media posts about her disappearance. But when the police left, Amber switched up her story. She tried to claim that Ashley had been killed in the car by 'Lucy', the fake alias she used to take advantage of the victim. But her vile plot soon unravelled. 

Federal documents state that Amber's husband told detectives his wife confessed to the murder, and that the couple later burned her body and dumped it in a remote area, reports. The affidavits claim Jamie led police to the place where they had left the mum's remains.

Police found that Ashley had been shot and killed by Amber, who used a knife to remove the unborn baby. The killer then informed her husband, who then attempted to burn the body in a fire pit and dispose of her remains, reports. An autopsy found that Ashley's death was a homicide - the cause being 'penetrating trauma of the torso'. And in 2023, Amber admitted that the infant 'died in utero, as a result of the kidnapping that resulted in the death of Bush', according to the .

Last July, Amber pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death and causing the death of a child, having initially entering a no guilty plea. Three months later, she was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole. The judge said no sentence could truly match the evil of what she'd done, calling the crime "a new level of graphic."

Jamie was charged with one count of being an accessory of kidnapping resulting in death. The indictment stated that he helped his wife after she kidnapped Ashley, knowing she had committed a crime. He too initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea. He faces up to 15 years in prison with no parole.

Ashley's devastated fiancé, Joshua, shared his turmoil, previously saying "I'm disgusted in the whole situation. I wish that Ashley and Valkyrie were alive and home with us all. I can’t believe there are people out there who 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." Ashley's devastated family also added that Amber has a "black soul" and that they prayed her suffering would come "tenfold."

Amber is now serving consecutive life sentences. This week, Benton County Prosecutors confirmed they'll seek the death penalty, following a request from Ashley's family. Deputy Prosecutor Joshua Robinson said "The worst crimes need to carry the worst punishment, whatever that happens to be."

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