BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Four days after a pregnant woman's disappearance in Benton County, authorities have confirmed that 33-year-old Ashley Bush and the baby she had been carrying at the time of her disappearance were found dead in different areas in Missouri.
Bush had been missing for longer than 72 hours after she was last seen with a woman she met online who she thought would help her get a job.
Officials say Amber Waterman and Jamie Waterman were arrested and are suspects in connection to the deaths. As of right now, they are both charged with kidnapping and other charges are pending. The suspects should be taken to a federal facility in Springfield, Missouri within the next week and could face additional charges.
Bush was a pregnant mother of three last seen on Monday, Oct. 31. Her fiancé and investigators said she was last seen with a woman by the name of Lucy she met online while hoping to find a new job working from home.
The woman last seen with Bush, known by the name of Lucy, was supposed to take Bush to Bentonville for an interview, but when Bush’s fiancé showed up to pick her up at the Handi-Stop in Maysville he said he saw Lucy make eye contact with him and drive away.
As for the company that Bush was allegedly interviewing with, her family reached out to them and they were told by the company that nobody by the name of Lucy works there.
According to the McDonald County Sheriff, the baby died on Monday, Oct. 31. Deputies received a call that night about a newborn baby not breathing. EMS stopped the Watermans on their way to the hospital and tried to revive the infant, but were unable to. The sheriff says Amber claimed the baby was hers at the time.
According to our CBS affiliate in Joplin, authorities claim human remains found at the Waterman's home belong to Bush. Officials say Bush's body was found with gunshot wounds.
The Benton County prosecutor Nathan Smith says they are still working to figure out the motive but wants to remind people that not everyone has the best intentions.
"This is just a reminder that there is evil in the world, people do evil things, and that someone would prey upon a pregnant woman, you know at her most vulnerable state is unimaginable but unfortunately, that’s the world we live in,” Smith said.
In a statement to 5NEWS, Bush's sister Julie Boone said, "My parents, brother, daughter, family, and I are devastated and are requesting privacy as we grieve."
Josh Willis, Bush's fiance, gave the following statement:
“I'm disgusted in the whole situation. I wish that Ashley and Valkyrie were alive and home with us all. I can't 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 three 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.”
5NEWS will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
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