BENTONVILLE -- Benton County Sheriff Shawn Holloway described this week's suspected murders of a mother and her baby as one of the most horrific cases he's seen in his law enforcement career.
Holloway and Benton County Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith announced at a news conference Thursday the arrest of a Missouri couple in connection with the kidnapping of a missing and pregnant Maysville woman.
Ashley Bush, who was 31 weeks pregnant, was last seen in the passenger seat of an older, tan pickup truck Monday at the intersection of Arkansas 72 and Arkansas 43 in Maysville, according to a post on the Benton County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page.
The body of the baby -- Valkyrie Grace Willis -- was found Wednesday, and her mother's body was found Thursday, Holloway said. Smith and Holloway would only say the bodies were found in different locations in Missouri.
Amber Waterman, 42, and Jamie Waterman, 42, were arrested Thursday in connection with federal kidnapping charges. The couple was being held in the McDonald County (Mo.) Jail on Thursday. No bond was set for either of them.
Holloway expects the couple to face additional charges.
Smith said he has to discuss jurisdictional issues with federal prosecutors because the couple could be charged federally in Missouri and Arkansas but also face state charges in Arkansas. He said the couple could be charged in the state's case with two counts of murder for the deaths of Bush and her baby.
Authorities believe both of the Watermans were involved in the crime, Smith said. Holloway said they don't believe anyone else was involved in the crime, and there's no danger to the public.
The driver of the pickup truck was a white woman in her 40s with shoulder-length brown hair who stated her name was "Lucy," according to the Sheriff's Office Facebook post on Tuesday.
Bush, 31, met Lucy online when she was looking for a job working from home, according to the post. Lucy picked her up that morning at the Handi-Mart in Maysville to take her to a job interview in Bentonville, according to the post.
Bush texted her ride at 3 p.m. Monday to say she was in Gravette, on her way to Handi-Mart, so he could pick her up. Lucy and Ashley arrived at the intersection near Handi-Mart, turned north onto Arkansas 43 and continued north.
Authorities said they suspected Amber Waterman was "Lucy."
Smith said Bush and Amber Waterman met online. He did not comment on any possible motives for the crime.
"We believe Lucy was a fictitious name and invented persona and that Amber was the real person," Smith said. He said Bush believed she was going to meet someone for help on a job interview.
Smith and Holloway said they did not know whether the Watermans had been attempting to adopt a baby.
They also did not comment on whether authorities believed the baby had been cut and removed from Bush's body. Smith did say again the baby had not been found with her mother.
Smith and Holloway said they were limited in what they could say because the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities believe Bush had been shot, Smith said.
Holloway said it's a joint investigation the Sheriff's Office has been working with the FBI.
"This is just a reminder that there is evil in the world and people do evil things," Smith said.
Holloway said people should always be cautious when meeting strangers online.
Amber Waterman posted on Facebook on Sept. 6 a photograph of a sonogram with the message, "I need some encouragement guys. The closer time get the more doubt I can do this alone."
Lt. Shannon Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, said she could not comment on the post or Amber Waterman's possible pregnancy.
Ashley Bush