4/28 UPDATE: Woman sentenced to 10 years in state prison for gun smuggle

A Missouri woman arrested last month on drug and weapons charges had a small revolver hidden in a body cavity that went undetected during a strip search and two pat downs, police report.

The four-inch .22 caliber firearm--fully loaded with five rounds--was discovered yesterday by personnel at the Boone County Jail. The weapon, wrapped in plastic, was found among the personal belongings of Amy Natasha Wilhite, 39, who was booked into the facility on February 14 following her arrest by the Columbia Police Department.

Wilhite was charged with possession of methamphetamine, resisting arrest, unlawful possession of a firearm, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was also booked for failing to appear in court in connection with prior collars for domestic assault and drunk driving.

An initial search of Wilhite by Columbia cops failed to locate the 4.6 ounce North American Arms revolver. A “thorough pat search” at the jail was followed by a strip search before Wilhite joined other detainees in general population, according to cops.

It was not until 17 days after Wilhite’s incarceration that jailers discovered the firearm. “An investigation immediately began, and probable cause was quickly developed to believe” Wilhite “was in possession of the firearm,” according to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators believe that Wilhite (seen at left) had the gun concealed in her vagina upon entering the jail, and that she “removed the firearm from her body and concealed it within her personal belongings.”

After being read her rights, Wilhite admitted to possessing the firearm, but claimed “she was only holding it for another female detainee,” according to a probable cause statement. Other inmates in Wilhite’s housing unit “all stated Amy was in possession of the firearm,” an investigator added.

The discovery of the gun resulted in Wilhite being charged with another felony for allegedly introducing a weapon into a correctional facility.

The recovered firearm is seen in the above police photo. A new version of the firearm retails for around $250 and features a half-moon sight and a “Rosewood Bird’s Head” grip.

As previously reported in these pages, women in Tennessee, Illinois, and Oklahoma have been convicted of trying to enter a jail with a gun in their vagina. In fact, the Tennessee perp was packing the same firearm that Wilhite has been accused of possessing.