Michigan Mother and Stepfather Charged in Murder of Pregnant Woman

McKoys News | 2025-12-05 | Original Article

CADILLAC, Mich. — Authorities in Michigan have charged a mother and stepfather in the brutal killing of 22-year-old Rebecca Park, whose remains were found in a wooded area in Manistee National Forest.

 

Rebecca Park, who was near the end of her pregnancy, was last seen on November 3. Reports indicate she had recently inherited $2,000. Her body was discovered November 25 along a hiking trail.

 

On December 2, Park’s biological mother, Cortney Bartholomew, 40, and her husband, Brad Bartholomew, 47, were each charged with murder, torture, and multiple other crimes, according to prosecutors. Authorities allege that the couple forced Park into a vehicle, drove her to the forest, and cut the baby from her while she was alive, causing injuries that led to the deaths of both mother and child. No motive has been disclosed.

 

Park was not raised by her biological mother; she had been adopted by another couple. Court proceedings on December 2 saw the Bartholomews appear via video from jail, where they were denied bond.

 

Meanwhile, Park’s fiancé, Richard Falor, 43, and her sister, Kimberly Park, 21, had previously been arrested on drug and evidence tampering charges on November 25, though authorities said there was no formal link to Rebecca’s disappearance or death.

 

The body of the unborn child has not yet been recovered, and investigations are ongoing