Mom, stepdad charged in Rebecca Park’s death; baby dead

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• A Michigan couple is accused in the killing of 22-year-old Rebecca Park and her baby. Authorities say the pair cut the child out of Park’s womb.
• The victim’s biological mother and stepfather, Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew, face multiple charges including premeditated murder and torture.

Authorities say two family members did their research and created a plan before they brought 22-year-old Rebecca Park into their home, put her into a car and then took her to an area in the northern Michigan woods —  where they forced her on the ground and stabbed her as they cut her baby out of her womb, ultimately causing both of their deaths.

Then, the pair left her there, Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey said during an arraignment on Tuesday, Dec. 2, in Cadillac of Cortney Bartholomew, 40, and Bradly Bartholomew, 47.

The pair, described by the Cadillac News as Park’s biological mother and stepfather, were charged with the following: one count of first-degree premeditated murder and one count of felony murder in connection with Park’s death, torture in a place of confinement, conspiracy to commit torture, assault of a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, conspiracy to commit that assault and unlawful imprisonment. Both were additionally charged with moving a dead body.

“This is, frankly, evil personified,” Carey said.

Carey said that Park’s baby died. No other details were immediately available after the arraignment. The Wexford County Prosecutor’s Office declined to comment after the court hearing.

An attorney representing Cortney Bartholomew said she was disabled and should have a lower bond and home confinement. Judge Corey Wiggins denied bond for both.

More: Sister, fiancé in custody as Rebecca Park investigation continues

Park was 38 weeks pregnant and close to giving birth when she was reported missing Nov. 4. Her body was found in the Huron Manistee National Forest on Nov. 25, but her baby was “not present,” authorities had said.

It’s a case that has bewildered the small-town community of Wexford County, considering police had said they were still looking for the baby as of late last month, even after finding Park’s body. Two other family members had previously been charged after the tragic family affair: her sister, Kimberly Park, and Richard Falor, who was reportedly Rebecca Park’s fiancé.

Detectives say Kimberly Park lied to authorities, telling them that Cortney Bartholomew had Bradly Bartholomew strike Rebecca Park “in the head causing a seizure and then took her body away,” according to the felony complaint filed in Cadillac’s district court. She was charged with tampering with evidence in a criminal case, lying to a police officer in violation of a crime investigation and false report of a felony.

Falor was charged with drug crimes and pleaded not guilty in court on Dec. 2.

Dozens of community members, who call themselves “Rebecca’s voice,” packed the courtroom Tuesday to witness the Bartholomews’ arraignments, their cars donning messages like “Say Their Names,” “Justice for Becca and Baby Park” and “We are her voice.”

It was close quarters on the small courtroom benches, but as one community member said aloud: “We’re all trauma bonded by it anyways.”

When Wiggins first read the charges of assault of a pregnant woman with the intent to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, the crowd gasped. Cries followed, especially after the prosecutor described what the Bartholomews are accused of.

Even before Park’s body was found, most, if not all, of those in the courtroom have been boots-on-the-ground helpers.

More: Body found in Manistee National Forest confirmed to be pregnant woman

They protested in front of the last place Park was seen — allegedly the Bartholomews’ home —  for nearly 12 hours on Nov. 23. They scoured through the woods trying to find her. And now that charges were announced in the killing, they’re demanding justice.

When they left the courtroom, “Rebecca’s voice” finally let out sobs. Stacey Davis, Bradly Bartholomew’s estranged sister, could barely walk. She told the Free Press that Cortney Bartholomew and her brother wanted a baby but couldn’t conceive one. Davis also said:

“I’m here for Rebecca and her baby. I’m not here for my brother.”

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at asahouri@freepress.com.