A northern Michigan mother and her husband were charged Tuesday with murder and related crimes in the death of the woman’s pregnant biological daughter, whose body was found in a forest three weeks after she vanished, authorities said. The victim, 22-year-old Rebecca Park, was in the final days of pregnancy when she disappeared Nov. 3; investigators located her remains Nov. 25 in Wexford County.
Prosecutors alleged Cortney Bartholomew, 40, and her husband, Bradly Bartholomew, 47, abducted Park, forced her into the woods and fatally stabbed her, then removed her unborn baby. Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey called the case “evil personified” during a court appearance where a judge denied bond for both defendants. Investigators said Park’s baby did not survive. Officials have not publicly said whether the infant’s remains have been recovered. The case has drawn an outpouring of grief from volunteers who searched for Park and renewed questions about how a missing-person inquiry shifted to a homicide investigation over the holiday weeks.
Detectives said Park was last seen Nov. 3 after contact with her biological mother in rural Wexford County. Family members reported her missing when she failed to return or answer calls. Deputies and state police organized searches across stretches of the Huron-Manistee National Forest and surrounding back roads while investigators examined phone records and interviews pointed them to a wooded area outside the community of Boon. On Nov. 25, searchers found Park’s body. “The evidence indicates she was taken into the woods and attacked,” Carey said in court, adding that the injuries were fatal and the unborn baby was removed. During a video arraignment, the Bartholomews appeared from the county jail, speaking briefly as a judge read the charges and ordered them held without bond pending further hearings.
Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew each face counts including first-degree premeditated murder, torture, unlawful imprisonment, and assault on a pregnant individual resulting in the death of a fetus or stillbirth, according to charging documents summarized in court. Authorities said Park, who was 38 to 39 weeks pregnant, suffered multiple stab wounds. Officials described a weeks-long investigation that involved interviews with relatives and neighbors, analysis of call and text data, and coordination with medical examiners. Prosecutors said Park’s fiancé, identified by police as 43-year-old Richard Falor, was arrested the day her body was found on an unrelated narcotics case; Park’s half-sister was separately accused of lying to investigators and tampering with evidence. Authorities did not describe any role by those two in the killing and emphasized the murder counts are against the Bartholomews. Detectives said they are still reviewing evidence and lab reports.
Records introduced in court sketched a strained family history. Park had been adopted as a child and later reconnected with her biological mother, officials said. Investigators described limited, on-and-off contact in the months before the killing. Carey told the court that planning and intent would be central issues, suggesting the defendants “did their research and created a plan” before allegedly luring Park and taking her into the forest. The charging summary did not list a precise motive. Officials said they could not comment on any prior calls to the Bartholomew residence or whether neighbors reported unusual activity around the dates Park disappeared. The sheriff’s office said no additional suspects were being sought as of this week.
The discovery site lies within the Huron-Manistee National Forest area, a patchwork of timber tracks and seasonal roads where deer camps and scattered homes dot the edges. Volunteers said they combed ditches, trails and creek beds as temperatures dropped in mid-November. Law enforcement set up a staging area near Boon while detectives mapped phone pings and vehicle movements. The timeline spans the pre-Thanksgiving period, when some agencies shifted to holiday schedules, which investigators acknowledged can slow lab turnaround. Community members who joined the search later placed ribbons and flowers at a roadside pull-off where officers had parked during the recovery.
Under Michigan procedure, defendants arrested on felony charges typically appear first in district court for arraignment, followed by a probable cause conference and a preliminary examination to determine whether the case proceeds to circuit court for trial. Court staff said dates would be set in the coming days. Prosecutors said additional charges could be considered as forensic testing is completed, including any counts related to the handling of remains. Defense attorneys had not filed public motions by Tuesday afternoon. If convicted of first-degree murder, each defendant faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Separate counts for torture and unlawful imprisonment also carry lengthy potential terms.
Relatives have released brief statements asking for privacy as they grieve Park and the baby. At a small vigil, neighbors described Park as soft-spoken and excited to become a mother, recalling that she’d recently discussed baby names and a due date in early November. A former classmate said the community “felt helpless” during the search and “shattered” after deputies announced the arrests. Outside the courthouse in Cadillac, a handful of supporters held signs with Park’s name while sheriff’s cruisers idled along the curb. “We will present the facts in court,” Sheriff’s officials said in a written statement, adding that they appreciated tips provided during the three-week search.
As of Wednesday, both defendants remained jailed without bond. Authorities said they are awaiting final autopsy findings and additional lab results that could refine the sequence of injuries and the movements of those involved. The next public milestone is expected to be the scheduling of a probable cause conference, followed by a preliminary hearing later this month. Officials said updates would be released through the prosecutor’s office once new filings are entered and tests are complete.