Charges Dropped Against Sister In Shocking Death Of Pregnant Woman; Mother And Stepfather Face Murder Charges

Prosecutors have dismissed all criminal charges against Kimberly Park in connection with the death of her sister, 22-year-old Rebecca Park, who was found dead in the Manistee National Forest in November 2025 with her unborn baby removed from her body.

Kimberly had been arrested and charged with tampering with evidence, lying to a police officer and filing a false report after authorities said she provided misleading statements about Rebecca's whereabouts on the night she disappeared. A probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE reported that Kimberly told investigators Rebecca's then-boyfriend, Richard Falor, had confessed to killing Rebecca and that "something went wrong while trying to cut the baby out of Rebecca." Officials say Falor is not a suspect and has not been charged or investigated.

Timeline And Case Details

Rebecca's body was discovered on Nov. 25, 2025. Deputies arrested Kimberly hours after the discovery. She was initially held on $750,000 bail; a judge later reduced bail to $5,000 and she was released to house arrest with electronic monitoring.

Kimberly Park (left) and Richard Falor (right)Credit: Wexford County Sheriff's Office (2)

Charges Against The Parents

Wexford County prosecutors allege Rebecca was lured to her biological mother's home on Nov. 3 and subsequently stabbed, tortured and killed. Prosecutor Johanna Carey has said Rebecca was alive when her biological mother, Cortney Bartholomew, and stepfather, Bradly Bartholomew, allegedly cut the unborn baby from her body.

Charges Filed: Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew each face counts including first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, conspiracy to commit that assault, unlawful imprisonment and removal of a dead body. Several of the counts carry possible life sentences.

According to the affidavit, Bradly Bartholomew told investigators the couple planned to take the unborn child because they believed they could not legally adopt—Bradly is a registered sex offender, the documents say. Court proceedings in the Bartholomew case are currently paused while competency evaluations are completed for both defendants ahead of a potential trial.

Dismissal Of Charges Against Kimberly

Prosecutors confirmed the charges against Kimberly Park were dismissed without prejudice, meaning the same charges could be refiled in the future. It has not been publicly confirmed whether the dismissal was part of a cooperation agreement or linked to ongoing investigative developments. The Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney's Office did not respond to requests for comment.

Note on Reporting: The allegations against Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew are serious and subject to legal process. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.