Michigan Mother And Husband Charged After Pregnant Daughter Found Dead; Prosecutors Allege Unborn Son Was Removed

Summary: Prosecutors allege that 22-year-old Rebecca Park — 38 weeks pregnant — was killed in November 2025 and that her unborn son was removed from her body. Authorities say Park's biological mother, Cortney Bartholomew, and Cortney's husband, Bradley, lured her to their Wexford County home before the killing. The defendants deny the same version of events and have given conflicting accounts; the child's remains have not been recovered.

Timeline And Allegations

According to court filings and testimony at a preliminary hearing, Rebecca Park was killed in early November 2025. Investigators say Park’s body was recovered from the Manistee National Forest on Nov. 25, 2025. Prosecutors allege that her unborn son, who was about 38 weeks gestation, was removed from her body and that the baby’s remains have not been found.

Prosecutors contend that on Nov. 3, 2025, Cortney and Bradley Bartholomew lured Park to their home in Wexford County and then took her into nearby woods. Court testimony indicates that Park’s water had broken the night before the alleged killing. A friend reportedly drove Rebecca and her fiancé, Richard Farlor, to a hospital; Park was discharged and sent home without giving birth.

Investigators allege that the next evening Cortney persuaded Park to come to her house by sending a photograph of an $18,000 check she claimed was part of an inheritance from Park’s grandmother. Park did not return home; weeks later, her body was discovered in the forest.

Key Testimony And Conflicting Accounts

At the preliminary hearing, Park’s fiancé, Richard Farlor, testified that he had been in a "sexual relationship" with Cortney Bartholomew from April through September 2023 and began dating Rebecca in October 2023. Farlor also testified that Cortney had spoken about wanting another child and told him she could not have one.

Prosecutors say those comments align with a statement Bradley Bartholomew allegedly made to investigators that Cortney could not conceive and that adoption was not an option because Bradley is a registered sex offender. Cortney disputes Bradley’s account.

The Bartholomews reportedly gave investigators conflicting statements. Prosecutors say Cortney initially denied involvement but, when confronted with cellphone data placing her near where Park’s body was found, she later accused Bradley of forcing Park into a vehicle and stabbing her repeatedly. Authorities allege Cortney admitted using a scalpel to remove the baby while Park was still alive and that Bradley held a knife to Park’s throat. Bradley has blamed Cortney, saying she planned the killing because she wanted a child. Cortney has suggested Bradley sought revenge on Farlor after Farlor reported him for a parole violation. Cortney allegedly told investigators the infant did not survive and was discarded in a dumpster.

Authorities briefly investigated Farlor after Rebecca’s sister, Kimberly Park, told police he had confessed to the killing; investigators later determined that claim was false, according to prosecutors.

Charges And Next Steps

Cortney and Bradley Bartholomew each face charges including first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, and related conspiracy counts. Neither defendant has entered a plea. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue on Nov. 9, 2025.

Note: All allegations are from prosecutors and court filings. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.