Michigan mom accused of killing her pregnant daughter and stealing her unborn son. Her fiancé was very close to mom: ‘She couldn’t have one’
The history ran deep
Finding out someone close to you has a complicated history with your family can change how you see both relationships. For one Michigan woman, prosecutors allege the connections surrounding her went much deeper than anyone might have expected.
Rebecca Park was 38 weeks pregnant when she was killed in November 2025. Violence involving a pregnant woman can leave two lives hanging in the balance, but prosecutors allege Park’s case involved something even more disturbing: an attempt to take her unborn son.
According to PEOPLE, Park’s fiancé, Richard Farlor, revealed a startling piece of the family’s history during a preliminary hearing. Before dating Park, he testified that he had been in a “sexual relationship” with her biological mother, Cortney Bartholomew, who is now charged alongside her husband in Park’s killing.
Things were more complicated than they seemed
Farlor testified that his relationship with Cortney lasted from April until September 2023. He began dating Park the following month.
During his relationship with Cortney, Farlor claims she talked about wanting to become a mother again. “She said she wanted another kid,” he testified. “She told me that she couldn’t have one.”
That testimony carries added weight because of what Cortney’s husband, Bradley Bartholomew, allegedly told investigators. Bradley claimed Cortney wanted a child but could not conceive. He also allegedly said adoption was not an option because he is a registered sex offender. Cortney has disputed his account.
Cortney is Park’s biological mother, though she placed her for adoption as an infant. Prosecutors allege that on Nov. 3, 2025, Cortney and Bradley lured the 22-year-old to their Wexford County home before taking her into the woods.
Farlor testified that Park’s water had broken the night before. A friend drove the couple to the hospital, but Cortney allegedly tried to stop their vehicle so she could take Park herself. Park was eventually sent home without giving birth.
The following night, prosecutors allege Cortney convinced Park to come to her home by sending her a photo of an $18,000 check that she presented as part of an inheritance from Park’s grandmother.
Investigators recovered Park’s body from the Manistee National Forest on Nov. 25. Her unborn son had been removed from her body, according to authorities, and his remains have not been found.
Cortney and Bradley later gave investigators conflicting accounts. Cortney initially denied involvement before investigators allegedly confronted her with cellphone evidence placing her near where Park’s body was found.
Cortney then accused Bradley of forcing Park into a vehicle and repeatedly stabbing her. She allegedly admitted to using a scalpel to remove the baby while Park was still alive as Bradley held a knife to her throat.
Bradley reportedly blamed Cortney instead, claiming she planned the killing because she wanted a child, putting taking someone else’s child at the center of his alleged motive. Cortney, meanwhile, claimed Bradley wanted revenge against Farlor for reporting him for a parole violation. She also allegedly told investigators that the baby did not survive and was later disposed of in a dumpster.
Farlor was also briefly drawn into the investigation after Park’s sister, Kimberly Park, reportedly told authorities that he had confessed to killing Rebecca. Investigators later determined that information was false.
Cortney and Bradley are each charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, and conspiracy to commit that assault. Neither has entered a plea. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue on Nov. 9.
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