Rebecca Park, 22, was only a few weeks away from giving birth when she disappeared in Michigan. Her body was later found in the Manistee National Forest on November 25. Her unborn baby was missing.
However, now prosecutors have described an alleged horror. They say that her parents — mother Cortney Bartholomew and stepfather Bradly Bartholomew — "forced her on the ground and stabbed her as they cut her baby out of her womb," the Detroit Free Press reported. Both Park and her baby died.
Prosecutor Johanna Carey revealed the details in the couple's arraignment, the newspaper reported, adding that Carey accused the parents of having done "their research." She said they "created a plan before they brought 22-year-old Rebecca Park into their home," and then took her in a car to the woods, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“This is, frankly, evil personified,” Carey said, according to the outlet.
“This case involves a truly horrific homicide in which a young woman and her unborn child endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of the Defendants,” Carey said in a news release from the Michigan Attorney General's office. “The brutality and disregard for human life displayed here are deeply troubling. While these remain allegations until proven in court, the evidence reflects an extraordinary level of callousness and violence. We look forward to presenting the full facts in court.”
According to The New York Post, although Cortney is the biological mother of Park, neither she nor Bradly raised her. When the body was discovered in the woods, the infant was missing, The Post reported.
Park was 38 weeks pregnant at the time of her disappearance, according to the news release from the Michigan Attorney General's office.
"It is alleged that on November 3, the couple lured Park – Cortney Bartholomew’s biological daughter, who was approximately 38 weeks pregnant at the time – to their Wexford County home," the release says. "The couple then allegedly tortured Park in an attempt to remove the unborn infant, resulting in the death of both. After an extensive search, Park’s remains were found in the Manistee National Forest on November 25."
The motive was not released. The parents are from Boon, Michigan.
“Rebecca had everything to live for, and our hearts are with her loved ones as they endure this unthinkable loss,” Michigan AG Dana Nessel said in the release. “We are committed to working alongside the Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to ensure justice is pursued in this tragic case without delay.”
Both of the Bartholomews were hit with a string of charges, including first-degree murder, felony murder, and torture.