A woman and her husband were charged with murder in the brutal death of her pregnant 22-year-old daughter, whose body was found in a Michigan forest.
Rebecca Park was in her final few days of pregnancy when she was last seen Nov. 3. Park’s remains were found three weeks after she went missing, with the baby cut out of her, prosecutor Johanna Carey said in court.
"This is, frankly, evil personified,” Carey said.
Cortney Bartholomew, 40, and Brad Bartholomew, 47, each face identical charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, torture in a place of confinement, conspiracy to commit torture, assault of a pregnant woman with the intention to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, conspiracy to commit that assault, unlawful imprisonment, and moving a dead body in Wexford County, 200 miles (321 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
Cortney Bartholomew was Park's biological mother, but Park was raised by a couple who adopted her and her siblings.
“Mr. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home, forced her into another vehicle and took her into the woods where they stabbed her, forced her to lie on the ground while they cut her baby out, ultimately caused her death and the death of the baby," Carey said.
The Bartholomews appeared in court by video from jail and were denied bond. Public defender Robert Champion declined to comment about the case.
A motive was not disclosed by the prosecutor. Dozens of people filled the courtroom, including many who had searched for Park. Cars in the parking lot had messages: “Justice 4 Rebecca and Baby Park.”
“She deserves to be remembered as the sweet girl that she was when she was younger,” mother Stephanie Park told 9&10 News.
The baby was not found next to Park’s body but was later located, according to the Detroit Free Press.
