The mother and stepfather of a pregnant Michigan woman found dead last week have been arrested, but court records do not show the charges they face.
Cortney Bartholomew, 40, and Bradly Bartholomew, 47, were arrested late Sunday night, those court records show. According to WPBN, an arraignment had been scheduled for Monday afternoon, but it was delayed until Tuesday when prosecutors said their complaint was not ready.
“We will go ahead and set up for arraignment tomorrow,” Judge Corey Wiggins said at Bradly Bartholomew’s hearing. “The court in the meantime will hold Mr. Bartholomew without a bond. I do find that he is both a threat and a flight risk based on what I’ve read in search warrants. As such, we’ll reconvene tomorrow, see where we are at.”
As CrimeOnline reported, an autopsy confirmed the body found on November 25 in Manistee National Forest — not far from the Bartholomews’ home, where Rebecca Park was last seen on November 3 — was, in fact, the 22-year-old Park, who had been 38 weeks pregnant. Her baby was not found.
As the investigation continued, Park’s boyfriend — Richard Falor — was arrested on drug charges, and her sister, Kimberly Park, was charged with tampering with evidence, lying to a police officer, and filing a false report of a felony. It’s not clear if Park’s charges related to her sister’s death, but both she and Falor were deemed flight risks and given high bonds — Falor $1 million and Park $750,000.
In asking for a delay in the Bartholomews’ arraignment, Prosecutor Johanna Carey told the judge, “If there was ever a case where circumstances justify a delay of any type, it’s this case.”
“This is as serious as it gets,” she said. “It’s as horrible as it gets — to preserve the integrity of the case.”
Cortney Bartholomew had previously told local media that her daughter was picked up from her home by someone in a dark sedan with tinted windows, so she didn’t see who it was. Rebecca Park’s cell phone was later found in the road a short distance away.
The young woman’s body was found in an area where law enforcement had previously said was searched.
Authorities have not revealed the cause or manner of Park’s death.
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[Featured image: Rebecca Park and Cortney Bartholomew/Wexford County Sheriff’s Office]
