Mom Accused of Killing Pregnant Daughter to Steal Unborn Baby Amid Affair with Victim’s Fiancé

A disturbing Michigan murder case took another dramatic turn after the fiancé of a slain pregnant woman testified that he previously had a sexual relationship with the victim’s biological mother — the same woman now accused of helping kill her and remove her unborn baby.

Cortney Bartholomew, 41, and her husband, Bradley Bartholomew, are charged in connection with the killing of 22-year-old Rebecca Park, who was 38 weeks pregnant when she disappeared in November 2025.

Prosecutors allege the couple lured Park to their home before taking her into the Manistee National Forest, where she was killed and her unborn son was removed from her body.

The baby’s remains have never been recovered. Cortney and Bradley have not been convicted, and their preliminary hearing is still underway.

The latest testimony came from Richard Falor, Park’s fiancé and the father of her unborn child.

Falor told the court that before dating Park, he had been involved in what he described as a “sexual relationship” with Cortney.

He testified that the relationship began in April 2023 and ended in September 2023. According to his testimony, he began dating Park the following month.

Falor also told the court that Cortney had previously talked about wanting another child.

“She said she wanted another kid,” he testified, adding that Cortney told him she was unable to have one herself.

That testimony could become significant because prosecutors allege Cortney wanted Park’s unborn baby.

According to court records and reporting on the probable cause affidavit, investigators say Park was lured to Cortney’s home with a photo of what was represented as an $18,000 inheritance check.

Park was last seen on Nov. 3, 2025.

Her body was found Nov. 25 in the Manistee National Forest, not far from where Cortney and Bradley were living at the time.

Falor also testified about the hours leading up to Park’s disappearance.

He said Park’s water had broken the night before she vanished.

A friend drove the couple toward a hospital, but Falor testified that Cortney attempted to intervene and wanted to take Park herself.

Park was ultimately evaluated and sent home without delivering the baby.

The following night, prosecutors allege Park was brought to Cortney and Bradley’s home and later taken into the woods.

The case has been complicated by conflicting statements from the two defendants.

According to the probable cause allegations reported in court coverage, Cortney initially denied involvement and claimed she did not know what had happened to her daughter.

Investigators later confronted her with cell phone evidence that allegedly placed her near the location where Park’s body was ultimately discovered.

Cortney then gave investigators a different account and allegedly accused Bradley of forcing Park into a vehicle and stabbing her.

She also allegedly told investigators that she cut the baby from Park’s womb while Bradley held a knife to Park’s throat.

Bradley, meanwhile, reportedly told investigators that the plan came from Cortney and that she wanted a child because she could no longer conceive.

Those accounts remain allegations and have not been tested at trial.

Prosecutors say the baby did not survive.

The infant’s body has never been found despite searches conducted after Park’s remains were recovered.

The case has drawn intense attention in northern Michigan because of both the brutality of the allegations and the complicated relationships between the people involved.

At one point, Park’s sister reportedly told investigators that Falor had confessed to killing Rebecca.

Investigators later determined that information was false, according to reporting on the case.

Falor has not been charged in Park’s killing.

The preliminary hearing now underway is not a trial.

Under Michigan law, the judge is being asked to decide whether prosecutors have shown probable cause that crimes were committed and that the defendants should be bound over for trial in circuit court.

Cortney and Bradley face multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, and conspiracy related to that alleged assault.

The proceedings have already faced delays because of the enormous amount of evidence and earlier competency-related issues.

Defense attorneys previously sought competency evaluations for both defendants, arguing that the court needed to determine whether they were able to understand the proceedings and assist in their own defense.

The current preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue in November, when additional testimony is expected.

Neither Cortney nor Bradley has been convicted, and the judge has not yet decided whether the case will proceed to trial.

The central accusation, however, remains extraordinary: prosecutors believe a pregnant 22-year-old woman was killed by her biological mother and stepfather in a plot involving her unborn son.