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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD/AP) — A woman and her husband face murder and torture charges in the death of her pregnant daughter, whose body was found in a Michigan forest three weeks after she disappeared.
Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew, the biological mother and stepfather of Rebecca Park, have been charged with first-degree murder and torture, and authorities have alleged they are also responsible for the death of Park’s baby.
The couple were each charged with a count of first-degree murder, a count of felony murder, one count of torture, one count of conspiracy to commit torture, one count of assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, one count of conspiracy to assault a pregnant individual, one count of unlawful imprisonment and one count of removal of a dead body without consent, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said in a Tuesday release.
Park’s disappearance has made headlines across the state for the past month. She was first reported missing on Nov. 4. At the time, she was listed as 38 weeks pregnant.
According to the release from the attorney general’s office, the couple is accused of luring Park, 22, to their home and torturing her “in an attempt to remove the unborn infant.” Both Park and her child died, the release said.
“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,” Wexford County prosecutor Johanna Carey said in court, according to the Associated Press.
The prosecutor did not provide a motive, the Associated Press said.
According to 9&10 News, Park’s father was volunteering in a search party when he found her body not far from the Bartholomews’ home. The attorney general’s office said the body was found in the Manistee National Forest.
Over the weekend, police confirmed an infant was not with the body and launched a separate search.
Cortney Bartholomew was Park’s biological mother, but Park was raised by a couple who adopted her and her siblings.
“She deserves to be remembered as the sweet girl that she was when she was younger,” adoptive mother Stephanie Park told 9&10 News, according to the Associated Press.
Bond has been denied for the couple, and Bradly Bartholomew will also be charged as a habitual offender.
Rebecca Park’s fiancé, Richard Falor, and her sister, Kimberly Park, were arrested last month and charged with multiple crimes, including tampering with evidence and lying to investigators.
Anyone with information should contact the tip line at 231-306-2072 or the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office at 231-779-9216.
News 8’s Anna Skog and the Associated Press contributed to this report.