Rebecca Park’s Mother Allegedly Had Affair With Pregnant Daughter’s Fiancé Before Her Murder — and So Did Her Sister

Newly filed court records in Michigan are revealing more about the death of 22-year-old Rebecca Park and the alleged roles several of her family members may have played in the crime.

According to a series of probable cause affidavits and criminal complaints, investigators say Rebecca, her 21-year-old sister, Kimberly Park, and their biological mother, 40-year-old Cortney Bartholomew, were all romantically involved with the same man — a 43-year-old named Richard Falor, who is also alleged to be the father of Rebecca’s unborn child.

Both Kimberly and Cortney told investigators with the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) that they had been in a relationship with Falor, according to the affidavits.

Those three, along with Cortney’s husband, 47-year-old Bradly Bartholomew, have all been arrested and charged with felony offenses over the past two weeks.

Kimberly is charged with tampering with evidence, lying to a police officer and filing a false report. Her bond was recently reduced from $750,000 to $5,000, and she is currently on house arrest.

Investigators say Kimberly initially contacted a detective on Nov. 22, claiming to have information about Cortney and Bradly’s alleged involvement in Rebecca’s death. In an interview hours later, she allegedly told detectives that Rebecca had died from a seizure after Cortney and Bradly struck her in the head, and that a friend was then called to remove Rebecca’s body and abandon it in a swamp, according to the affidavit.

That account led authorities to pursue charges against Kimberly after she later allegedly admitted she had lied to protect Falor, whom she claimed was actually involved in Rebecca’s death.

The affidavit states that after Kimberly was arrested and read her Miranda rights on Nov. 25 — the day Rebecca’s body was found in the Manistee National Forest — she told detectives that Falor had confided in her on Nov. 4, allegedly saying he had killed Rebecca and that he was withholding specifics to “protect” Kimberly.

Kimberly also allegedly told investigators that, in a separate conversation, Falor said “something went wrong while trying to cut the baby out of Rebecca.” Based on that statement, deputies booked Falor on an open murder charge just hours after Kimberly was taken into custody.

Investigators later reported that they found no evidence supporting Kimberly’s claims about Falor’s direct involvement in the killing. He was ultimately arraigned on a drug charge instead and released from jail after Cortney and Bradly were charged with Rebecca’s murder.

In her own interview with investigators, Cortney admitted she also had a relationship with Falor, according to the affidavits. She said she began dating him after he and Rebecca broke up and told authorities she had been preparing to leave her husband for Falor before changing her mind. At that point, Falor allegedly rekindled his relationship with Rebecca.

Cortney further claimed that after their breakup, Falor came to her home intending to shoot Bradly and sexually assaulted her, which she said caused her to miscarry the baby she was carrying, according to the affidavit.

Investigators say they learned during the inquiry that Cortney allegedly sent Rebecca a photo of an $18,000 check on the day Rebecca disappeared, telling her it was an inheritance from her late grandmother. Detectives also uncovered text messages in which Cortney claimed to have recently given birth to a son who was in the hospital due to a premature delivery but would be coming home soon, the affidavit states.

Cortney allegedly later wrote that the child had died just hours after Rebecca’s murder.

According to investigators, those messages — along with cell phone data placing Cortney and Bradly near the location where Rebecca’s body was discovered — were key factors leading to their arrests.

At a court hearing regarding bond, Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey characterized the killing as “evil personified.” Carey alleged that Bradly brought Rebecca to the couple’s home, that he and Cortney forced her into another vehicle and drove her into the woods, where they stabbed her, restrained her on the ground, removed her unborn baby and caused the deaths of both Rebecca and the child before leaving her body in the forest.

Carey described the case as one of premeditated torture and murder, asserting that Cortney and Bradly researched and planned the attack in advance.

Cortney and Bradly each face one count of first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, and conspiracy to commit assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth. Each of these six counts carries the possibility of a life sentence.

They are also charged with unlawful imprisonment and removal of a dead body.

Public defenders representing Kimberly and Falor did not respond to a request for comment.