It was a father’s worst nightmare come true. On a chilly day in late November, Rebecca Kay Park’s dad stumbled upon her body just 15 feet off a quiet roadway in Boon Township, Michigan—mere yards from where she’d vanished 21 days earlier. The 22-year-old, who was nine months pregnant and full of life, had been the center of a frantic search that gripped the small community. Early signs pointed to foul play, with investigators suggesting her remains had been dragged to that spot, leaving everyone reeling from the brutality of it all.
Rebecca was last spotted alive on the night of November 3, right near her mom’s place. Witnesses thought they saw her hop into a dark-colored vehicle, but things got murky fast when her mother, Cortney Bartholomew, started giving conflicting stories about what kind of car it was. Cortney’s the one folks believe saw Rebecca last, which has only fueled the whispers and questions swirling around this case. It’s the kind of detail that sticks with you, making you wonder what really went down in those final moments.
As the hours turned into days without a sign of her, Cortney reached out in a panic to Richard Lee Falor, Rebecca’s fiancé and the father of her unborn baby. Falor also happened to be Cortney’s ex, which added this awkward layer to the whole mess. They hadn’t talked much lately, but suddenly Cortney was blowing up his phone with desperate texts: “Call me back asap,” “Rich it’s Cortney call me back,” “Dude call me,” and the kicker, “Ur ole lady took off with some dude in a black car.” Those messages paint a picture of sheer chaos, like someone grasping at straws in the dark.
A few days in, Rebecca’s cellphone turned up on a nearby road, which should’ve been a break but just deepened the mystery. Cortney ended up being the one who picked it up, and that little fact has sparked all sorts of speculation online and in town. Why her? And why the inconsistencies in her story? It’s got people talking, especially with public records hinting at rough pasts for both Cortney and Falor—stuff like sexual assault charges that pop up in old files. Cops aren’t saying if any of that ties in, but it hangs over everything like a shadow.
Then came the gut-wrenching discovery. After three weeks of volunteers combing the woods and roads, Rebecca’s father found her during one of those exhaustive searches. She was so close to where she’d last been seen, yet hidden just out of sight. At nine months along, she was on the cusp of motherhood, and the thought of what might’ve happened to her baby hits like a punch to the gut. Officials confirmed the infant wasn’t with her, and they’re keeping mum on where the little one is now—leaving that as another painful loose end in this nightmare.
In the wake of that awful find, the focus sharpened on those closest to Rebecca. Her sister, Kimberly Park, and her fiancé, Richard Falor, both got hauled in for questioning. Kimberly’s facing some serious charges: tampering with evidence in a criminal case, lying to cops during a violent crime probe, and filing a false felony report. It feels like a betrayal from within the family, the kind that shatters trust. Falor, meanwhile, is dealing with drug-related busts, which might or might not connect to the bigger picture here.
But the story doesn’t stop with those arrests. Authorities also detained Cortney Bartholomew and her partner, Brad Bartholomew, pulling items from their home—including vehicles—as possible evidence. No formal charges for them yet, but the investigation’s churning full steam ahead. Forensic teams are poring over autopsy results, evidence from the scene, and whatever else they’ve gathered, with hints that more charges could drop any day now.
This whole saga has Boon Township on edge, a tight-knit spot where everyone knows everyone’s business. Rebecca was just starting out, with a baby on the way and dreams ahead, and now her death has ripped open old wounds and sparked endless what-ifs. As the probe digs deeper, folks are hoping for answers that bring some peace to her loved ones—and maybe justice for a young woman who deserved so much more.
