A Wexford County woman accused of helping her husband cut an unborn baby from her pregnant daughter’s womb pleaded to be released from jail during a Wednesday hearing, but the judge ruled she will remain behind bars without bond. The case, described by prosecutors as “evil personified,” has shaken the community with its disturbing details.
Cortney Bartholomew, 40, of Boon Township, appeared before 84th District Judge Corey J. Wiggins via livestream, seated in a wheelchair and wearing an orange jail jumpsuit. She and her public defender, Robert Haertel, asked the judge to reconsider his earlier decision to deny bond. Wiggins had ordered Cortney and her husband, 47-year-old Bradly Alan Bartholomew, held without bond on December 2.
Cortney cited undisclosed medical conditions and her responsibility for her 14-year-old son as reasons she should be released. “I just need to be able to take care of him,” she told the judge. She also offered to assist prosecutors in their case against her husband, according to a courtroom report from MLive.
But Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey urged the court to maintain the no-bond status. The allegations, she said, are “as serious as it can be,” and the risk of flight is simply too high. Judge Wiggins ultimately agreed. “While I understand there are some health conditions and the concern for a minor child, the fact remains that Miss Bartholomew is, I find, a flight risk and a danger to the community,” he said.
According to prosecutors, the couple carried out a premeditated plan on or around November 3 in which Cortney and Bradly allegedly held 22-year-old Rebecca Park captive, took her into the woods, and killed both her and her full-term unborn child. “These two individuals created a plan, conducted research…they stabbed her, forced her to lie on the ground while they cut her baby out,” Carey said during the earlier arraignment.
Both defendants face eight felony charges, including first-degree premeditated murder, torture, unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, and removing a dead body without a medical examiner’s permission. Conviction would mean automatic life in prison. Bradly is also listed as a habitual offender, increasing potential penalties.
Rebecca Park, Cortney’s biological daughter, had been adopted as a child and was nearing the end of her pregnancy when she disappeared. Searchers found her body on November 25 in the Manistee National Forest. Police have not confirmed whether the baby’s remains have been recovered.
Two others connected to Park were also arrested separately. Her fiancé, Richard Lee Falor, was charged with drug offenses and briefly held on a $1 million bond before it was lowered to $5,000. Park’s 21-year-old sister, Kimberly, was charged with evidence tampering and false reporting; her bond was also reduced to $5,000.
The Bartholomews are scheduled for preliminary examinations on December 16, while Falor’s hearing is set for December 9. The investigation remains active, with many details yet to be revealed.
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