A Michigan woman accused of killing her pregnant daughter and cutting out her unborn baby has been found competent to stand trial in one of the state's most disturbing recent criminal cases.
Cortney Bartholomew, 40, of Boon, Michigan, was ruled mentally fit to face charges in Wexford County's 84th District Court after a court-ordered evaluation focused on whether she understood the proceedings and could assist in her defense.
She now faces a preliminary hearing that will determine whether there is enough evidence to send her case to trial, according to People.
Bartholomew and her husband, 47-year-old Bradly Bartholomew, are accused of the November 2025 killing of 22-year-old Rebecca Park, Cortney's biological daughter.
Park, who was about 38 weeks pregnant, vanished on Nov. 3, 2025. Her body was found weeks later in the Manistee National Forest, not far from the couple's Wexford County home.
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Investigators say the couple lured Park to their home, then forced her into a vehicle and drove her to a remote wooded area. There, according to court documents, Park was stabbed repeatedly.
Prosecutors allege Cortney used a scalpel to cut the baby from Park's womb while Park was still alive, as Bradly restrained her. The baby did not survive, and authorities say the infant's remains were thrown away, ABC News reported.
Both Cortney and Bradly face eight serious charges: first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual with intent to cause miscarriage or stillbirth, conspiracy to commit that assault, unlawful imprisonment, and removal of a dead body without authorization. Several of those counts carry possible life sentences.
Prosecutors have described the killing as "pure evil" and say digital evidence, including cell phone data, undermined the couple's early denials. A probable cause affidavit indicates Cortney later admitted to cutting out the baby.
The defense had previously sought to dismiss the case, arguing that prosecutors were late in turning over evidence, but the judge kept the charges in place and ordered the case to proceed. With Bartholomew now found competent, the focus shifts to upcoming hearings that will shape how and when a jury will hear the gruesome allegations, as per CBS12.
