Detailed Summary: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: DESPERATE SEARCH FOR BABY AFTER YOUNG MOM REBECCA, 22, FOUND DEAD IN WOODS, INFANT CUT FROM STOMACH
Air Date: December 8, 2025
Podcast: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Overview

In this harrowing episode, Nancy Grace and her panel investigate one of the most chilling recent true crime cases: the murder of 22-year-old Rebecca Park, a pregnant mother found dead in Michigan’s Manistee National Forest. In a shocking twist, her baby, days from delivery, was cut from her womb and is missing. The episode explores the details of Rebecca’s disappearance, the history of similar crimes, forensic challenges, potential motives, and the emotional devastation left in the wake, all while the desperate search for her infant, Richie, continues.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Crime and Initial Discovery

• Case Introduction:
  Nancy Grace opens the discussion with her signature urgency, underscoring the brutality of the case and the dire search for baby Richie.

  “The desperate search goes on for a baby after a young mom to be Rebecca, just 22 years old, is found dead in a heavily wooded area, her infant cut from her stomach. What ghouls would do this?”
  — Nancy Grace [02:15]

• Victim Background: Rebecca, a loving mother of two boys, vanishes days before her due date.

  “Just days away from giving birth, disappears, her body found... At first all we knew was the baby wasn’t there. Now we know the baby has been cut from her stomach, leaving the mom to die, bleed out in the woods. Where’s the baby?”
  — Nancy Grace [02:57]

Medical Realities and Forensic Analysis

• Viability of the Baby:
  Death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan details the grim practicality: a baby delivered at 38 weeks is viable, and such crimes have historical precedent.

  “That’s well beyond survivability... it’s certainly possible, it’s plausible that this could happen... You can have ghouls... that would want to go and harvest a baby in order to sell it on the market.”
  — Joseph Scott Morgan [04:39]

• Historical Parallels:
  The panel references previous infamous cases, e.g., Michelle Wilkins in Colorado, Marlen Ochoa Lopez in Chicago, and Bobbi Jo Stinnett in Missouri, all involving mothers attacked and their babies stolen.

  “That scenario has played out... Michelle Wilkins actually lived long enough to call 911...”
  — Nancy Grace [05:23-06:09]

• Forensic Details of the Crime Scene:

  • The scene is remote and brutally cold, complicating both survival and investigation.
  • Amateur surgical procedure likely caused massive trauma; the lack of medical tools suggests a bloody, haphazard process resulting in rapid death by exsanguination.

  “They’re going to use tools at hand... knives... you’re going to talk about erupting a multitude of vessels... She would bleed out in this environment. That’s really no surprise.”
  — Joseph Scott Morgan [15:59, 28:59, 29:07]

Defense Theories and Rebuttal

• Raised by Randolph Rice, Defense Attorney:
  • Posits (however unlikely) the possibility Rebecca self-inflicted her wounds in a “natural birth” gone wrong.
  • Promptly and vigorously rebutted by the entire panel for being unrealistic and outlandish.

  “To believe what you just said would mean that Rebecca goes out in a heavily wooded area and chooses the dirt... to perform a self induced cesarean section. Is that what you’re claiming?”
  — Nancy Grace [08:20]

Victim and Motive Exploration

• Rebecca’s Background:

  • Adopted from an abusive mother (Courtney Bartholomew), raised by Stephanie Park in a stable home.
  • Despite this, Rebecca rekindles a relationship with her biological mother, driven by a universal desire to understand one’s origins.

  “We all want to know where we came from, Nancy. This is one of the fundamental biological drives...”
  — Dr. Sherry Schwartz [32:44]

• Mother’s Premonition:

  • Adoptive mom tried to warn Rebecca against reconnecting, with panelists noting the commonality and risk of ignoring such intuitions.

  “Sometimes you have to let people find their own way. But this is a case that is not unusual... parents feel it strongly for those they love. And we can see things sometimes that people themselves can’t see.”
  — Dan Murphy [34:55]

• Motive:
  Prosecutors suggest the biological mother and her partner may have plotted the murder to obtain the baby, after repeated failed pregnancies.

  “Ms. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home. They 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 and ultimately caused her death.”
  — Wexford County Prosecutor Joanna Carey [45:26]

Investigative Challenges

• Crime Scene Complexity:

  • The area where Rebecca was found is described as beautiful but unforgiving, especially in winter.
  • Debate over whether Rebecca was killed there or her body dumped postmortem; body remained unfound only 150 yards from her abandoned phone for three weeks.

• Forensic Obstacles:

  • Cold weather impacts decomposition, animal activity further mutilated remains, and absence of cellphone at the scene is probative.

  “Shoots Randolph Rice’s theory that she had a natural birth. Shoots it to hell and back because who’s going to go through all that and their cell phone is not with them.”
  — Nancy Grace [36:17]

  • The panel speculates that law enforcement’s clear chronological scenario and assertion the baby is dead may indicate inside cooperation from a witness.

  “They seem to have a scenario of what happened... tells me somebody is cooperating.”
  — Alan L’Engle [47:47]

Emotional & Societal Impact

• Panel’s Emotional Response:

  • Repeatedly, seasoned professionals express profound disturbance at the brutality.

  “This is the stuff that makes even veteran detectives want to have a drink or five... you want to wash it out of your brain.”
  — Dan Murphy [20:40] “Even just reading about this story can give someone... chills. A cold, hard reminder of just how brutal people can be.”
  — Dan Murphy [22:10]

• Nancy’s Personal Connection:

  • Nancy relates the toll these cases take, sharing her own experiences of overwhelming grief and needing to compose herself away from the public eye.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Nature of the Crime:

  “Can you say death penalty? Because I can.”
  — Nancy Grace [02:15]

• On the Forensics:

  “It’s not just what is taken, it’s what’s left behind... The trauma, Nancy, that she sustained out there on that filthy, filthy ground in that beautiful forested area is something that we cannot even begin to calculate.”
  — Joseph Scott Morgan [15:59]

• On Defensive Legal Strategies:

  “Don’t ruin your currently stellar reputation, okay?... Is that what you’re claiming would be a great defense?”
  — Nancy Grace to Randolph Rice [08:20]

• On Grief and Emotional Response:

  “I would pull over and stop the car and just feel sick or cry... And that’s how I feel about what happened to Rebecca in this case.”
  — Nancy Grace [21:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Case Introduction & Initial Crime Facts: [02:15–04:39]
• Expert Panel Discussion on Forensic Possibilities: [04:39–06:09]
• Historical Precedents of Similar Crimes: [05:23, 14:26, 46:27]
• Defense Theories Debated: [07:27–09:07]
• Forensic Scene Details and Medical Analysis: [15:17–17:57, 28:21–30:24]
• Discovery of Rebecca & Search for Baby Richie: [25:44, 31:01, 35:47]
• Victim’s Background & Motivational Insights: [31:19–34:20]
• Adoptive Family’s Warnings & Emotional Impact: [34:20–35:47]
• Crime Scene Search Complexities: [41:04–43:51]
• Suspect Alibis & Law Enforcement Statements: [44:31–45:14]
• Prosecutor’s Theory of the Crime & Motive: [45:26–47:47]
• Reflections on Societal and Personal Impact: [20:33–22:10, 21:34–22:39]

Closing Notes & Action

• The episode closes with a public plea for tips on the whereabouts of baby Richie, underlining the ongoing nature of the investigation and the hope, though slim, that he might be found alive.

“If you know or think you know anything regarding the death of Rebecca or anything about her missing baby, please call Wexford Sheriff’s 231-779-9216. The investigation is ongoing.”
— Nancy Grace [50:18]

Summary Prepared For:
Listeners or researchers seeking a comprehensive recap of this deeply unsettling, highly detailed Crime Stories episode, with insight into the crime, investigative theory, psychological motivations, and emotional toll on all involved.