Podcast Summary

Podcast: Going West: True Crime
Episode: Rebecca Park (Happening Now) // 560
Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman

Overview

This episode of "Going West: True Crime" delves into the deeply disturbing and still-unfolding case of Rebecca K. Park—a 22-year-old pregnant woman from rural Michigan who went missing in early November 2025. Hosts Daphne and Heath meticulously outline Rebecca’s background, her disappearance, the chaotic and suspicious behaviors of her close family, and the subsequent discovery of her body and multiple shocking arrests. The episode is a thorough newspaper-worthy breakdown, featuring both analysis and on-the-ground reporting, as well as direct quotes lifted from news and social media.

Main theme:
A “happening now” true-crime case, the disappearance and murder of Rebecca Park, with the added horror that her own family is implicated in possibly premeditated, torturous murder and the baby’s disappearance.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Setting the Scene & Early Coverage

• The case rapidly escalated over Thanksgiving, finally giving enough material for a full episode:

  "It wasn't until it really exploded, really, on Thanksgiving last week that there was enough information to even fully cover it because suddenly we have a ton of horrific and absolutely shocking answers." — Daphne (02:20)

• The case is compared to previous ones for its deeply rooted family drama and layers:

  "The headlines are just like the tip of the iceberg and the family tree runs deep with troubles." — Heath (02:51)

Case Background: Who Was Rebecca Park?

• Rebecca “Becca” Park, born August 19, 2003, adopted aged one, raised in Lake City, Michigan.
• Mother of two young sons (ages 2 and 3), and 38 weeks pregnant with her third child at the time of disappearance.
• Her social media bios: “mom of three, mobile photographer, Michigan, married, she/her, 22.”
• Very little public insight into her personal life; only her adoptive mother Stephanie Park went on record:

  "She had some mental illnesses and some troubles. She was a loving person, but she had her problems. She deserves to be remembered as the sweet girl that she was when she was younger." — Stephanie Park (paraphrased by Daphne, 07:00 approx.)

Relationships and Troubling Connections

• Relationship with Richard Lee Fowler:

  • Rebecca's Facebook stated she was married to Richard Fowler (age 43), but most sources referred to him as her fiancé.
  • Richard has a lengthy, disturbing criminal record:
    • Criminal sexual conduct (with minors and incapacitated victims), accosting a child for immoral purposes, and more.

    "He is a disgusting fucking pedophile. And this is the person that Rebecca Park was married to or, you know, engaged to." — Heath (10:33)

• Biological Mother and Stepdad:

  • Rebecca reconnected with her biological mother, Courtney (now Bartholomew), in recent years.
  • Courtney married Brad Bartholomew, who has his own criminal convictions.

Disappearance Timeline

November 2, 2025:

• Rebecca complains of labor after moving, goes to hospital, found to be only 1cm dilated.

  "Her last phone call was her mom, Courtney. She said, don't let her get into a vehicle, I'm on my way. And from then on, she got into a van with Kimmy, her sister and Kourtney and left. I haven't heard from her since." — Friend Amber Babcock (12:57)

November 3, 2025:

• Last seen reportedly getting into a dark sedan outside her mother’s rural home.

November 4, 2025:

• Missing persons report filed; police publicize her disappearance and note $2k inheritance rumor.

• Police lean toward runaway theory, bolstered by statements from close family members:

  "Based on statements made by people close to you, it is possible that you're scared or hiding for reasons only known by you." — Wexford County Sheriff's Bulletin (16:17)

Phone Found:

• Rebecca’s phone discarded near her mother’s house that same day—reported only by family.

Family’s Public Reactions

• Rebecca's mom Courtney and fiancé Richard publicly frame her disappearance as voluntary, muddying the waters.
• Sister Kimberly admits Rebecca has disappeared before but always communicated:

  "I honestly try not to think about what happened. I mean, she's disappeared before, but someone always knew where she was and it was usually me. Hiding her out bugs me every day. I'm losing sleep." — Kimberly Park (19:39)

The Search, Suspicion, and Family Feuding (27:00–36:00)

Online Vigilantism and Local Tensions

• TikTok "justice warriors" and livestreamers inundate Courtney’s property, loudly accusing her and her husband, sometimes at all hours.

• Courtney’s behavior is defensive, sometimes aggressive, and at times oddly forthcoming with her accusers (31:00). In a notable TikTok exchange:

  "Kimberly is implicating me of hitting my daughter and hiding the body. She's implicating my husband of murder." — Courtney Bartholomew (31:37) "Before my daughter was missing, Kimberly was asking about the trails behind my house. The black car. It was Kimberly in the car." — Courtney (32:00)

• Family members turn on each other publicly, as pressure mounts:

  "Kimberly had spoken out about her belief that Courtney, her own biological mom, was involved in whatever happened to her sister Rebecca." — Daphne (29:58)

Reactions to Family Conduct

• Heath is blunt about the atmosphere:

  "It really does appear like these two people are very much idiots, and they really do not know how to handle this situation that's unfolding right in front of them." — Heath (30:14)

Discovery and Arrests (36:16–44:40)

Rebecca’s Body Found (Nov 25)

• Searchers (not police) discover Rebecca’s body in the woods behind Courtney’s house in Manistee National Park—corroborating Courtney’s earlier suggestion to “search there.”
• The baby is missing and presumed dead.

Arrest of Family Members

Nov 26:

• Richard Fowler arrested for drug offenses (possibly a holding charge).

Nov 27:

• Kimberly Park arrested for tampering with evidence, making false reports.

• Explanation of charges, why bonds are so high, and implications regarding Rebecca's case (41:35).

Nov 30 – Dec 1:

• Arrest of Courtney and Brad Bartholomew. Both charged with:

  • 1st degree murder
  • Felony murder
  • Torture
  • Conspiracy to commit torture
  • Assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage/stillbirth
  • Conspiracy to commit same
  • Unlawful imprisonment
  • Removal of a dead body

• Authorities describe the crime in gruesome detail:

  "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 and the death of the baby. They then left Rebecca in those woods. This is, frankly, evil personified." — Prosecutor Johanna Carey (46:00)

Motive and Theories

• Authorities suspect planned “fetal abduction”—the baby was forcibly removed from Rebecca, but has not been found.
• Both Brad and Richard have criminal sexual conduct histories involving minors—a horrific convergence of abusers.
• Hosts and many followers speculate about motives and possible internal family dynamics (jealousy, abuse, psychopathy, possible infatuation/abuse by stepdad).

Social Media, Community Response, and Character Insights (49:00–57:55)

• Courtney’s strange Facebook activity is analyzed in-depth:

  • No posts for three weeks around Rebecca’s disappearance.
  • Posts screenshotted sedan images and asked for help, mentions her alibi, accuses others.

  "My alibi of where I was the night my daughter came up missing..." (51:49)

  • Posts about marital troubles, shares memes, past confessions of drug recovery, etc.

• Both she and Brad have deeply troubled backgrounds, with prior sexual abuse convictions.

• Daphne notes Courtney’s physical disability (amputated below right knee), speculating about her physical participation in the crime.

Latest Developments (57:55–End)

• On December 4, 2025, news breaks that Kimberly and Richard were released on drastically reduced bonds ($5,000 to $500 posted) and are due for hearings. Both are still prohibited from contacting Courtney/Brad and each other; Kimberly is under house arrest with a GPS device.

• The whereabouts of Rebecca’s baby remain unknown; the investigation continues.

• Hosts urge listeners to call the Wexford County tip line if they have any pertinent information.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On the horror and complexity of the case:

  "This is, frankly, evil personified." — Prosecutor Johanna Carey (46:00)

• On both family and community chaos:

  "It really does appear like these two people are very much idiots, and they really do not know how to handle this situation…" — Heath (30:14)

• On the disturbing backgrounds:

  "It’s just insane that there are two pedophiles, two known pedophiles connected." — Heath (49:02)

• On the public and digital response:

  "A lot of these people have taken to TikTok and tried to go more of like the... justice warrior route, I’ll say, and kind of heckle Courtney and the rest of the family, which I typically really don't agree with..." — Daphne (27:41)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------| | 02:20 | Case introduction — why it’s being covered now | | 07:00 | Rebecca's background as explained by adoptive mom | | 10:33 | Detailed rundown of Richard Fowler's criminal history | | 12:57 | First-person account: last time Rebecca seen | | 13:32–15:34 | Timeline of hospital visit and last sighting | | 16:17 | Police bulletin and initial search | | 19:39 | Kimberly describes Rebecca's prior disappearances | | 27:41 | TikTok activists and escalating public tension | | 31:37 | Courtney accuses Kimberly, plays social media clip | | 36:16 | Rebecca's body discovered by searchers | | 41:35 | Arrests of family, breakdown of charges | | 46:00 | Prosecutor's press statement on alleged murder and torture | | 49:02 | Revelation of both men’s pedophilia convictions | | 57:55 | Recent developments: Kimberly and Richard released on bond | | 60:36 | End of main episode content, call for tips |

Conclusion

This episode is as much an unfolding news piece as it is investigative true crime, highlighting a modern case in real time, replete with digital age disruptions like TikTok vigilantes and public feuding. Going West’s hosts provide sober but candid analysis, utilizing both news sources and raw social media evidence.

If you have information:

• Call Wexford County tip line at 231-306-2072 or 231-779-9216.

Tone:
Frank, at times darkly sardonic, but grounded in compassion for the victim and frustration for the mishandling and horror of the crime. The hosts do not shy away from calling out despicable behavior, both criminal and social, and keep a sharp focus on the facts and the (often grim) reality of familial violence and neglect.