A pregnant woman who disappeared shortly before her due date was discovered deceased in the woods of northern Michigan, prompting police to arrest her fiancé and sister amidst a desperate search for her newborn.
Rebecca Park, just 22, was last seen near a family member’s residence on November 3 while she was 38 weeks pregnant. Her body was found in the Manistee National Forest on November 25, but it took additional days to confirm her identity through an autopsy.
On the same night that Park’s body was located, her fiancé, Richard Lee Farrar, aged 43, was taken into custody. Her sister, Kimberly Park, 21, was arrested early on November 26.
Though details regarding the autopsy remain limited and the official cause of death hasn’t yet been made public, reports indicate that Park was no longer pregnant when she was found.
Initially, when Rebecca went missing, Farrar expressed concern, stating he had taken her to the hospital on November 2 because he thought labor might be imminent. At that time, Rebecca mentioned she was only 1cm dilated, with her due date noted as November 18.
Farrar indicated that on the day of her disappearance, Rebecca was at her mother’s home when she left in a tinted black sedan, but she hadn’t disclosed her destination or who was picking her up.
Interestingly, the same day she disappeared, she received approximately $2,000 from her family’s estate. Her cellphone was later found abandoned near her home, which authorities believe likely aided her in avoiding electronic tracking.
Currently, Kimberly Park is being held at Wexford County Jail with a bond set at $750,000, while Farrar is facing a higher bond of $1 million. Both individuals have been declared flight risks, with the judge noting concerns about Farrar being a potential threat to the community during his arraignment.
Farrar has a history of legal trouble, being categorized as a repeat offender with prior felony charges related to attempted or completed crimes, including two counts of methamphetamine distribution that could lead to a life sentence. Meanwhile, Kimberly Park faces charges related to tampering with evidence, lying to officers investigating a violent crime, and filing a false report concerning a felony.
