By Comfort Asemota
Police are searching for the newborn of a heavily pregnant woman who was found dead in a wooded area just days before her due date.
Authorities say Rebecca Park, who was 39 weeks pregnant, was discovered dead in Manistee National Forest, with no sign of her baby.
Rebecca was last seen on November 4 leaving her mother’s home in Michigan. She reportedly got into the passenger seat of a dark-coloured vehicle, according to witnesses. After that, she was not seen or heard from again. Her phone was later found near her mother’s home.
Earlier this month, she was officially reported missing from Boon Township, nearly 50 miles from where her body was eventually located.
Two people — her fiancé, Richard Lee Falor, and her 21-year-old sister, Kimberly Park — have been arrested but not charged in connection with her death.
Falor, 43, who is a convicted sex offender, was detained the same night Rebecca’s body was found.
Falor has also been charged with two drug-related offenses and faces a potential life sentence because of his history as a habitual offender. Considered both a flight risk and a risk to the community, he is being held in jail on a $1,000,000 cash bond.
Before his arrest, Falor had spoken publicly while Rebecca was still missing.
He claimed Rebecca told her mother, “Hold on. I got somebody to pick me up. This is just something I got to do. I’m sorry.” According to him, a black sedan pulled up, Rebecca got in, and “nobody’s heard from her since.”
Falor said he had been in a relationship with Rebecca for more than two years, adding:
“Even when she’s not around me, she’s always in contact with me. Me, her mom and sister, we’ve all been calling the hospitals. I just want to know that she’s safe. Our son is safe.”
Rebecca’s sister, Kimberly Park, has also been taken into custody. She is charged with tampering with evidence, lying to police during a violent-crime investigation, and filing a false felony report. She is being held at Wexford County Jail on a $750,000 cash bond.
The cause of Rebecca Park’s death is still under investigation. Authorities have said they can only release “extremely limited” information to the public due to the sensitive nature of the case.
Rebecca’s adoptive mother, Stephanie Park, explained that she remained largely silent during the search to protect her family. Now, however, she wants people to know that Rebecca had a loving family.
She said:
“We have been silent because we care. We wanted her found and didn’t want to pressure anyone involved in a way that could prevent that. I never suspected she ran away with the baby. We have been preparing ourselves for this outcome.”
Stephanie added:
“She was deeply loved. She had some mental health struggles and challenges, but she was a loving person. She deserves to be remembered for the sweet girl she was when she was younger.”
