Family members charged in death of pregnant woman in Michigan
amphotora/Getty Images
(CADILLAC, Mich.) — Two family members have been charged in connection to the death of a pregnant woman in Michigan after authorities allege she was lured to a home and tortured “in an attempt to remove the unborn infant,” according to the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
Cortney Bartholomew, 40, and Bradly Bartholomew, 47 — both from Boon, Michigan — were arraigned on Tuesday in the 84th District Court in Cadillac on multiple felony charges related to the murder of Rebecca Park, 22, of Manton, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Officials allege that on Nov. 3, the couple lured Park — Cortney Bartholomew’s biological daughter who was approximately 38 weeks pregnant at the time — to their Wexford County home in upstate Michigan.
“The couple then allegedly tortured Park in an attempt to remove the unborn infant, resulting in the death of both,” according to the statement from the attorney general’s office. “After an extensive search, Park’s remains were found in the Manistee National Forest on November 25.”
“Rebecca had everything to live for, and our hearts are with her loved ones as they endure this unthinkable loss,” Nessel said. “We are committed to working alongside the Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to ensure justice is pursued in this tragic case without delay.”
Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew have each been charged by the Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with first-degree murder, felony murder, torture and a series of other charges that could land each of them a potential life sentence.
“This case involves a truly horrific homicide in which a young woman and her unborn child endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of the Defendants,” said Wexford County Prosecutor Johanna Carey. “The brutality and disregard for human life displayed here are deeply troubling. While these remain allegations until proven in court, the evidence reflects an extraordinary level of callousness and violence. We look forward to presenting the full facts in court.”
The Wexford County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is handling the prosecution of this case with the assistance of the Department of Attorney General, authorities said.
(SALT LAKE CITY) — The FBI said it has recovered what is believed to be the weapon used in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
A “high-powered bolt action rifle,” which officials believe was the weapon used in the shooting, was recovered in a wooded area near where the shooting took place, according to Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls.
The manhunt for the suspect, who is believed to be college-aged, continues, with officials working “around the clock” to locate the individual, officials said during a press conference on Thursday.
The FBI asked for tips from the public as the manhunt for the perpetrator continued, urging anyone with information, photos and video from the incident to share it with investigators.
FBI Director Kash Patel said earlier the agency “stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”
UVU will be closed until Sept. 14, according to a notice posted on the university’s website.
As the search for the suspect continued, President Donald Trump and prominent MAGA personalities sought to tie the killing to Democratic political rhetoric.
In a video posted to social media, Trump said, “It’s a long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree.”
“For years, those on the radical Left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he added. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
Trump’s son Eric, meanwhile, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity he was “sick and tired of seeing the bullets — they are only going one way.”
Controversial campus visit
Kirk — a 31-year-old father of two — was considered a confidant of Trump and highly influential in the conservative youth movement.
He founded the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, and in the 2024 elections was credited with building significant support for Trump among young voters.
He was hit by a single shot during the outdoors event at the university’s Orem campus shortly after noon. Kirk was taken to hospital but was later pronounced dead.
The Utah event was expected to include a “prove me wrong” table, according to the tour’s website.
Ahead of Kirk’s visit to Utah Valley University, some students started an online petition asking university administrators to stop him from coming.
Though Kirk’s visit was controversial on campus, police were tracking no specific or credible threats before the fatal shooting, Utah law enforcement sources told ABC News.
More than 3,000 people were estimated to be at the event, according to the university’s police chief, Jeff Long. There were six police officers, along with Kirk’s private security, according to Long.
Ongoing manhunt
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason called the shooting a “targeted attack,” and said the scene is a “very large area.”
Mason said the “only information” they have on the possible shooter was taken from CCTV on campus, and that the person was dressed in all dark clothing. The shot was fired on campus from a “longer distance,” potentially from a roof, he said.
There is no evidence that anyone else was involved, according to authorities.
Authorities are combing through video from the scene, including this video which appears to show a person on the roof immediately following the shooting, according to sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.
During a press conference yesterday, authorities said the shot came “potentially from a roof, yes. A longer distance shot from a roof.”
Separately, authorities said they are also looking at security camera video depicting someone dressed in all dark clothing and that “the shooter is believed to have fired from the roof of a building down to the location of the public event in the student courtyard,” according to a statement from law enforcement officials last night.
The FBI has established a digital media tip line for the public to provide any tips to investigators, including photos or video of the incident.
Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls said the investigation is in the early stages.
“We are following all the leads and all the evidence,” he said during the press briefing on Wednesday.
The Utah Department of Public of Safety said in an update Wednesday night that two people were initially taken into custody after the shooting but later released.
The first was released and later charged with obstruction by university police. The second person was taken into custody and released after an “interrogation” by law enforcement, the department said.
Utah authorities said “there are no current ties to the shooting with either of these individuals.”
Tributes from both parties
Trump was among those who paid tribute to Kirk.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Trump said on social media. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
“It’s horrific. It’s one of the most horrible things I’ve ever seen,” Trump told ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
“He was a great guy,” Trump said. “He was a good man. He was an incredible guy. Nobody like him.”
Trump ordered all American flags throughout the country to be lowered to half-staff through Sunday evening in Kirk’s honor.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the fatal shooting a “political assassination.”
Vice President JD Vance called Kirk “a genuinely good guy and a young father” while urging prayers in the aftermath of the shooting.
Cox said earlier he was being briefed “following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk” during the conservative political activist’s visit to the campus.
“Those responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life. Americans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act,” he said on X.
Condemnation came from both sides of the political spectrum.
“There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” Former President Joe Biden said. “Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones.”
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is horrifying and this growing type of unconscionable violence cannot be allowed in our society,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said on X.
Fellow Democratic governor, California’s Gavin Newsom, said on X that the “attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, Ivan Pereira, Lalee Ibssa, Isabella Murray, Katherine Faulders, Jack Date, Chris Looft and Helena Skinner contributed to this report.
The moon rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center as the Tribute in Light is tested ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York City on September 8, 2025. Gary Hershorn/ABC News
(NEW YORK) — The Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack on the World Trade Center is still killing New York City firefighters 24 years later.
On Tuesday, the New York City Fire Department will remember 39 members who died in the past year of illnesses related to their work during the rescue and recovery efforts at what was then known as The Pile.
Their names will be added to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall during a Tuesday afternoon ceremony at the department’s Brooklyn headquarters. The inscription on the wall says, “Dedicated to the memory of those who bravely served this department protecting life and property in the City of New York in the rescue and recovery effort at Manhattan Box 5-5-8087 World Trade Center.”
The FDNY has lost more than 400 members to World Trade Center illnesses, surpassing the 343 firefighters killed on 9/11 itself.
Overall, 2,753 people were killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Thursday will mark 24 years since the terror attacks. The annual commemoration ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan will begin at 8:40 a.m. Thursday.
FBI and Border Patrol officers speak with Sean Charles Dunn, after he allegedly assaulted law enforcement with a sandwich, along the U Street corridor during a federal law enforcement deployment to the nation’s capital on Aug. 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A jury found Sean Charles Dunn, the man accused of throwing a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent in Washington, D.C., not guilty after three days of testimony and dozens of exhibits.
Dunn, a former Department of Justice staffer, had been hit with a misdemeanor assault charge after a grand jury failed to indict him on a felony assault charge for allegedly throwing a sandwich at the agent during the federal law enforcement surge in August. Video of the encounter went viral after Dunn’s arrest.
According to the earlier felony criminal complaint, Dunn allegedly approached the officer while shouting “f— you! You f—— fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!”
After several minutes of confrontation, Dunn allegedly threw the sandwich, striking the officer in the chest, the complaint says.
Defense attorney Sabrina Shroff signaled her strategy immediately in her closing arguments on Wednesday, saying, “This case, ladies and gentlemen, is about a sandwich,” she said. “A sandwich that landed intact, still in its Subway wrapping.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiLorenzo opened the government’s closing argument by urging jurors to find Dunn, better known online as “Sandwich Guy,” guilty of misdemeanor assault.
“This case is not about strong opinions,” DiLorenzo said. “It’s not about immigration.” Instead, he argued, Dunn crossed a line the night he threw the sandwich at a CBP agent.
The government said Dunn caused a “seven-minute disturbance” designed to pull attention away from CBP and the Metropolitan Police Department during a “high-visibility” operation. “Distract the officers, move them from their post,” DiLorenzo told jurors.
Prosecutors then played a video of Dunn admitting to officers, “I did it. I threw a sandwich. I did it to draw them away from where they were. I succeeded.”
The government argued that intent, not the menu item, is what matters. “Even with a sandwich, you don’t have the right to touch another person,” DiLorenzo said.
At several points, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols reminded jurors that their verdict must rest on the evidence presented.
When Shroff continued her argument, she turned the government’s framing on its head, not by disputing the sandwich, but by arguing its legal meaning.
She showed photos of the sandwich on the ground after it hit the CBP agent and then pointed to something the government had not, the agent’s own mementos from the incident. The agent, she said, later received a fake Subway sandwich and a “felony footlong” badge from co-workers, both of which he displayed at work.
“If someone assaulted you, if someone offended you, would you keep a memento of that assault?” Shroff asked. “Would you stick it on your lunchbox and carry it every day? Of course not.”
Shroff argued the sandwich caused no injury, was not a foreseeable weapon, and that Dunn was engaged in protected political speech. She compared the incident to “a kid throwing a stuffed toy in the middle of a bedtime temper tantrum.”
Earlier, Dunn waived his right to testify in court ahead of closing arguments.
After nearly two hours of deliberation, the jury did not reach a verdict. Proceedings will resume at 9 a.m. Thursday.
-ABC News’ Alex Mallin contributed to this report.
