What began as private conflicts behind closed doors ended in two sprawling criminal investigations that exposed secret relationships, alleged threats, and horrifying violence against pregnant women in Wisconsin and Michigan.
In western Wisconsin, prosecutors say a married college instructor killed his pregnant mistress and then set her home on fire in an effort to erase the crime.
In northern Michigan, authorities allege a young woman nearing childbirth was lured into the woods and murdered by her own family, with prosecutors describing acts so brutal they stunned a courtroom.
La Crosse County prosecutors have charged 38-year-old Matt Sierra with the killing of 27-year-old Alexis Pickett on Nov. 13, along with the deaths of her unborn child and her dog.
According to charging documents cited by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sierra is also accused of setting Pickett’s home ablaze after her death.
Court records show Sierra faces four felony counts, including first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree intentional homicide of an unborn child, arson, and mistreatment of animals causing death. He remains jailed at the La Crosse County Jail, where bail has been set at $1 million.
The case against Sierra briefly stalled earlier this month. “Charges were initially filed against Sierra on December 17, but La Crosse Judge Scott Horne dismissed the charges after finding the criminal complaint insufficient during a December 23 hearing,” the Journal Sentinel reported.
“On Dec. 26, the La Crosse District Attorney’s Office filed a new complaint against Sierra, with 14 additional pages of detail, and the case moved forward.”
Prosecutors allege that Sierra and Pickett had been involved in a long-term relationship that resulted in the birth of a child who is now 2-years-old.
The updated complaint states that Pickett later became pregnant again and informed Sierra months before her death. Investigators say the pregnancy became a source of ongoing conflict between the two.
According to the criminal complaint, Sierra attempted to persuade Pickett to terminate the pregnancy, but she refused.
Text messages included in the amended filing show heated exchanges between the pair. Friends told investigators that Sierra and Pickett argued repeatedly about the pregnancy.
The complaint does not specify how Pickett was killed or how the fire at her home began. However, prosecutors point to surveillance footage that allegedly places Sierra near Pickett’s residence at a critical time.
The footage shows Sierra leaving the area as smoke alarms inside the home were triggered, investigators said. Authorities reported that no other individuals were seen entering or leaving the area before emergency responders arrived.
When firefighters and investigators entered the home, they discovered Pickett’s body. Her dog was also found dead inside the burned structure.
According to the complaint, the fire occurred the night after Sierra and Pickett had spent portions of the day together.
Sierra told investigators during an interview that he left Pickett’s house between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. but claimed he stayed nearby to see if she would text him.
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Prosecutors said phone records contradicted that account, showing his phone remained at his own home throughout the night.
The medical examiner who performed the autopsy concluded that Pickett died before the fire began.
The complaint noted that determining the precise cause of death was difficult because there were no obvious external injuries and the fire caused extensive damage to her remains.
While the Wisconsin case unfolded, authorities in Michigan were unraveling an even more disturbing investigation involving the death of a pregnant woman who vanished just weeks before her due date.
Rebecca Park, 22, disappeared on Nov. 3 when she was 38 weeks pregnant, according to the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office. She was last seen near a family member’s home. On Nov. 25, hunters discovered a body in the Manistee National Forest.
Park was later identified through an autopsy, which confirmed she was no longer pregnant at the time of her death.
Park’s fiancé, 43-year-old Richard Lee Falor, was arrested the same night her body was found.
Her sister, 21-year-old Kimberly Park, was taken into custody several hours later. Early in the investigation, both faced serious charges and high bail.
When Park first went missing, Falor told 9and10 News that the couple had gone to a hospital on Nov. 2 because they believed Park might be in labor.
He said she was one centimeter dilated and due to give birth on Nov. 18. Falor also told the outlet that Park had been at her biological mother’s house the day she disappeared and was later picked up by someone driving a black sedan with tinted windows.
Kimberly Park was initially held on a $750,000 bond and charged with tampering with evidence, lying to police during a violent crime investigation and filing a false felony report.
Falor was held on a $1 million bond and charged with two counts of delivering methamphetamine.
Authorities described Falor as a habitual offender with multiple prior felonies, meaning he could face life in prison if convicted.
As investigators continued to analyze evidence, the case took a shocking turn. Prosecutors announced that new suspects had emerged, leading to a dramatic shift in focus.
On Dec. 1, Park’s mother, Cortney Bartholomew, and stepfather, Bradly Bartholomew, were arrested and charged with her murder. During a court hearing the following day, prosecutors alleged that Park’s mother cut the unborn child from her daughter’s womb.
Probable cause affidavits state that Cortney Bartholomew initially denied involvement but later confessed after investigators confronted her with cell phone data placing her at the site where Park’s body was discovered.
Prosecutors described chilling details during a Dec. 2 hearing.
“Mr. Bartholomew brought Rebecca to their home, [he and Cortney] 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,” Carey told the court. “They then left Rebecca in the woods.”
According to the affidavit, Cortney Bartholomew told investigators she used a scalpel to remove the fetus, claiming she hoped to save the baby and give the child to Falor. She alleged that Bradly Bartholomew was involved and said he held a knife to Park’s throat while the act occurred.
“When she cut the baby out, Cortney said that Rebecca was still conscious and Bradly was holding the knife to her throat,” the affidavit stated.
Investigators said Park’s body was pushed down an embankment and covered with leaves. The fetus was placed in a cooler, then a trash bag, before being discarded in a dumpster, according to court documents.
Cortney and Bradly Bartholomew now face multiple charges, including first-degree murder, felony murder, torture, conspiracy to commit torture, assault on a pregnant individual causing miscarriage or stillbirth, and conspiracy to commit that assault.
They are also charged with unlawful imprisonment and removal of a dead body. Prosecutors said the charges carry the possibility of life sentences. The couple is being held without bail.
Kimberly Park was later arraigned on reduced charges and released on house arrest after posting $5,000 bail.
Falor’s bail was also reduced to $5,000, and he was released while awaiting further proceedings.
